Ezekiel 31; Ezekiel 32; Ezekiel 33

1 It was the 11th year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the first day of the third month, a message came to me from the Lord. He said,

2 "Son of man, speak to Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt. Also speak to his huge army. Tell him, " 'Who can be compared with your majesty?

3 Think about what happened to Assyria. Once it was like a cedar tree in Lebanon. It had beautiful branches that provided shade for the forest. It grew very high. Its top was above all of the leaves.

4 The waters fed it. Deep springs made it grow tall. Their streams flowed all around its base. They made their way to all of the trees in the fields.

5 So it grew higher than any other tree in the fields. It grew more limbs. Its branches grew long. They spread because they had plenty of water.

6 All of the birds of the air made their nests in its limbs. All of the wild animals had their babies under its branches. All of the great nations lived in its shade.

7 Its spreading branches made it majestic and beautiful. Its roots went down deep to where there was plenty of water.

8 The cedar trees in my garden were no match for it. The pine trees could not equal its limbs. The plane trees could not compare with its branches. No tree in my garden could match its beauty.

9 I gave it many branches. They made it beautiful. All of the trees in my Garden of Eden were jealous of it.' "

10 So the LORD and King says, "The cedar tree grew very high. Its top was above all of the leaves. It was proud of how tall it was.

11 So I handed it over to the Babylonian ruler of the nations. I wanted him to punish it because it was so evil. I decided to get rid of it.

12 "The Babylonians cut it down and left it there. They did not show it any pity at all. Some of its branches fell on the mountains. Others fell in all of the valleys. They lay broken in all of the stream beds in the land. All of the nations on earth came out from under its shade. And they went on their way.

13 All of the birds of the air settled on the fallen tree. All of the wild animals moved among its branches.

14 "So trees that receive plenty of water must never grow so high that it makes them proud. Their tops must never be above the rest of the leaves. No other trees that receive a lot of water must ever grow that high. They are appointed to die and go down into the earth below. They will join the other nations that go down into the grave."

15 The LORD and King says, "Assyria was like a cedar tree. But I brought it down to the grave. On that day I dried up the deep springs of water and covered them. I held its streams back. I shut off its rich supply of water. Because of that, Lebanon was dressed in darkness as if it were clothes. All of the trees in the fields dried up.

16 "I brought the cedar tree down to the grave. It joined the other nations that go down there. I made the nations on earth shake because of the sound of its fall. Then all of the trees of Eden were comforted in the earth below. That included the finest and best trees in Lebanon. And it included all the trees that received plenty of water.

17 Others also went down into the grave along with it. That included those that lived in its shade. And it included those nations that were going to help it. They joined those who had been killed with swords.

18 "Which one of the trees of Eden can be compared with you? What tree is as glorious and majestic as you are? But you too will be brought down to the earth below. There you will join the trees of Eden. You will lie down with those who have not been circumcised. You will be among those who were killed with swords. "That is what will happen to Pharaoh and his huge armies," announces the LORD and King.

1 It was the 12th year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the first day of the 12th month, a message came to me from the Lord. He said,

2 "Son of man, sing a song of sadness about Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt. Tell him, " 'You are like a lion among the nations. You are like a monster in the sea. You move around wildly in your rivers. You churn the water with your feet. You make the streams muddy.' "

3 The LORD and King says, "I will use a large crowd of people to throw my net over you. They will pull you up in it.

4 Then I will throw you on the land. I will toss you into an open field. I will let all of the birds of the air settle on you. I will let all of the wild animals eat you up.

5 I will scatter the parts of your body all over the mountains. I will fill the valleys with your remains.

6 I will soak the land with your blood. It will flow all the way to the mountains. The valleys will be filled with the parts of your body.

7 When I wipe you out, I will put a cover over the heavens. I will darken the stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud. The moon will stop shining.

8 I will darken all of the bright lights in the sky above you. I will bring darkness over your land," announces the LORD and King.

9 "The hearts of many people will be troubled. That is because I will destroy you among the nations. You had never known anything about those lands before.

10 Many nations will be shocked when they see what has happened to you. Their kings will tremble with fear when they find out about it. I will get ready to use Nebuchadnezzar as my sword against them. On the day you fall from power, each of the kings will tremble with fear. Each will be afraid he is the next to die."

11 The LORD and King says, "I will send against you the sword of the king of Babylonia.

12 I will destroy your huge army. They will be killed with the swords of Babylonia's mighty soldiers. The soldiers will not show them any pity. They will bring Egypt down in all of its pride. Its huge armies will be thrown down.

13 I will destroy all of its cattle from the places where they have plenty of water. Human feet will never stir the water up again. The hoofs of cattle will not make it muddy anymore.

14 I will let the waters of Egypt settle. I will make its streams flow like olive oil," announces the LORD and King.

15 "I will turn Egypt into an empty land. I will strip away everything in it. I will strike down everyone who lives there. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

16 "That is the song of sadness people will sing about Egypt. Women from other nations will sing it. They will sob over Egypt and its huge armies," announces the LORD and King.

17 It was the 15th day of a month near the end of the 12th year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. A message came to me from the Lord. He said,

18 "Son of man, sob over the huge army of Egypt. Tell the Egyptians they will go down into the earth below. The women singers from the other mighty nations will go down into the grave along with them and others.

19 "Tell them, 'Are you any better than others? Since you are not, go down there. Lie down with those who have not been circumcised.'

20 "They will fall dead among those who were killed with swords. Nebuchadnezzar is ready to use his sword against them. Let Egypt be dragged off together with its huge armies.

21 "The mighty leaders who are already in the grave will talk about Egypt. They will also speak about the nations that were going to help it. They will say, 'They have come down here. They are lying down with those who had not been circumcised. They are here with those who were killed with swords.'

22 "Assyria is there with its whole army. Its king is surrounded by the graves of all of its people who were killed with swords.

23 Their graves are deep down in the pit. Assyria's army lies around the grave of its king. All those who spread terror while they were alive are now dead. They were killed with swords.

24 "Elam is also there. Its huge armies lie around the grave of its king. All those who spread terror while they were alive are now dead. They were killed with swords. They had not been circumcised. They went down into the earth below. Their shame is like the shame of others who go down into the grave.

25 "A bed is made for Elam's king among the dead. His huge armies lie around his grave. They had not been circumcised. They were killed with swords. They had spread terror while they were alive. So now their shame is like the shame of others who go down into the grave. They lie down among the dead.

26 "Meshech and Tubal are also there. Their huge armies lie around the graves of their kings. They had not been circumcised. They had spread their terror while they were alive. So they were killed with swords.

27 "They lie down with the other dead soldiers who had not been circumcised. They and their weapons had gone down into the grave. Their swords had been placed under their heads. They had spread their terror while they were alive. But now the shame of their sin covers their bones.

28 "Pharaoh Hophra, you too will be broken. You will lie down among those who had not been circumcised. You will be there with those who were killed with swords.

29 "Edom is also there. So are its kings and all of its princes. In spite of their power, they lie down with those who were killed with swords. They lie down with those who had not been circumcised. They are there with others who went down into the grave.

30 "All of the princes of the north are there too. So are all of the people of Sidon. They went down into the grave in dishonor. While they were alive, they used their power to spread terror. They had never been circumcised. But now they lie down there with those who were killed with swords. Their shame is like the shame of others who go down into the grave.

31 "Pharaoh and his whole army will see all of them. That will comfort him in spite of the fact that his huge armies were killed with swords," announces the LORD and King.

32 "I let Pharaoh spread terror while he was alive. But now he and his huge armies will be buried with those who had not been circumcised. They will lie down there with those who were killed with swords," announces the LORD and King.

1 A message came to me from the Lord. He said,

2 "Son of man, speak to the people of your own country. Tell them, 'Suppose I send enemies against a land. And its people choose one of their men to stand guard.

3 He sees the enemies coming against the land. He blows a trumpet to warn the people.

4 " 'Someone hears the trumpet. But he does not pay any attention to the warning. The enemies come and kill him. Then what happens to him will be his own fault.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet. But he did not pay any attention to the warning. So what happened to him was his own fault. If he had paid attention, he would have saved himself.

6 " 'But suppose the guard sees the enemies coming. And he does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. The enemies come and kill one of them. Then his life has been taken away from him because he sinned. But I will hold the guard accountable for his death.'

7 "Son of man, I have appointed you as a prophet to warn the people of Israel. So listen to my message. Give them a warning from me.

8 "Suppose I say to a sinful person, 'You can be sure that you will die.' And suppose you do not try to get him to change his ways. Then he will die because he has sinned. And I will hold you accountable for his death.

9 "But suppose you do warn that sinful person. You tell him to change his ways. But he does not do it. Then he will die because he has sinned. But you will have saved yourself.

10 "Son of man, speak to the people of Israel. Tell them, 'You are saying, "Our sins and the wrong things we have done weigh us down. We are wasting away because we have sinned so much. So how can we live?" '

11 "Tell them, 'When sinful people die, it does not give me any joy. But when they turn away from their sins and live, that makes me very happy. And that is just as sure as I am alive,' announces the LORD and King. 'So turn away from your sins! Change your evil ways! Why should you die, people of Israel?'

12 "Son of man, speak to the people of your own country. Tell them, 'The right things a godly person does will not save him when he does not obey the Lord. The wrong things a sinful person does will not destroy him when he turns away from them. If a godly person sins, he will not be allowed to live just because he used to do what is right.'

13 "Suppose I tell someone who is godly that he will live. And he trusts in the fact that he used to do what was right. But now he does what is evil. Then I will not remember any of the right things he has done. He will die because he has done so many evil things.

14 "Suppose I say to a sinful person, 'You can be sure you will die.' And then he turns away from his sin. He does what is fair and right.

15 He gives back what he took as security for a loan. He returns what he has stolen. He follows my rules that give life. He does not do what is evil. Then you can be sure he will live. He will not die.

16 None of the sins he has committed will be held against him. He has done what is fair and right. So you can be sure he will live.

17 "In spite of that, your people say, 'What the Lord does isn't fair.' But it is what you do that is not fair.

18 "Suppose someone who is godly stops doing what is right. And he does what is evil. Then he will die because of it.

19 But suppose a sinful person turns away from the evil things he has done. And he does what is fair and right. Then he will live by doing that.

20 "In spite of that, you people of Israel say, 'What the Lord does isn't fair.' But I will judge each of you based on how you have lived."

21 It was the 12th year since we had been brought to Babylonia as prisoners. On the fifth day of the tenth month, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to bring me a report. He said, "The city has fallen!"

22 The evening before the man arrived, the LORD put his strong hand on me. He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened. I was no longer silent.

23 Then a message came to me from the Lord. He said,

24 "Son of man, the people who live in those broken-down buildings in Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one man. But he owned the land. We are many people. The land must certainly belong to us.'

25 "So tell them, 'The LORD and King says, "You eat meat that still has blood in it. You worship your gods. You commit murder. So should you still possess the land?

26 You depend on your swords. You do things I hate. Each one of you has sex with your neighbor's wife. So should you still possess the land?" '

27 "Tell them, 'The LORD and King says, "The people who are left in those broken-down buildings will be killed with swords. Wild animals will eat up those who are out in the country. Those who are in caves and other safe places will die of a plague. And that is just as sure as I am alive.

28 " ' "I will turn the land into a dry and empty desert. The strength Jerusalem is so proud of will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be deserted. No one will travel across them.

29 So I will turn the land into a dry and empty desert. I will punish my people because of all of the evil things they have done. I hate those things. They will know that I am the Lord." '

30 "Son of man, your people are talking about you. They are getting together by the walls of their houses and at their doors. They are saying to one another, 'Come. Listen to the LORD's message.'

31 "My people come to you, just as they usually do. They sit in front of you. They listen to what you say. But they do not put it into practice. With their mouths they claim to be faithful to me. But in their hearts they want what belongs to others. They try to get rich by cheating them.

32 You are nothing more to them than someone who sings love songs. They say you have a beautiful voice. They think you play an instrument well. They listen to what you say. But they do not put it into practice.

33 "Everything I have told you will come true. You can be sure of it. Then the people will know that a prophet has been among them."