Ezekiel 32; Ezekiel 33; Ezekiel 34

1 On the first day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me.

2 "Mortal man," he said, "give a solemn warning to the king of Egypt. Give him this message from me: You act like a lion among the nations, but you are more like a crocodile splashing through a river. You muddy the water with your feet and pollute the rivers.

3 When many nations gather, I will catch you in my net and let them drag the net ashore.

4 I will throw you out on the ground and bring all the birds and animals of the world to feed on you.

5 I will cover mountains and valleys with your rotting corpse.

6 I will pour out your blood until it spreads over the mountains and fills the streams.

7 When I destroy you, I will cover the sky and blot out the stars. The sun will hide behind the clouds, and the moon will give no light.

8 I will put out all the lights of heaven and plunge your world into darkness. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

9 "Many nations will be troubled when I spread the news of your destruction through countries you never heard of.

10 What I do to you will shock many nations. When I swing my sword, kings will shudder with fright. On the day you fall, all of them will tremble in fear for their own lives."

11 The Sovereign Lord says to the king of Egypt, "You will face the sword of the king of Babylonia.

12 I will let soldiers from cruel nations draw their swords and kill all your people. All your people and everything else that you are proud of will be destroyed.

13 I will slaughter your cattle at every water hole. There will be no people or cattle to muddy the water any more.

14 I will let your waters settle and become clear and let your rivers run calm. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

15 When I make Egypt a desolate wasteland and destroy all who live there, they will know that I am the Lord.

16 This solemn warning will become a funeral song. The women of the nations will sing it to mourn for Egypt and all its people. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken."

17 On the fifteenth day of the first month of the twelfth year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me.

18 "Mortal man," he said, "mourn for all the many people of Egypt. Send them down with the other powerful nations to the world of the dead.

19 Say to them: "Do you think you are more beautiful than anyone else? You will go down to the world of the dead and lie there among the ungodly.

20 "The people of Egypt will fall with those who are killed in battle. A sword is ready to kill them all.

21 The greatest heroes and those who fought on the Egyptian side welcome the Egyptians to the world of the dead. They shout: "The ungodly who were killed in battle have come down here, and here they lie!'

22 "Assyria is there, with the graves of her soldiers all around. They were all killed in battle,

23 and their graves are in the deepest parts of the world of the dead. All her soldiers fell in battle, and their graves surround her tomb. Yet once they terrified the land of the living.

24 "Elam is there, with the graves of her soldiers all around. They were all killed in battle, and they went down, uncircumcised, to the world of the dead. In life they spread terror, but now they lie dead and disgraced.

25 Elam lies down among those killed in battle, and the graves of her soldiers are all around her. They are all uncircumcised, all killed in battle. In life they spread terror, but now they lie dead and disgraced, sharing the fate of those killed in battle.

26 "Meshech and Tubal are there, with the graves of their soldiers all around. They are all uncircumcised, all killed in battle. Yet once they terrified the living.

27 They were not given honorable burial like the heroes of ancient times, who went fully armed to the world of the dead, their swords placed under their heads and their shields over their bodies. These heroes were once powerful enough to terrify the living.

28 "That is how the Egyptians will lie crushed among the uncircumcised who were killed in battle.

29 "Edom is there with her kings and rulers. They were powerful soldiers, but now they lie in the world of the dead with the uncircumcised who were killed in battle.

30 "All the princes of the north are there, and so are the Sidonians. Their power once spread terror, but now they go down in disgrace with those killed in battle and are laid to rest, uncircumcised. They share the disgrace of those who go down to the world of the dead.

31 "The sight of all these who were killed in battle will be a comfort to the king of Egypt and his army," says the Sovereign Lord.

32 "I caused the king of Egypt to terrorize the living, but he and all his army will be killed and laid to rest with all the uncircumcised who die in battle." The Sovereign Lord has spoken.

1 The Lord spoke to me.

2 "Mortal man," he said, "tell your people what happens when I bring war to a land. The people of that country choose one of their number to be a lookout.

3 When he sees the enemy approaching, he sounds the alarm to warn everyone.

4 If someone hears it but pays no attention and the enemy comes and kills him, then he is to blame for his own death.

5 His death is his own fault, because he paid no attention to the warning. If he had paid attention, he could have escaped.

6 If, however, the lookout sees the enemy coming and does not sound the alarm, the enemy will come and kill those sinners, but I will hold the lookout responsible for their death.

7 "Now, mortal man, I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You must pass on to them the warnings I give you.

8 If I announce that an evil person is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, then he will die, still a sinner, and I will hold you responsible for his death.

9 If you do warn an evil person and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared."

10 The Lord spoke to me. "Mortal man," he said, "repeat to the Israelites what they are saying: "We are burdened with our sins and the wrongs we have done. We are wasting away. How can we live?'

11 Tell them that as surely as I, the Sovereign Lord, am the living God, I do not enjoy seeing sinners die. I would rather see them stop sinning and live. Israel, stop the evil you are doing. Why do you want to die?

12 "Now, mortal man, tell the Israelites that when someone good sins, the good he has done will not save him. If an evil person stops doing evil, he won't be punished, and if a good man starts sinning, his life will not be spared.

13 I may promise life to someone good, but if he starts thinking that his past goodness is enough and begins to sin, I will not remember any of the good he did. He will die because of his sins.

14 I may warn someone evil that he is going to die, but if he stops sinning and does what is right and good -

15 for example, if he returns the security he took for a loan or gives back what he stole - if he stops sinning and follows the laws that give life, he will not die, but live.

16 I will forgive the sins he has committed, and he will live because he has done what is right and good.

17 "And your people say that what I do isn't right! No, it's their way that isn't right.

18 When someone righteous stops doing good and starts doing evil, he will die for it.

19 When someone evil quits sinning and does what is right and good, he has saved his life.

20 But Israel, you say that what I do isn't right. I am going to judge you by what you do."

21 On the fifth day of the tenth month of the twelfth year of our exile, someone who had escaped from Jerusalem came and told me that the city had fallen.

22 The evening before he came, I had felt the powerful presence of the Lord. When the man arrived the next morning, the Lord gave me back the power of speech.

23 The Lord spoke to me.

24 "Mortal man," he said, "the people who are living in the ruined cities of the land of Israel are saying: "Abraham was only one man, and he was given the whole land. There are many of us, so now the land is ours.'

25 "Tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: You eat meat with the blood still in it. You worship idols. You commit murder. What makes you think that the land belongs to you?

26 You rely on your swords. Your actions are disgusting. Everyone commits adultery. What makes you think that the land is yours?

27 "Tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, warn them that as surely as I am the living God, the people who live in the ruined cities will be killed. Those living in the country will be eaten by wild animals. Those hiding in the mountains and in caves will die of disease.

28 I will make the country a desolate wasteland, and the power they were so proud of will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be so wild that no one will be able to travel through them.

29 When I punish the people for their sins and make the country a wasteland, then they will know that I am the Lord."

30 The Lord said, "Mortal man, your people are talking about you when they meet by the city walls or in the doorways of their houses. They say to one another, "Let's go and hear what word has come from the Lord now.'

31 So my people crowd in to hear what you have to say, but they don't do what you tell them to do. Loving words are on their lips, but they continue their greedy ways.

32 To them you are nothing more than an entertainer singing love songs or playing a harp. They listen to all your words and don't obey a single one of them.

33 But when all your words come true - and they will come true - then they will know that a prophet has been among them."

1 The Lord spoke to me.

2 "Mortal man," he said, "denounce the rulers of Israel. Prophesy to them, and tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, say to them: You are doomed, you shepherds of Israel! You take care of yourselves, but never tend the sheep.

3 You drink the milk, wear clothes made from the wool, and kill and eat the finest sheep. But you never tend the sheep.

4 You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed the ones that are sick, bandaged the ones that are hurt, brought back the ones that wandered off, or looked for the ones that were lost. Instead, you treated them cruelly.

5 Because the sheep had no shepherd, they were scattered, and wild animals killed and ate them.

6 So my sheep wandered over the high hills and the mountains. They were scattered over the face of the earth, and no one looked for them or tried to find them.

7 "Now, you shepherds, listen to what I, the Lord, am telling you.

8 As surely as I am the living God, you had better listen to me. My sheep have been attacked by wild animals that killed and ate them because there was no shepherd. My shepherds did not try to find the sheep. They were taking care of themselves and not the sheep.

9 So listen to me, you shepherds.

10 I, the Sovereign Lord, declare that I am your enemy. I will take my sheep away from you and never again let you be their shepherds; never again will I let you take care only of yourselves. I will rescue my sheep from you and not let you eat them.

11 "I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them

12 in the same way as shepherds take care of their sheep that were scattered and are brought together again. I will bring them back from all the places where they were scattered on that dark, disastrous day.

13 I will take them out of foreign countries, gather them together, and bring them back to their own land. I will lead them back to the mountains and the streams of Israel and will feed them in pleasant pastures.

14 I will let them graze in safety in the mountain meadows and the valleys and in all the green pastures of the land of Israel.

15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will find them a place to rest. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

16 "I will look for those that are lost, bring back those that wander off, bandage those that are hurt, and heal those that are sick; but those that are fat and strong I will destroy, because I am a shepherd who does what is right.

17 "Now then, my flock, I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I will judge each of you and separate the good from the bad, the sheep from the goats.

18 Some of you are not satisfied with eating the best grass; you even trample down what you don't eat! You drink the clear water and muddy what you don't drink!

19 My other sheep have to eat the grass you trample down and drink the water you muddy.

20 "So now, I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I will judge between you strong sheep and the weak sheep.

21 You pushed the sick ones aside and butted them away from the flock.

22 But I will rescue my sheep and not let them be mistreated any more. I will judge each of my sheep and separate the good from the bad.

23 I will give them a king like my servant David to be their one shepherd, and he will take care of them.

24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and a king like my servant David will be their ruler. I have spoken.

25 I will make a covenant with them that guarantees their security. I will get rid of all the dangerous animals in the land, so that my sheep can live safely in the fields and sleep in the forests.

26 "I will bless them and let them live around my sacred hill. There I will bless them with showers of rain when they need it.

27 The trees will bear fruit, the fields will produce crops, and everyone will live in safety on his own land. When I break my people's chains and set them free from those who made them slaves, then they will know that I am the Lord.

28 The heathen nations will not plunder them any more, and the wild animals will not kill and eat them. They will live in safety, and no one will terrify them.

29 I will give them fertile fields and put an end to hunger in the land. The other nations will not sneer at them any more.

30 Everyone will know that I protect Israel and that they are my people. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

31 "You, my sheep, the flock that I feed, are my people, and I am your God," says the Sovereign Lord.