Ezekiel 24:15–25:17; Ezekiel 29:1–16; Ezekiel 30:20–31:18; Jeremiah 34; Jeremiah 21

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Ezekiel 24:15–25:17

Ezekiel’s Wife Dies

15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 dSon of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. 17 Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. eBind on your turban, and fput your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, gnor eat the bread of men. 18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and hat evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did ias I was commanded.

19 And jthe people said to me, Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are acting thus? 20 Then I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me: 21 Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: kBehold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the yearning of your soul, and lyour sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. 22 And myou shall do as I have done; myou shall not cover your lips, gnor eat the bread of men. 23 mYour turbans shall be on your heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but nyou shall rot away in your iniquities and groan to one another. 24 Thus shall Ezekiel be to you oa sign; maccording to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then pyou will know that I am the Lord God.

25 As for you, qson of man, surely on the day when I take from them rtheir stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes and their soul’s desire, and also their sons and daughters, 26 son that day a fugitive will come to you to report to you the news. 27 On that day your mouth twill be opened to the fugitive, and you shall speak and be no longer mute. uSo you will be a sign to them, and vthey will know that I am the Lord.

Prophecy Against Ammon

The word of the Lord came to me: wSon of man, xset your face toward ythe Ammonites and prophesy against them. Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God: zThus says the Lord God, Because you said, aAha! over my bsanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, therefore behold, I am handing you over to cthe people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. I will make dRabbah a epasture for camels and Ammon1 ea fold for flocks. vThen you will know that I am the Lord. For thus says the Lord God: Because fyou have clapped your hands gand stamped your feet and hrejoiced with all the imalice within your soul against the land of Israel, therefore, behold, jI have stretched out my hand against you, and kwill hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

Prophecy Against Moab and Seir

Thus says the Lord God: Because lMoab and mSeir2 said, Behold, the nhouse of Judah is like all the other nations, therefore lI will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities, from its cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, oBeth-jeshimoth, pBaal-meon, and qKiriathaim. 10 I will give it ralong with the Ammonites sto the people of the East as a possession, tthat the Ammonites may be remembered no more among the nations, 11 land I will execute judgments upon Moab. uThen they will know that I am the Lord.

Prophecy Against Edom

12 Thus says the Lord God: Because vEdom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended win taking vengeance on them, 13 therefore thus says the Lord God, xI will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from yTeman even to zDedan they shall fall by the sword. 14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom aby the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and bthey shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord God.

Prophecy Against Philistia

15 Thus says the Lord God: Because cthe Philistines dacted revengefully and took vengeance ewith malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, 16 therefore thus says the Lord God, xBehold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off fthe Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them gwith wrathful rebukes. hThen they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.


Ezekiel 29:1–16

Prophecy Against Egypt

iIn the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: jSon of man, kset your face against lPharaoh king of Egypt, mand prophesy against him and nagainst all Egypt; speak, and say, Thus says the Lord God:

oBehold, I am against you,

Pharaoh king of Egypt,

pthe great dragon that lies

in the midst of his streams,

qthat says, My Nile is my own;

I made it for myself.

I will rput hooks in your jaws,

and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales;

and I will draw you up out of the midst of your streams,

with all the fish of your streams

that stick to your scales.

sAnd I will cast you out into the wilderness,

you and all the fish of your streams;

you shall fall ton the open field,

and unot be brought together or gathered.

To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens

sI give you as food.

Then all the inhabitants of Egypt vshall know that I am the Lord.

Because you1 have been wa staff of reed to the house of Israel, xwhen they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins to shake.2 Therefore thus says the Lord God: yBehold, I will bring a sword upon you, and will cut off from you man and beast, and the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste. vThen they will know that I am the Lord.

zBecause you3 said, The Nile is mine, and I made it, 10 therefore, zbehold, I am against you and aagainst your streams, and aI will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, bfrom Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. 11 cNo foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it; it shall be uninhabited forty years. 12 dAnd I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste. eI will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries.

13 For thus says the Lord God: At the end of forty years fI will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered, 14 and gI will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to hthe land of Pathros, the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. 15 It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, iand never again exalt itself above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will never again rule over the nations. 16 And it shall never again be jthe reliance of the house of Israel, recalling their iniquity, when they turn to them for aid. kThen they will know that I am the Lord God.


Ezekiel 30:20–31:18

Egypt Shall Fall to Babylon

20 iIn the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 21 jSon of man, kI have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, lit has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and mwill break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 nI will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. 24 And oI will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put pmy sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him qlike a man mortally wounded. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. rThen they shall know that I am the Lord, swhen I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Pharaoh to Be Slain

tIn the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: uSon of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to vhis multitude:

wWhom are you like in your greatness?

Behold, xAssyria was a ycedar in zLebanon,

with beautiful branches and aforest shade,

band of towering height,

its top among the clouds.1

The waters nourished it;

the deep made it grow tall,

making cits rivers flow

around the place of its planting,

sending forth its streams

to all the trees of the field.

So dit towered high

above all the trees of the field;

its boughs grew large

and its branches long

from eabundant water in its shoots.

fAll the birds of the heavens

made their nests in its boughs;

under its branches all the beasts of the field

gave birth to their young,

and under its shadow

lived all great nations.

It was gbeautiful in its greatness,

in the length of its branches;

efor its roots went down

to abundant waters.

hThe cedars iin the garden of God could not rival it,

nor the fir trees equal its boughs;

neither were the plane trees

like its branches;

no tree iin the garden of God

was its equal in beauty.

I made it beautiful

in the mass of its branches,

and all the trees of jEden envied it,

that were in the garden of God.

10 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because kit2 towered high and set its top among the clouds,3 and lits heart was proud of its height, 11 I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out. 12 mForeigners, mthe most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. nOn the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all othe ravines of the land, and pall the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it. 13 qOn its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field. 14 rAll this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds,4 and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, sto the world tbelow, among the children of man,5 with those who go down to the pit.

15 Thus says the Lord God: On the day uthe cedar6 went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. 16 vI made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, uwhen I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. wAnd all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, xwere comforted in the world below. 17 They also went down to Sheol with it, yto those who are slain by the sword; yes, zthose who were its arm, awho lived under its shadow among the nations.

18 bWhom are you thus like in glory and in greatness wamong the trees of Eden? cYou shall be brought down with wthe trees of Eden to the world below. dYou shall lie among the uncircumcised, ywith those who are slain by the sword.

bThis is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.


Jeremiah 34

Zedekiah to Die in Babylon

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when cNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army dand all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to eZedekiah king of Judah and say to him, Thus says the Lord: fBehold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. gYou shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. gYou shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon. Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! hThus says the Lord concerning you: hYou shall not die by the sword. You shall die in peace. iAnd as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall jburn spices for you kand lament for you, saying, Alas, lord! For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord.

Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, lLachish and mAzekah, nfor these were the only ofortified cities of Judah that remained.

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah phad made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem qto make a proclamation of liberty to them, rthat everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, sso that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. 10 And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves rthey had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. 12 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 13 Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when tI brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, 14 uAt the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; ryou must set him free from your service. But vyour fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes qby proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and wyou made a covenant before me in the xhouse that is called by my name, 16 but then you turned around yand profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, zwhom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

17 Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me qby proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; abehold, I proclaim to you liberty bto the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. cI will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of wthe covenant that they made before me, I will make them like1 dthe calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, ethe eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 And I will give them into the hand of their enemies fand into the hand of those who seek their lives. gTheir dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. 21 And hZedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon iwhich has withdrawn from you. 22 Behold, jI will command, declares the Lord, and will kbring them back to this city. kAnd they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. lI will make the cities of Judah a desolation mwithout inhabitant.


Jeremiah 21

Jerusalem Will Fall to Nebuchadnezzar

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him uPashhur the son of Malchiah and vZephaniah the priest, the son of wMaaseiah, saying, xInquire of the Lord for us, yfor Nebuchadnezzar1 king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to zall his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.

Then Jeremiah said to them: Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: aBehold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. bAnd I will bring them together into the midst of this city. I myself will fight against you cwith outstretched hand and strong arm, din anger and in fury and in great wrath. And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. Afterward, declares the Lord, eI will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. fHe shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.

And to this people you shall say: gThus says the Lord: Behold, hI set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who stays in this city shall die iby the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and jsurrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live kand shall have his life as a prize of war. 10 For lI have set my face against this city for harm and mnot for good, declares the Lord: nit shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

Message to the House of David

11 And to the house of the king of Judah say, Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

oExecute justice pin the morning,

and deliver from the hand of the oppressor

him who has been robbed,

qlest my wrath go forth like fire,

and burn with none to quench it,

because of your evil deeds.

13  rBehold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,

O rock of the plain,

declares the Lord;

you who say, sWho shall come down against us,

or who shall enter our habitations?

14  tI will punish you according to uthe fruit of your deeds,

declares the Lord;

vI will kindle a fire in her forest,

vand it shall devour all that is around her.