He told them, “You will drink my cup, ¹  but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, ¹  whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves ²  their food at the proper time?

Then ¹  he will reply ²  from inside, ‘Do not bother me. The door is already shut, and my children and I are in bed. ³  I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁴ 

He ¹  did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, ²  not even a foot of ground, ³  yet God ⁴  promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, ⁵  even though Abraham ⁶  as yet had no child.

This is the man who was in the congregation ¹  in the wilderness ²  with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors, ³  and he ⁴  received living oracles ⁵  to give to you. ⁶ 

And now I entrust ¹  you to God and to the message ²  of his grace. This message ³  is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

The second beast ¹  was empowered ²  to give life ³  to the image of the first beast ⁴  so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Thus ¹  people ²  were scorched by the terrible heat, ³  yet ⁴  they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority ⁵  over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.

For God has put into their minds ¹  to carry out his purpose ²  by making ³  a decision ⁴  to give their royal power ⁵  to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. ⁶ 

When they came they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and do not court anyone’s favor, because you show no partiality ¹  but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. ²  Is it right ³  to pay taxes ⁴  to Caesar ⁵  or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

So ¹  I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He ²  said to me, “Take the scroll ³  and eat it. It ⁴  will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

The ¹  nations ²  were enraged, but ³  your wrath has come, and the time has come for the dead to be judged, and the time has come to give to your servants, ⁴  the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints and to those who revere ⁵  your name, both small and great, and the time has come ⁶  to destroy those who destroy ⁷  the earth.”

The ¹  great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations ²  collapsed. ³  So ⁴  Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup ⁵  filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. ⁶