Ezekiel 31; Ezekiel 32; Ezekiel 33

1 On the first day of the third month in the eleventh year, the LORD spoke his word to me. He said,

2 "Son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and his many people, 'Was there ever anyone as great as you?

3 What about Assyria? It was a cedar in Lebanon with fine branches that shaded the forest. It was very tall. Its top was among the clouds.

4 Water made the tree grow, and underground springs made it tall. Rivers flowed around the place where the tree was planted. Streams ran beside all the other trees around it.

5 That is why it grew taller than all the other trees in the field. Its branches became large and long because of so much water.

6 All the birds made their nests in its branches. All the wild animals gave birth to their young under it. All the powerful nations lived in its shade.

7 So the tree was big and beautiful with its long branches. Its roots reached down to many sources of water.

8 The cedar trees in God's garden couldn't compare to it. The pine trees couldn't equal its branches. The plane trees couldn't measure up to its branches. All the trees in God's garden couldn't match its beauty.

9 I was the one who made it beautiful with its many branches. This tree was the envy of all the trees in Eden, in God's garden.

10 "'This is what the Almighty LORD says: The tree grew very tall, and its top reached the clouds. It became arrogant because it was so tall.

11 So I handed it over to a mighty ruler among the nations, and he surely dealt with it. I forced it out because of its wickedness.

12 Foreigners from the most ruthless nation cut it down and threw it away. Its branches fell on the mountains and in every valley. Its broken branches fell in every ravine in the land. All the nations in the world came out from under its shade and left.

13 All the birds perched on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived in its branches.

14 Then all the other trees growing by the water were kept from becoming arrogant because of their height, and their tops were no longer allowed to reach the clouds. So no tree, even if it is well-watered, will ever stand that tall. Every tree is going to die and go below the earth to join those who have died and gone down to the pit.

15 "'This is what the Almighty LORD says: When the tree went down to the grave, I made people mourn. I covered the underground springs and held back the rivers. The many water sources stopped flowing. I made Lebanon mourn for the tree, and all the trees in the field fainted as they grieved over it.

16 I made the nations tremble in fear at the sound of the tree's crash. I brought the tree down to the grave to join those who had gone down to the pit. Then all the trees in Eden, the choicest and best trees of Lebanon, and all the trees that were well-watered were comforted below the earth.

17 They had gone down with the tree in the grave to join others killed in battle. All who lived in its shadow were scattered among the nations.

18 "'This tree is you, Pharaoh, and all your many people. No tree in Eden has ever been as honorable and as great as you. But you will be brought down below the earth with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the godless people who were killed in battle, declares the Almighty LORD.'"

1 On the first day of the twelfth month in the twelfth year, the LORD spoke his word to me. He said,

2 "Son of man, sing a funeral song for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Tell him, 'You think you are like a lion among the nations. Instead, you are like a crocodile in the water. You splash around in the water. You stir up the water with your feet. You make the streams muddy.

3 "'This is what the Almighty LORD says: When many nations gather together, I will spread my net over you, and they will haul you up in a net.

4 I will throw you on the ground and toss you into an open field. I will make birds perch on you, and wild animals from all over the earth will feed on you.

5 I will scatter your flesh on the hills and fill the valleys with your rotting corpse.

6 I will drench the earth with your flowing blood all the way to the mountains. Ravines will be filled with your dead body.

7 "'When I put out your light, I will cover the sky and darken the stars. I will cover the sun with clouds, and the moon won't shine anymore.

8 I will darken all the lights shining in the sky above you. I will bring darkness over your land, declares the Almighty LORD.

9 "'I will make many people troubled when I spread the news of your destruction among the nations to countries that you haven't heard of.

10 Many people will be shocked by what I will do to you. Their kings will shudder when I swing my sword in their faces. When you die, all of them will tremble in fear for their own lives.

11 "'This is what the Almighty LORD says: The sword of the king of Babylon will attack you.

12 I will cut down your people with the swords of warriors. All of them will be the most ruthless warriors among the nations. They will shatter the pride of Egypt and destroy its many people.

13 I will also destroy all the animals beside its many water sources. The feet of humans and the hoofs of animals won't stir up the water anymore.

14 Then I will make its water clear and make its streams flow like oil, declares the Almighty LORD.

15 I will turn Egypt into a wasteland. I will take everything in the land, and I will kill all the people who live there. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'

16 "This is a funeral song. The people from the nations will sing this song. They will sing it as they mourn for Egypt and its many people," declares the Almighty LORD.

17 On the fifteenth day of the month in the twelfth year, the LORD spoke his word to me. He said,

18 "Son of man, cry for the many people of Egypt. Bring them down along with the other mighty nations. Send them down below the earth to be with those who have gone down to the pit.

19 "[Tell them,] 'Are you more beautiful than anyone else? Go down and join the godless people.'

20 "The Egyptians will lie among those who were killed in battle. A sword has been drawn. Drag Egypt and all its people away.

21 The mightiest warriors will say to Pharaoh from the grave, 'You and your defenders have come down, and you now lie with the godless people who were killed in battle.'

22 "Assyria is there with its whole army, and the graves of its soldiers are all around it. All of its soldiers are dead. They have been killed in battle.

23 Their graves are in the deepest parts of the pit. Assyria's army lies around its grave. All of its soldiers are dead. They have been killed in battle. They once terrified people in the land of the living.

24 "Elam is there with all its soldiers, and the graves of its soldiers are all around it. All of its soldiers are dead. They have been killed in battle. They went down below the earth as godless people. They once terrified people in the land of the living. Now they suffer disgrace with those who have gone down to the pit.

25 A bed has been made for Elam among the dead. The graves of its soldiers are all around it. The soldiers were godless people. They were killed in battle because they terrified others in the land of the living. Now they suffer disgrace with those who have gone down to the pit. They lie among the dead.

26 "Meshech and Tubal are there with all their soldiers, and the graves of their soldiers are all around them. Their soldiers were all godless people. They were killed in battle because they terrified others in the land of the living.

27 They don't lie with the godless warriors who died and went down to the grave with their weapons of war. Their swords were placed under their heads. Their shields were placed on their bones because they terrified others in the land of the living.

28 "You Egyptians will be crushed with the godless people, and you will lie with those who were killed in battle.

29 "Edom is there with its kings and its princes. They used to be powerful, but now they lie with those who were killed in battle. They lie there with the godless people and with those who have gone down to the pit.

30 "All the rulers from the north and all the people from Sidon are there. They, too, went down with the dead. They are disgraced because they terrified people with their power. They were godless people. Now they lie with those who were killed in battle. They suffer disgrace with those who went down to the pit.

31 "Pharaoh and his army will see these things and be comforted over all the soldiers who have been killed in battle, declares the Almighty LORD.

32 I terrified people in the land of the living. Pharaoh and all his soldiers will be laid among the godless people who were killed in battle," declares the Almighty LORD.

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

2 "Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them, 'Suppose I bring war on this country, and the people of this country choose one of their men and make him their watchman.

3 If he sees the enemy coming to attack the country, he will blow his horn to warn the people.

4 If the people hear the horn and ignore the warning and the enemy comes and takes them, they will be responsible for their own deaths.

5 They heard the sound of the horn but ignored its warning. So they are responsible for their own deaths. If they had taken the warning, they would have saved themselves.

6 "'But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn't blow his horn to warn the people and the enemy comes and kills someone, that watchman must die because of his sin. I will hold him responsible for their deaths.'

7 "Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the people of Israel. Listen to what I say, and warn them for me.

8 Suppose I say to a wicked person, 'You wicked person, you will certainly die,' and you say nothing to warn him to change his ways. That wicked person will die because of his sin, and I will hold you responsible for his death.

9 But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his ways and he doesn't turn from them, then he will die because of his sin. However, you will save yourself.

10 "Son of man, say to the people of Israel, 'You have said this, "Our wickedness and our sins weigh us down, and we are rotting away because of them. How can we live?"'

11 "Tell them, 'As I live, declares the Almighty LORD, I don't want wicked people to die. Rather, I want them to turn from their ways and live. Change the way you think and act! Turn from your wicked ways! Do you want to die, people of Israel?'

12 "Son of man, say to your people, 'The right things that a righteous person has done will not save him when he rebels. The wicked things that a wicked person has done will not make him stumble when he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person will not live when he sins.'

13 I may promise the righteous person that he will certainly live. But if he trusts in the right things that he has done and he does evil, none of the right things that he has done will be remembered. He will die because of the evil things he has done.

14 I may warn the wicked person that he will certainly die. But suppose he turns from his sin and does what is fair and right.

15 He returns the security for a loan, pays back everything he stole, lives by the rules of life, and does nothing evil. Then he will certainly live. He will not die.

16 None of the sins that he has done will be remembered. He has done what is fair and right. He will certainly live.

17 "But your people say, 'The Lord's way is unfair.' Yet, their ways are unfair.

18 If the righteous person turns from the right things that he has done and does evil, he will die because of it.

19 If the wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is fair and right, he will live because of it.

20 Yet, the people of Israel say, 'The Lord's way is unfair.' I will judge each of you by your own ways, people of Israel."

21 On the fifth day of the tenth month in the twelfth year of our captivity, a refugee from Jerusalem came to me. He said, "The city has been captured."

22 The evening before the refugee arrived, the power of the LORD came over me. On the morning the refugee arrived, the LORD made me speak. So I spoke, and I was no longer quiet.

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

24 "Son of man, those who live in the ruined cities in Israel are saying, 'Abraham was only one person, and he was given the land. But we are many. Certainly the land has been given to us.'

25 So tell them, 'This is what the Almighty LORD says: You eat meat with blood in it. You look to your idols for help. You murder people. Should the land be given to you?

26 You rely on your swords. You do disgusting things. You dishonor your neighbor's wife. Should the land be given to you?'

27 "Tell them, 'This is what the Almighty LORD says: As I live, whoever is in the ruined cities will be killed in battle. Whoever is in the open field will become food for wild animals. Whoever is in fortified places and caves will die from plagues.

28 I will turn the land into a barren wasteland. People will no longer brag about its power. The mountains of Israel will become so ruined that no one will travel through them.

29 Then people will know that I am the LORD, when I make the land a barren wasteland because of all the disgusting things that they have done.'

30 "Son of man, your people are talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of their homes. They are saying to each other, 'Let's go and hear the word that has come from the LORD.'

31 Then they come to you, as if they are still my people, and they sit down in front of you. They listen to what you say, but they don't do it. They say that they love me, but in their hearts they chase dishonest profits.

32 To them you are nothing more than a singer with a beautiful voice who sings love songs or a musician who plays an instrument. They listen to your words, but they don't do them.

33 When all your words come true--and they certainly will come true--these people will know that a prophet has been among them."