Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has chosen me to bring good news to poor people. He has sent me to heal those with a sad heart. He has sent me to tell those who are being held and those in prison that they can go free. 2 He has sent me to tell about the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day our God will bring punishment. He has sent me to comfort all who are filled with sorrow. 3 To those who have sorrow in Zion I will give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. I will give them the oil of joy instead of sorrow, and a spirit of praise instead of a spirit of no hope. Then they will be called oaks that are right with God, planted by the Lord, that He may be honored.

Jeremiah 51:6-15

6 Run away from Babylon! Let every man save his life! Do not be destroyed in her punishment, for it is time for the Lord to punish her. He will make her pay for her sins. 7 Babylon has been a gold cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth drunk. The nations have drunk her wine, and so the nations have gone wild. 8 All at once Babylon has fallen and been broken. Cry over her with a loud voice. Bring healing oil for her pain. It may be that she will be healed. 9 We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Leave her alone, and let each of us go to his own country. For she is being judged from as far as heaven and lifted even to the skies. 10 The Lord has taken our guilt away. Come and let us make the work of the Lord our God known in Zion. 11 Make the arrows sharp! Take the body-coverings! The Lord has moved the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because He is planning to destroy Babylon. It is the punishment of the Lord, the punishment for what was done to His house of worship. 12 Lift up a flag on the walls of Babylon. Have many keep watch. Put the watchmen in their places. And get men ready to fight against her by surprise. For the Lord has both planned and done what He said about the people of Babylon. 13 O you who live by many waters and have many riches, your end has come. Your life is being cut off. 14 The Lord of All has promised by Himself, saying, “For sure I will fill you with men, as with many locusts. And they will call out that they have won the war against you.” 15 He made the earth by His power. He made the world by His wisdom. And by His understanding He spread out the heavens.

Jeremiah 46:5-10

5 What do I see? They are filled with fear and are turning back. Their strong men are beaten and are running away without looking back. Much fear is on every side,” says the Lord. 6 Do not let the fast man run away. Do not let the strong man get away. In the north by the River Euphrates they have lost their step and fallen. 7 Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers of rising waters? 8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like the rivers of rising waters. He has said, “I will rise and cover that land. I will destroy the city and its people.” 9 Go up, you horses! Drive hard, you war-wagons! Let the men of war go up, Ethiopia and Put who use the battle-covering, and the Lydians who are able men with the bow. 10 That day is the day of the Lord God of All, a day of punishment, when He will punish those who hate Him. The sword will destroy until it is filled. It will drink its fill of their blood. For there will be many killed for the Lord, the God of All, in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.

Isaiah 34:1-10

Come near, O nations, to hear! Listen, O people! Let the earth and all that is in it listen, the world and all that comes from it. 2 For the Lord’s anger is against all the nations. And His anger is against all their armies. He has destroyed all of them. He has given them over to be killed. 3 Their dead will be thrown out. Their dead bodies will give off a bad smell. The mountains will flow with their blood. 4 All the stars of the heavens will waste away. And the sky will be rolled up like writings. All that are in them will waste away also, as a leaf dries up from the vine, or as one dries up from the fig tree. 5 For My sword has drunk its fill in heaven. See, it will come down to punish Edom. It will come down upon the people whom I have given over to be destroyed. 6 The sword of the Lord is covered with blood. It is filled with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, and with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a killing in Bozrah, and much killing in the land of Edom. 7 Wild oxen will fall with them, and young bulls with strong ones. So their land will be filled with blood, and their dust will become rich with fat. 8 For the Lord has a day when He will punish, a year when He pays back which will help Zion. 9 Edom’s rivers will be turned into tar, and its dust into sulphur. Her land will become burning tar. 10 Its fire will not be put out night or day. Its smoke will go up forever. From one family to their children’s children and on into the future, it will lie waste. No one will pass through it forever and ever.

Nahúm 1:3-9

3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. The Lord will be sure to punish the guilty. The way He punishes is in the strong-wind and storm. The clouds are the dust under His feet. 4 He speaks sharp words to the sea and makes it dry. He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel dry up. The flowers of Lebanon dry up. 5 Mountains shake because of Him, and the hills melt. The earth is laid waste before Him, the world and everyone in it. 6 Who can stand before His anger? Who can live through the burning of His anger? His anger is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken up by Him. 7 The Lord is good, a safe place in times of trouble. And He knows those who come to Him to be safe. 8 But He will put an end to Nineveh by making a flood flow over it. And He will drive those who hate Him into darkness. 9 Whatever plan you make against the Lord, He will destroy it. Trouble will not come a second time.

Isaiah 59:17-19

17 Being right and good was His covering for His breast, saving power was His headcovering, clothing of anger was his covering, and His strong desires were like a coat. 18 He will pay them back for their works. He will send anger upon those who are against Him, and will punish those who hate Him. He will send punishment on the islands. 19 They will fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His shining-greatness from the rising of the sun. When the one who hates us comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a wall against him.

Ezekiel 25:15-17

15 ‘The Lord God says, “Because the Philistines have fought to destroy Judah with the lasting anger that is in their hearts,” 16 the Lord God says, “I will put out My hand against the Philistines. And I will destroy the Cherethites and those left beside the sea. 17 I will punish them in My anger, and they will know that I am the Lord when I punish them.”’”

Isaiah 35:3-4

3 Give strength to weak hands and to weak knees. 4 Say to those whose heart is afraid, “Have strength of heart, and do not be afraid. See, your God will come ready to punish. He will come to make sinners pay for their sins, but He will save you.”

Deuteronomio 32:39-43

39 See now that it is I. I am He. There is no god except Me. It is I Who kills and gives life. I hurt, and I heal. And there is no one who can take from My hand. 40 For I lift up My hand to heaven, and promise that, as I live forever, 41 I will make My shining sword sharp. My hand takes hold of what is right and fair. I will punish those who are against Me. And I will punish those who hate Me. 42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood. My sword will eat flesh with the blood of those who are killed and those who are in prison, from the long-haired leaders of those who hate Me.’ 43 Be glad, O nations, with His people! For He will punish because of the blood of His servants. He will punish those who fight against Him. And He will take away the sin of His land and His people.”

Jeremiah 5:5-9

5 I will go to the great men and will speak to them, for they know the way of the Lord, and the Law of their God.” But they too have broken the load from their neck and have broken the chains. 6 So a lion from among the trees will kill them. A wolf of the deserts will destroy them. A leopard is watching their cities. Every one who goes out of them will be torn in pieces, because they have done many sins. They have turned away from the Lord in many ways. 7 “Why should I forgive you? Your sons have left Me and have sworn by those who are not gods. When I gave them everything they needed, they did sex sins and met at the house of the woman who sells the use of her body. 8 They were like well-fed horses full of sinful desire, each one wanting his neighbor’s wife. 9 Should I not punish these people?” says the Lord. “Should I not make a nation such as this pay for its sins?

Psalm 94

O Lord, the God Who punishes, God Who punishes, let Your light shine! 2 Rise up, You Judge of the earth. Pay what is owed to the proud. 3 How long will the sinful, O Lord, how long will the sinful be full of joy? 4 They pour out proud words. All those who do wrong, talk about themselves as if they are great people. 5 They crush Your people, O Lord. They bring trouble upon Your chosen nation. 6 They kill the woman whose husband has died and the stranger. They kill the children who have no parents. 7 And they say, “The Lord does not see. The God of Jacob does not care.” 8 Listen, you foolish ones among the people. You fools, when will you understand? 9 He Who made the ear, does He not hear? He Who made the eye, does He not see? 10 He Who punishes nations so they might give up sin, will He not speak strong words to them? Is He not the One Who teaches man all he knows? 11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man. He knows that they are empty. 12 Happy is the man who is punished until he gives up sin, O Lord, and whom You teach from Your Law. 13 You give him rest from days of trouble, until a hole is dug for the sinful. 14 For the Lord will not turn away from His people. He will not leave His chosen nation. 15 For what is decided will be right and good. And all those whose hearts are right will follow it. 16 Who will rise up for me against the sinful? Who will take a stand for me against those who do wrong? 17 If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have been among the dead. 18 When I said, “My foot is going out from under me,” Your loving-kindness held me up, O Lord. 19 When my worry is great within me, Your comfort brings joy to my soul. 20 Can a sinful throne that brings trouble by its laws be a friend to You? 21 They join together against the life of those who are right and good. They send those who are not guilty to their death. 22 But the Lord has been my strong place, my God, and the rock where I am safe. 23 He has brought back their own sin upon them and will destroy them for their wrong-doing. The Lord our God will destroy them.

Hebrews 10:30-31

30 For we know God said, “I will pay back what is coming to them.” And, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 The very worst thing that can happen to a man is to fall into the hands of the living God!

Romans 12:17-21

17 When someone does something bad to you, do not pay him back with something bad. Try to do what all men know is right and good. 18 As much as you can, live in peace with all men. 19 Christian brothers, never pay back someone for the bad he has done to you. Let the anger of God take care of the other person. The Holy Writings say, “I will pay back to them what they should get, says the Lord.” 20 “If the one who hates you is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him water. If you do that, you will be making him more ashamed of himself.” 21 Do not let sin have power over you. Let good have power over sin!

Deuteronomy 32:35

35 It is Mine to punish when their foot makes a false step. The day of their trouble is near. Their fall is coming fast upon them.’

Roldan Ortiz Molinares