Ezekiel 5; Ezekiel 6; Ezekiel 7; Hebrews 12

1 [The LORD said,] "Son of man, take a sharp blade, and use it as a barber's razor to shave your head and beard. Take scales to weigh your hair and divide it [into three even parts].

2 When the blockade is over, burn one-third of your hair in a fire in the middle of the city. Take another third, and cut it up with a blade around the city. Then scatter the remaining third to the wind, and I will draw a sword and go after it.

3 Take a few strands of hair, and wrap them in the hem of your clothes.

4 Later, take some of them, and throw them in a fire and burn them up. From there a fire will spread throughout the whole nation of Israel.

5 "This is what the Almighty LORD says: This is Jerusalem! I have placed it in the center of the nations with countries all around it.

6 The people of Jerusalem have rebelled against my rules and my laws more than the surrounding nations. They have rejected my rules, and they don't live by my laws.

7 "So this is what the Almighty LORD says: [People of Jerusalem,] you have caused more trouble than the nations around you. You haven't lived by my laws or obeyed my rules. You haven't even lived up to the standards of the nations around you.

8 "So this is what the Almighty LORD says: I, too, am against you, and I will punish you in front of the nations.

9 Because of all the detestable things that you do, I will do things to you that I have never done before and will never do again.

10 That is why parents will eat their children, and children will eat their parents. I will punish you and scatter whoever is left to the wind.

11 "As I live, declares the Almighty LORD, because you have dishonored my holy worship place with all your disgusting and detestable things, I will have you killed. I will not have compassion for you or feel sorry for you.

12 One-third of you will die in plagues and be devoured in famines. Another third will die in battles against those around you. I will scatter the remaining third to the wind, and I will pursue them with a sword.

13 "I will unleash my anger. I will use my fury against you, and I will get revenge. When my fury is unleashed against you, you will know that I, the LORD, spoke to you while I was angry.

14 I will turn you into a wasteland and an object of ridicule among the nations around you and in the presence of everyone who passes by you.

15 The nations that are around you will ridicule you and laugh at you. When I punish you because of my anger, fury, and fierce revenge, you will become something ridiculed and something horrible. I, the LORD, have spoken.

16 When I shoot my destructive arrows of famine at you, I will shoot to kill you. I will bring more and more famines into your land, and I will cut off your food supply.

17 I will send famines and wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children. I will send plagues, violence, and wars to kill you. I, the LORD, have spoken."

1 The LORD spoke his word to me. He said,

2 "Son of man, look toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them.

3 Say this, 'You mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Almighty LORD! This is what the Almighty LORD says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am going to attack you with a sword and destroy your worship sites.

4 Your altars will be destroyed, and your incense burners will be smashed. I will kill people in front of your idols.

5 I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel in front of your idols, and I will scatter their bones around your altars.

6 Wherever people live, the cities will be ruined, and the worship sites will be wrecked. Your altars will be ruined and demolished. Your idols will be smashed and completely destroyed. Your incense burners will be cut down, and everything you have done will be wiped out.

7 People will be killed, and they will fall among you. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

8 "'But I will let some people live. Some people will escape the battle among the nations and be scattered throughout the countries.

9 Then those who escape will remember me among the nations where they are taken captive. I was hurt by their adulterous hearts, which turned away from me, and by their eyes, which lusted after idols. They will hate themselves for the evil and disgusting things that they have done.

10 Then you will know that I am the LORD and that the disaster I promised was not an empty threat.

11 "'This is what the Almighty LORD says: Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and say, "Oh no!" because the people of Israel have done evil and disgusting things. So they will die in wars, famines, and plagues.

12 Plagues will kill those who are far away. Those who are near will die in wars, and anyone who is left and has escaped will die in famines. This is how I will unleash my anger.

13 Then you will know that I am the LORD. "'Those who are killed will lie beside the idols around their altars. They will lie on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every large tree and every leafy oak. These are the places where they made offerings to their disgusting idols.

14 I will use my power against them and destroy the land, from the desert to Diblah. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'"

1 The LORD spoke his word to me. He said,

2 "Son of man, this is what the Almighty LORD says to [the people in] the land of Israel: The end is coming! The end is coming to the four corners of the earth.

3 Now the end is coming for you. I will send my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived, and I will punish you for all the detestable things that you have done.

4 I will not have compassion for you or feel sorry for you. I will pay you back for the way you have lived and for the detestable things you have done. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

5 "This is what the Almighty LORD says: One disaster after another is coming.

6 The end is coming. The end is coming. It is stirring itself up against you. It is coming!

7 Destruction is coming to you, inhabitants of the land. The time is coming. The day is near. There will be confusion. There will be no joy in the mountains.

8 Soon I will pour out my fury on you and unleash my anger on you. I will judge you for the way you have lived, and I will punish you for all the detestable things that you have done.

9 I will not have compassion or feel sorry. I will pay you back for the way you have lived and for the detestable things that you are still doing. Then you will know that I am the LORD and that I am the one attacking [you].

10 "The day is near! It is coming! Destruction is coming! Wrongdoing has blossomed. Arrogance has flourished.

11 Violence has grown into a weapon for punishing wickedness. None of the people will be left. None of that crowd, none of their wealth, and nothing of value will be left.

12 The time is coming. The day is near. Buyers will not rejoice, and sellers will not mourn, because [my] fury will be against the whole crowd.

13 Sellers will not live long enough to buy back what they have sold. The visions against that crowd will not change. Because of their sins, none of the people will live.

14 They have blown a ram's horn, and everything is ready. But no one will go into battle, because my fury is against their whole crowd.

15 "Outside are swords, and inside are plagues and famines. Whoever is in a field will die in battle. Whoever is in the city will be devoured by famines and plagues.

16 Those who survive will escape to the mountains. They will moan like doves in the valleys. They will moan because of their sins.

17 Every hand will hang limp, and every knee will be as weak as water.

18 They will put on sackcloth, and horror will cover them. All their faces will be covered with shame, and every head will be shaved.

19 They will throw their silver and gold into the streets like garbage. Their silver and gold won't be able to rescue them on the day of the LORD's anger. It will no longer satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs. Their silver and gold caused them to fall into sin.

20 They were proud of their beautiful jewels and used them to make disgusting and detestable statues [of false gods]. That is why I will make their jewels disgusting.

21 I will hand their jewels over to foreigners as loot and to the most evil people on earth as prizes. These foreigners will dishonor the people of Israel.

22 I will turn my face away from the people of Israel, and foreigners will dishonor my treasured place. Robbers will go in and dishonor it.

23 "Get the chains ready! The land is filled with murder, and the city is filled with violence.

24 So I will send the most evil nation, and it will take possession of people's houses. I will stop those who are strong from feeling proud, and their holy places will be dishonored.

25 Anguish is coming. People will look for peace, but there will be none.

26 One disaster will happen after another. One rumor will follow another. People will ask for a vision from a prophet. The teachings of priests and the advice of leaders will disappear.

27 Kings will mourn, and princes will give up hope. The common people will lose their courage. I will give them what they deserve and judge them as they have judged others. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

1 Since we are surrounded by so many examples [of faith], we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up.

2 We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God.

3 Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don't become tired and give up.

4 You struggle against sin, but your struggles haven't killed you.

5 You have forgotten the encouraging words that God speaks to you as his children: "My child, pay attention when the Lord disciplines you. Don't give up when he corrects you.

6 The Lord disciplines everyone he loves. He severely disciplines everyone he accepts as his child."

7 Endure your discipline. God corrects you as a father corrects his children. All children are disciplined by their fathers.

8 If you aren't disciplined like the other children, you aren't part of the family.

9 On earth we have fathers who disciplined us, and we respect them. Shouldn't we place ourselves under the authority of God, the father of spirits, so that we will live?

10 For a short time our fathers disciplined us as they thought best. Yet, God disciplines us for our own good so that we can become holy like him.

11 We don't enjoy being disciplined. It always seems to cause more pain than joy. But later on, those who learn from that discipline have peace that comes from doing what is right.

12 Strengthen your tired arms and weak knees.

13 Keep walking along straight paths so that your injured leg won't get worse. Instead, let it heal.

14 Try to live peacefully with everyone, and try to live holy lives, because if you don't, you will not see the Lord.

15 Make sure that everyone has kindness from God so that bitterness doesn't take root and grow up to cause trouble that corrupts many of you.

16 Make sure that no one commits sexual sin or is as concerned about earthly things as Esau was. He sold his rights as the firstborn son for a single meal.

17 You know that afterwards, when he wanted to receive the blessing that the firstborn son was to receive, he was rejected. Even though he begged and cried for the blessing, he couldn't do anything to change what had happened.

18 You have not come to something that you can feel, to a blazing fire, to darkness, to gloom, to a storm,

19 to a trumpet's blast, and to a voice. When your ancestors heard that voice, they begged not to hear it say another word.

20 They couldn't obey the command that was given, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death."

21 The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said he was trembling and afraid.

22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to tens of thousands of angels joyfully gathered together

23 and to the assembly of God's firstborn children (whose names are written in heaven). You have come to a judge (the God of all people) and to the spirits of people who have God's approval and have gained eternal life.

24 You have come to Jesus, who brings the new promise from God, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better message than Abel's.

25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen when God speaks. Your ancestors didn't escape when they refused to listen to God, who warned them on earth. We certainly won't escape if we turn away from God, who warns us from heaven.

26 When God spoke to your ancestors, his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the sky."

27 The words once more show clearly that God will change what he has made. These are the things that can be shaken. Then only the things that cannot be shaken will remain.

28 Therefore, we must be thankful that we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Because we are thankful, we must serve God with fear and awe in a way that pleases him.

29 After all, our God is a destructive fire.