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

1 The LORD's word came to me:

2 Human one, prophesy and say, The LORD God proclaims: Howl! Horror for the day!

3 The day is coming, the day of the LORD comes, a day of clouds: the nations' time has come.

4 A sword will come into Egypt, and trembling will overcome Cush, when the slain fall in Egypt, its wealth carried away, and its foundations razed.

5 Cush, Put, and Lud, all Arabia and Cub, and the people from the allied country with them will fall by the sword.

6 The LORD proclaims: When Egypt's helpers fall, its proud strength will decline. From Migdol to Syene they will fall by the sword. This is what the LORD God says.

7 Of all the lands laid waste, it will be the most desolate; of all cities, the most ruined.

8 They will know that I am the LORD. On the day that I set fire to Egypt and all its helpers are broken,

9 messengers in ships will go out from me to startle the complacent Cushites. Anguish will overcome them on Egypt's day. It's certainly coming.

10 The LORD God proclaims: I will bring an end to the hordes of Egypt through the power of Babylon's King Nebuchadrezzar.

11 He and his people with him, the most terrible of the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.

12 I will dry up the Nile canals; I will sell the land to evildoers. With the help of foreigners I will lay waste to the land and everything in it. I, the LORD, have spoken.

13 The LORD God proclaims: I will destroy the idols and bring an end to the images in Memphis. Never again will there be a prince from the land of Egypt; so I will kindle fear in the land of Egypt.

14 I will turn Pathros into a desolation, set fire to Zoan, and execute judgments in Thebes.

15 I will pour out my anger on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and I will cut down pompous Thebes.

16 I will set Egypt on fire; Pelusium will writhe in travail, Thebes will be split open, Memphis assaulted in broad daylight.

17 The elite troops of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and the cities themselves will go into captivity.

18 At Tehaphnehes the day will go dark when I break Egypt's yoke and bring an end to its proud strength. A cloud will cover it, and the towns around it will go into captivity.

19 I will execute judgments in Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.

20 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the seventh month, the LORD's word came to me:

21 Human one, I've broken the arm of Pharaoh, Egypt's king, and it hasn't been set so that it might heal, nor has it been braced or wrapped up so that it might be strong enough to grasp a sword.

22 So now the LORD God proclaims: I'm against Pharaoh, and I will break his arms, both the sound one and the broken one, and I'll make the sword fall out of his hand.

23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the earth.

24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will put my sword into his hand. When I break the arms of Pharaoh, he will groan like a dying man in his presence.

25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. They will know that I am the LORD, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he uses it against the land of Egypt.

26 When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the earth, they will know that I am the LORD.

1 In the eleventh year, on the first day of the third month, the LORD's word came to me:

2 Human one, say to Pharaoh, Egypt's king, and his troops: With whom do you compare in your greatness?

3 Consider Assyria, a cedar of Lebanon: beautiful branches, dense shade, towering height; indeed, its top went up between the clouds.

4 Waters nourished it; the deep raised it up, because its streams flowed around the place where it was planted. From there, water trickled down to all the other trees of the field.

5 And so it became higher than all the trees of the field. Its branches became abundant; its boughs grew long. Because of the plentiful water, it grew freely.

6 All the birds in the sky made nests in its branches; all the beasts of the field gave birth under its boughs, and in its shade, every great nation lived.

7 It became beautiful in its greatness and in its lush foliage, because it took root in plentiful water.

8 No cedar was its equal in God's garden. The fir trees didn't have anything like its branches, and the plane trees had nothing like its boughs. None of the trees in God's garden could compare to it in its beauty.

9 As for its beauty—I made it so, with its abundant foliage. All the trees of Eden envied it, all that were in God's garden.

10 So now the LORD God proclaims: Consider the fate of those who tower high! When it allowed its branches to reach up among the clouds, it became arrogant.

11 So I handed it over to the most powerful nation, who continually acted treacherously against it. I banished it!

12 Foreigners, the worst of the nations, cut it down and left it to lie among the hills. All its branches fell among the valleys, and its boughs were broken off in the earth's deep ravines. All the earth's peoples departed from its shade and abandoned it.

13 On its trunk roost all the birds in the sky, and on its boughs lie all the beasts of the field.

14 All this has happened so that no other well-watered tree would tower high or allow its branches to reach among the clouds. Nor would their leaders achieve the towering stature of such well-watered trees. Certainly, all of them are consigned to death, to the world below, among human beings who go down to the pit.

15 The LORD God proclaims: On the day that it went down to the underworld, I caused mourning. I blocked off the deep sea against it. I dried up its rivers and restrained the mighty waters. I made Lebanon go into mourning for it, and all the trees of the field languished on its account.

16 When it was felled, the nations quaked at the sound. When I cast it down into the underworld, with those who go down to the pit, all the trees of Eden were comforted in the world below, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all the trees that depended on water.

17 His allies, those among the nations who lived under his shade, these also went down with him to the underworld, to those who are slain by the sword.

18 Are you like any of these in glory or greatness among Eden's trees? Then you too will go down with Eden's trees to the world below. You will lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and his entire horde. This is what the LORD God says.

1 In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the LORD's word came to me:

2 Human one, sing a lament for Pharaoh, Egypt's king. Say to him: You consider yourself a young lion among the nations, but you are like the sea monster! You thrash about in your rivers, you roil the waters with your feet, and you muddy your rivers.

3 The LORD God proclaims: In the company of many peoples I will spread my net over you, and I will haul you up in my dragnet.

4 I will cast you out on the earth and throw you on the open ground. I will cause all the birds in the sky to settle on you, and all the beasts of the earth to devour you.

5 Your flesh I will set upon the mountains, and I will fill the valleys with your gore.

6 With your blood I will soak your irrigated land, and the streambeds will be filled with you.

7 When you are snuffed out, I will cover the sky, and I will darken the stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon won't radiate its light.

8 As for the shining lights of the heavens, I will make them dark over you, and set darkness over your land. This is what the LORD God says.

9 I will trouble the hearts of many peoples when I bring about your destruction with nations from lands you didn't know.

10 I will make many peoples appalled because of you. Their kings will shudder violently on your account when I brandish my sword before them. They will tremble for their lives again and again on the day of your downfall.

11 The LORD God proclaims: The sword of the king of Babylon is coming against you!

12 I will make your hordes fall by the swords of mighty men, the most terrifying of the nations, all of them. They will bring an end to Egypt's pride, and all of its hordes will be destroyed.

13 I will remove all its livestock from beside the plentiful waters so that neither human foot nor livestock's hoof will trouble it again.

14 At that time, I will allow the waters to run clear, and make its rivers flow like oil. This is what the LORD God says.

15 When I turn the land of Egypt into a wasteland and the land is deprived of all that fills it, and when I strike down those who live there, then they will know that I am the LORD.

16 This is a lament, and it will be sung as a lament. The daughters of the nations will lament for Egypt, and they will also lament for Egypt's hordes. This is what the LORD God says.

17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the first month, the LORD's word came to me:

18 Human one, mourn for Egypt's hordes. Send Egypt down with the mighty nations subject to it, to the world below, among those who go down to the pit.

19 Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and take your bed with the uncircumcised,

20 among those who fall slain by the sword. A sword is appointed, and all his hordes will carry him off.

21 The mighty chieftains, those who once came to his aid, will speak to him from the middle of the underworld, for the uncircumcised have gone down and have lain down, slain by the sword.

22 Assyria is there, and all its assembly round about his grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword,

23 who were assigned graves in the deepest region of the pit. His assembly surrounded his grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living.

24 Elam is there, her entire horde round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised to the world below, who caused terror in the land of the living. They bore their shame like those who go down to the pit.

25 Among the slain they made a bed for her, with all her hordes round about her grave, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, for they caused terror in the land of the living. They bore their shame like those who go down to the pit; in the midst of the slain she was placed.

26 Meshech and Tubal are there, and all their hordes around their graves, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, for they caused terror in the land of the living.

27 They don't lie with the mighty men fallen among the uncircumcised. When they went down to the underworld with their weapons of war, they put their swords under their heads and their shields over their bones. The terror of the mighty men is in the land of the living.

28 But you, you will be broken among the uncircumcised, and you will lie with those who are slain by the sword.

29 Edom is there, its kings and all its princes, who, though strong, were put with those slain by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, like those who go down to the pit.

30 All the princes of the north are there, and all the Sidonians who went down with the slain; in spite of the terror of their strength, they were disgraced. They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. They bore their shame like those who go down to the pit.

31 When Pharaoh sees them, he will be sorry for all his hordes who are slain by the sword— Pharaoh and all his army. This is what the LORD God says,

32 Though it was I who put his terror in the land of the living, he will be laid out among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his horde. This is what the LORD God says.

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered as a human, you should also arm yourselves with his way of thinking. This is because whoever suffers is finished with sin.

2 As a result, they don't live the rest of their human lives in ways determined by human desires but in ways determined by God's will.

3 You have wasted enough time doing what unbelievers desire—living in their unrestrained immorality and lust, their drunkenness and excessive feasting and wild parties, and their forbidden worship of idols.

4 They think it's strange that you don't join in these activities with the same flood of unrestrained wickedness. So they slander you.

5 They will have to reckon with the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

6 Indeed, this is the reason the good news was also preached to the dead. This happened so that, although they were judged as humans according to human standards, they could live by the Spirit according to divine standards.

7 The end of everything has come. Therefore, be self-controlled and clearheaded so you can pray.

8 Above all, show sincere love to each other, because love brings about the forgiveness of many sins.

9 Open your homes to each other without complaining.

10 And serve each other according to the gift each person has received, as good managers of God's diverse gifts.

11 Whoever speaks should do so as those who speak God's word. Whoever serves should do so from the strength that God furnishes. Do this so that in everything God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him be honor and power forever and always. Amen.

12 Dear friends, don't be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings.

13 Instead, rejoice as you share Christ's suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed.

14 If you are mocked because of Christ's name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you.

15 Now none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or rebel.

16 But don't be ashamed if you suffer as one who belongs to Christ. Rather, honor God as you bear Christ's name. Give honor to God,

17 because it's time for judgment to begin with God's own household. But if judgment starts with us, what will happen to those who refuse to believe God's good news?

18 If the righteous are barely rescued, what will happen to the godless and sinful?

19 So then, those who suffer because they follow God's will should commit their lives to a trustworthy creator by doing what is right.