Ezekiel 31; Ezekiel 32; Ezekiel 33

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 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

2 "Human, speak to your people and say to them: 'Suppose I bring a war against a land. The people of the land may choose one of their men and make him their watchman.

3 When he sees the enemy coming to attack the land, he will blow the trumpet and warn the people.

4 If they hear the sound of the trumpet but do nothing, the enemy will come and kill them. They will be responsible for their own deaths.

5 They heard the sound of the trumpet but didn't do anything. So they are to blame for their own deaths. If they had done something, they would have saved their own lives.

6 But if the watchman sees the enemy coming to attack and does not blow the trumpet, the people will not be warned. Then if the enemy comes and kills any of them, they have died because of their own sin. But I will punish the watchman for their deaths.'

7 "You, human, are the one I have made a watchman for Israel. If you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them for me.

8 Suppose I say to the wicked: 'Wicked people, you will surely die,' but you don't speak to warn the wicked to stop doing evil. Then they will die because they were sinners, but I will punish you for their deaths.

9 But if you warn the wicked to stop doing evil and they do not stop, they will die because they were sinners. But you have saved your life.

10 "So you, human, say to Israel: 'You have said: Surely our law-breaking and sins are hurting us. They will kill us. What can we do so we will live?'

11 Say to them: 'The Lord God says: As surely as I live, I do not want any who are wicked to die. I want them to stop doing evil and live. Stop! Stop your wicked ways! You don't want to die, do you, people of Israel?'

12 "Human, say to your people: 'The goodness of those who do right will not save them when they sin. The evil of wicked people will not cause them to be punished if they stop doing it. If good people sin, they will not be able to live by the good they did earlier.'

13 If I tell good people, 'You will surely live,' they might think they have done enough good and then do evil. Then none of the good things they did will be remembered. They will die because of the evil they have done.

14 Or, if I say to the wicked people, 'You will surely die,' they may stop sinning and do what is right and honest.

15 For example, they may return what somebody gave them as a promise to repay a loan, or pay back what they stole. If they live by the rules that give life and do not sin, then they will surely live, and they will not die.

16 They will not be punished for any of their sins. They now do what is right and fair, so they will surely live.

17 "Your people say: 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' But it is their own ways that are not fair.

18 When the good people stop doing good and do evil, they will die for their evil.

19 But when the wicked stop doing evil and do what is right and fair, they will live.

20 You still say: 'The way of the Lord is not fair.' Israel, I will judge all of you by your own ways."

21 It was in the twelfth year of our captivity, on the fifth day of the tenth month. A person who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, "Jerusalem has been captured."

22 Now I had felt the power of the Lord on me the evening before. He had made me able to talk again before this person came to me. I could speak; I was not without speech anymore.

23 Then the Lord spoke his word to me, saying:

24 "Human, people who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying: 'Abraham was only one person, yet he was given the land as his own. Surely the land has been given to us, who are many, as our very own.'

25 So say to them: 'This is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with the blood still in it, you ask your idols for help, and you murder people. Should you then have the land as your very own?

26 You depend on your sword and do terrible things which I hate. Each of you has sexual relations with his neighbor's wife. So should you have the land?'

27 "Say to them: 'This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, those who are among the city ruins in Israel will be killed in war. I will cause those who live in the country to be eaten by wild animals. People hiding in the strongholds and caves will die of disease.

28 I will make the land an empty desert. The people's pride in the land's power will end. The mountains of Israel will become empty so that no one will pass through them.

29 They will know that I am the Lord when I make the land an empty desert because of the things they have done that I hate.'

30 "But as for you, human, your people are talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of houses. They say to each other: 'Come now, and hear the message from the Lord.'

31 So they come to you in crowds as if they were really ready to listen. They sit in front of you as if they were my people and hear your words, but they will not obey them. With their mouths they tell me they love me, but their hearts desire their selfish profits.

32 To your people you are nothing more than a singer who sings love songs and has a beautiful voice and plays a musical instrument well. They hear your words, but they will not obey them.

33 "When this comes true, and it surely will happen, then the people will know that a prophet has been among them."