Ezekiel 30; Ezekiel 31; Ezekiel 32; 1 Peter 4

1 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

2 "Human, prophesy and say, 'This is what the Lord God says: Cry and say, "The terrible day is coming."

3 The day is near; the Lord's day of judging is near. It is a cloudy day and a time when the nations will be judged.

4 An enemy will attack Egypt, and Cush will tremble with fear. When the killing begins in Egypt, her wealth will be taken away, and her foundations will be torn down.

5 Cush, Put, Lydia, Arabia, Libya, and some of my people who had made an agreement with Egypt will fall dead in war.

6 "'This is what the Lord says: Those who fight on Egypt's side will fall. The power she is proud of will be lost. from Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south, says the Lord God.

7 They will be the most deserted lands. Egypt's cities will be the worst of cities that lie in ruins.

8 Then they will know that I am the Lord when I set fire to Egypt and when all those nations on her side are crushed.

9 "'At that time I will send messengers in ships to frighten Cush, which now feels safe. The people of Cush will tremble with fear when Egypt is punished. And that time is sure to come.

10 "'This is what the Lord God says: through the power of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

11 Nebuchadnezzar and his army, the cruelest army of any nation, will be brought in to destroy the land. and will fill the land with those they kill.

12 I will make the streams of the Nile River become dry land, and then I will sell the land to evil people. I will destroy the land and everything in it through the power of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken.

13 "'This is what the Lord God says: I will destroy the idols and take away the statues of gods from the city of Memphis. There will no longer be a leader in Egypt, and I will spread fear through the land of Egypt.

14 I will make southern Egypt empty and start a fire in Zoan and punish Thebes.

15 And I will pour out my anger against Pelusium, the strong place of Egypt. I will destroy great numbers of people in Thebes.

16 I will set fire to Egypt. Pelusium will be in great pain. The walls of Thebes will be broken open, and Memphis will have troubles every day.

17 The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall dead in war, and the people will be taken away as captives.

18 In Tahpanhes the day will be dark when I break Egypt's power. Then she will no longer be proud of her power. A cloud will cover Egypt, and her villages will be captured and taken away.

19 So I will punish Egypt, and they will know I am the Lord.'"

20 It was in the eleventh year of our captivity, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

21 "Human, I have broken the powerful arm of the king of Egypt. It has not been tied up, so it will not get well. It has not been wrapped with a bandage, so it will not be strong enough to hold a sword in war.

22 So this is what the Lord God says: I am against the king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong arm and the broken arm, and I will make the sword fall from his hand.

23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, spreading them among the countries.

24 I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of the king of Egypt. Then when he faces the king of Babylon, he will cry out in pain like a dying person.

25 So I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong, but the arms of the king of Egypt will fall. Then people will know that I am the Lord when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he uses it in war against Egypt.

26 Then I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, spreading them among the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

1 It was in the eleventh year of our captivity, in the third month, on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

2 "Human, say to the king of Egypt and his people: 'No one is like you in your greatness.

3 Assyria was once like a cedar tree in Lebanon with beautiful branches that shaded the forest. It was very tall; its top was among the clouds.

4 Much water made the tree grow; the deep springs made it tall. Rivers flowed around the bottom of the tree and sent their streams to all other trees in the countryside.

5 So the tree was taller than all the other trees in the countryside. Its limbs became long and big because of so much water.

6 All the birds of the sky made their nests in the tree's limbs. And all the wild animals gave birth under its branches. All great nations lived in the tree's shade.

7 So the tree was great and beautiful, with its long branches, because its roots reached down to much water.

8 The cedar trees in the garden of God were not as great as it was. The pine trees did not have such great limbs. The plane trees did not have such branches. was as beautiful as this tree.

9 I made it beautiful with many branches, and all the trees of Eden in the garden of God wanted to be like it.

10 "'So this is what the Lord God says: The tree grew tall. Its top reached the clouds, and it became proud of its height.

11 So I handed it over to a mighty ruler of the nations for him to punish it. Because it was evil, I got rid of it.

12 The cruelest foreign nation cut it down and left it. The tree's branches fell on the mountains and in all the valleys, and its broken limbs were in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth left the shade of that tree.

13 The birds of the sky live on the fallen tree. The wild animals live among the tree's fallen branches.

14 So the trees that grow by the water will not be proud to be tall; they will not put their tops among the clouds. None of the trees that are watered well will grow that tall, because they all are meant to die and go under the ground. They will be with people who have died and have gone down to the place of the dead.

15 "'This is what the Lord God says: On the day when the tree went down to the place of the dead, I made the deep springs cry loudly. I covered them and held back their rivers, and the great waters stopped flowing. I dressed Lebanon in black to show her sadness about the great tree, and all the trees in the countryside were sad about it.

16 I made the nations shake with fear at the sound of the tree falling when I brought it down to the place of the dead. It went to join those who have gone down to the grave. Then all the trees of Eden and the best trees of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were comforted in the place of the dead below the earth.

17 These trees had also gone down with the great tree to the place of the dead. They joined those who were killed in war and those among the nations who had lived under the great tree's shade.

18 "'So no tree in Eden is equal to you, Egypt, in greatness and honor, but you will go down to join the trees of Eden in the place below the earth. You will lie among unclean people, with those who were killed in war. "'This is about the king of Egypt and all his people, says the Lord God.'"

1 It was in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

2 "Human, sing a funeral song about the king of Egypt. Say to him: 'You are like a young lion among the nations. You are like a crocodile in the seas. You splash around in your streams and stir up the water with your feet, making the rivers muddy.

3 "'This is what the Lord God says: I will spread my net over you, and I will use a large group of people to pull you up in my net.

4 Then I will throw you on the land dropping you onto the ground. I will let the birds of the sky rest on you and all the animals of the earth eat you until they are full.

5 I will scatter your flesh on the mountains and fill the valleys with what is left of you.

6 I will drench the land with your flowing blood as far as the mountains, and the ravines will be full of your flesh.

7 When I make you disappear, I will cover the sky and make the stars dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not shine.

8 I will make all the shining lights in the sky become dark over you; I will bring darkness over your land, says the Lord God.

9 I will cause many people to be afraid when I bring you as a captive into other nations, to lands you have not known.

10 I will cause many people to be shocked about you. Their kings will tremble with fear because of you when I swing my sword in front of them. They will shake every moment on the day you fall; each king will be afraid for his own life.

11 "'So this is what the Lord God says: will attack you.

12 I will cause your people to fall by the swords of mighty soldiers, the most terrible in the world. and all its people.

13 I will also destroy all Egypt's cattle which live alongside much water. The foot of a human will not stir the water, and the hoofs of cattle will not muddy it anymore.

14 So I will let the Egyptians' water become clear. I will cause their rivers to run as smoothly as olive oil, says the Lord God.

15 When I make the land of Egypt empty and take everything that is in the land, when I destroy all those who live in Egypt, then they will know that I am the Lord.'

16 "This is the funeral song people will sing for Egypt. The women of the nations will sing it; they will sing a funeral song for Egypt and all its people, says the Lord God."

17 It was in the twelfth year of our captivity, on the fifteenth day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

18 "Human, cry for the people of Egypt. Bring down Egypt, together with the women of the powerful nations; bring them down to the place of the dead below the earth to join those who go to the place of the dead.

19 Say to them: 'Are you more beautiful than others? Go lie down in death with those who are unclean.'

20 The Egyptians will fall among those killed in war. The sword is ready; the enemy will drag Egypt and all her people away.

21 From the place of the dead the leaders of the mighty ones will speak about the king of Egypt and the nations which help him: 'The unclean, those killed in war, have come down here and lie dead.'

22 "Assyria and all its army lie dead there. The graves of their soldiers are all around. All were killed in war,

23 and their graves were put in the deepest parts of the place of the dead. Assyria's army lies around its grave. When they lived on earth, they frightened people, but now all of them have been killed in war.

24 "The nation of Elam is there with all its army around its grave. All of them were killed in war. They had frightened people on earth and were unclean, so they went down to the lowest parts of the place of the dead. They must carry their shame with those who have gone down to the place of the dead.

25 A bed has been made for Elam with all those killed in war. The graves of her soldiers are all around her. All Elam's people are unclean, killed in war. They frightened people when they lived on earth, but now they must carry their shame with those who have gone down to the place of the dead. Their graves are with the rest who were killed.

26 "Meshech and Tubal are there with the graves of all their soldiers around them. All of them are unclean and have been killed in war. They also frightened people when they lived on earth.

27 But they are not buried with the other soldiers who were killed in battle long ago, those who went with their weapons of war to the place of the dead. These soldiers had their swords laid under their heads and their shields on their bodies. These mighty soldiers used to frighten people when they lived on earth.

28 "You, king of Egypt, will be broken and lie among those who are unclean, who were killed in war.

29 "Edom is there also, with its kings and all its leaders. They were mighty, but now they lie in death with those killed in war, with those who are unclean, with those who have gone down to the place of the dead.

30 "All the rulers of the north and all the Sidonians are there. Their strength frightened people, but they have gone down in shame with those who were killed. They are unclean, lying with those killed in war. They carry their shame with those who have gone down to the place of the dead.

31 "The king of Egypt and his army will see these who have been killed in war. Then he will be comforted for all his soldiers killed in war, says the Lord God.

32 I made people afraid of the king of Egypt while he lived on earth. But he and all his people will lie among those who are unclean, who were killed in war, says the Lord God."

1 Since Christ suffered while he was in his body, strengthen yourselves with the same way of thinking Christ had. The person who has suffered in the body is finished with sin.

2 Strengthen yourselves so that you will live here on earth doing what God wants, not the evil things people want.

3 In the past you wasted too much time doing what nonbelievers enjoy. You were guilty of sexual sins, evil desires, drunkenness, wild and drunken parties, and hateful idol worship.

4 Nonbelievers think it is strange that you do not do the many wild and wasteful things they do, so they insult you.

5 But they will have to explain this to God, who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

6 For this reason the Good News was preached to those who are now dead. Even though they were judged like all people, the Good News was preached to them so they could live in the spirit as God lives.

7 The time is near when all things will end. So think clearly and control yourselves so you will be able to pray.

8 Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven.

9 Open your homes to each other, without complaining.

10 Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God's various gifts of grace.

11 Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. Anyone who serves should serve with the strength God gives so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen.

12 My friends, do not be surprised at the terrible trouble which now comes to test you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you.

13 But be happy that you are sharing in Christ's sufferings so that you will be happy and full of joy when Christ comes again in glory.

14 When people insult you because you follow Christ, you are blessed, because the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is with you.

15 Do not suffer for murder, theft, or any other crime, nor because you trouble other people.

16 But if you suffer because you are a Christian, do not be ashamed. Praise God because you wear that name.

17 It is time for judgment to begin with God's family. And if that judging begins with us, what will happen to those people who do not obey the Good News of God?

18 "If it is very hard for a good person to be saved, the wicked person and the sinner will surely be lost!"

19 So those who suffer as God wants should trust their souls to the faithful Creator as they continue to do what is right.