this is what the sovereign Lord says: Tear off the turban, ¹  take off the crown! Things must change! ²  Exalt the lowly, bring down the proud! ³ 

Scatter abroad ¹  the abundance ²  of your anger. Look at every proud man ³  and bring him low;

“Does the wild donkey ¹  bray ²  when it is near grass? ³  Or ⁴  does the ox low near its fodder? ⁵ 

Proud men will be brought low, arrogant men will be humiliated; ¹  the Lord alone will be exalted ²  in that day.

Look at every proud man and abase him; crush the wicked on the spot! ¹ 

Many times he delivered ¹  them, but they had a rebellious attitude, ²  and degraded themselves ³  by their sin.

Men bow down to them in homage, they lie flat on the ground in worship. ¹  Don’t spare them! ² 

All the trees of the field will know that I am the Lord. I make the high tree low; I raise up the low tree. I make the green tree wither, and I make the dry tree sprout. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it!’”

They are exalted for a little while, and then they are gone, ¹  they are brought low ²  like all others, and gathered in, ³  and like a head of grain they are cut off.’ ⁴ 

But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ¹ 

But man ¹  dies and is powerless; ²  he expires – and where is he? ³ 

for she has brought down ¹  many fatally wounded, and all those she has slain are many. ² 

He has brought down the mighty ¹  from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; ² 

The Lord humiliated ¹  Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, ²  for he encouraged Judah to sin and was very ³  unfaithful to the Lord.

Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! ¹  You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror ²  of the nations! ³ 

Men are nothing but a mere breath; human beings are unreliable. ¹  When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air. ² 

¹ I will punish the world for its evil, ²  and wicked people for their sin. I will put an end to the pride of the insolent, I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants. ³ 

Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before ¹  the king. The king said, “What do you want?”

(41:1) ¹  See, his expectation is wrong, ²  he is laid low even at the sight of it. ³ 

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.