Pharaoh to Be Slain

31 (A)In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: (B)“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to (C)his multitude:

(D)“Whom are you like in your greatness?
    Behold, (E)Assyria was a (F)cedar in (G)Lebanon,
with beautiful branches and (H)forest shade,
    (I)and of towering height,
    its top among the clouds.[a]
The waters nourished it;
    the deep made it grow tall,
making (J)its rivers flow
    around the place of its planting,
sending forth its streams
    to all the trees of the field.
So (K)it towered high
    above all the trees of the field;
its boughs grew large
    and its branches long
    from (L)abundant water in its shoots.
(M)All 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 31:3 Or its top went through the thick boughs

Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon

31 In the eleventh year,(A) in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(B) “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:

“‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?
Consider Assyria,(C) once a cedar in Lebanon,(D)
    with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
    its top above the thick foliage.(E)
The waters(F) nourished it,
    deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
    all around its base
and sent their channels
    to all the trees of the field.(G)
So it towered higher(H)
    than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
    and its branches grew long,
    spreading because of abundant waters.(I)
All the birds of the sky
    nested in its boughs,
all the animals of the wild
    gave birth(J) under its branches;
all the great nations
    lived in its shade.(K)

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It was (A)beautiful in its greatness,
    in the length of its branches;
(B)for its roots went down
    to abundant waters.
(C)The cedars (D)in 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 (E)in the garden of God
    was its equal in beauty.
I made it beautiful
    in the mass of its branches,
and all the trees of (F)Eden envied it,
    that were in the garden of God.

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It was majestic in beauty,
    with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
    to abundant waters.(A)
The cedars(B) in the garden of God
    could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
    equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees(C)
    compare with its branches—
no tree in the garden of God
    could match its beauty.(D)
I made it beautiful
    with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden(E)
    in the garden of God.(F)

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10 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because (A)it[a] towered high and set its top among the clouds,[b] and (B)its 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 (C)Foreigners, (D)the most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. (E)On the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all (F)the ravines of the land, and (G)all the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it. 13 (H)On its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field. 14 (I)All this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds,[c] and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, (J)to the world (K)below, among the children of man,[d] with those who go down to the pit.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 31:10 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew you
  2. Ezekiel 31:10 Or its top through the thick boughs
  3. Ezekiel 31:14 Or their tops through the thick boughs
  4. Ezekiel 31:14 Or of Adam

10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud(A) of its height, 11 I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,(B) 12 and the most ruthless of foreign nations(C) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;(D) its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.(E) 13 All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.(F) 14 Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined(G) for death,(H) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.(I)

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How Great Are Your Works

A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.

92 (A)It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
    to sing praises to your name, (B)O Most High;
to declare your (C)steadfast love in (D)the morning,
    and your (E)faithfulness by (F)night,
to the music of (G)the lute and (H)the harp,
    to the melody of (I)the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your (J)work;
    at (K)the works of your hands I sing for joy.

How (L)great are your works, O Lord!
    Your (M)thoughts are very (N)deep!
The stupid man cannot know;
    the fool cannot understand this:
that though (O)the wicked sprout like grass
    and all (P)evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
    but you, O Lord, are (Q)on high forever.
For behold, your enemies, O Lord,
    for behold, your enemies shall perish;
    all evildoers shall be (R)scattered.

10 But you have exalted my (S)horn like that of (T)the wild ox;
    you have (U)poured over me[a] fresh oil.
11 My (V)eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
    my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.

12 (W)The righteous flourish like the palm tree
    and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
    they flourish in (X)the courts of our God.
14 They still bear fruit in old age;
    they are ever full of sap and green,
15 (Y)to declare that the Lord is upright;
    he is my (Z)rock, and there is (AA)no unrighteousness in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 92:10 Compare Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain

Psalm 92[a]

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.

It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music(A) to your name,(B) O Most High,(C)
proclaiming your love in the morning(D)
    and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre(E)
    and the melody of the harp.(F)

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
    I sing for joy(G) at what your hands have done.(H)
How great are your works,(I) Lord,
    how profound your thoughts!(J)
Senseless people(K) do not know,
    fools do not understand,
that though the wicked spring up like grass
    and all evildoers flourish,
    they will be destroyed forever.(L)

But you, Lord, are forever exalted.

For surely your enemies(M), Lord,
    surely your enemies will perish;
    all evildoers will be scattered.(N)
10 You have exalted my horn[b](O) like that of a wild ox;(P)
    fine oils(Q) have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
    my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.(R)

12 The righteous will flourish(S) like a palm tree,
    they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;(T)
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
    they will flourish in the courts of our God.(U)
14 They will still bear fruit(V) in old age,
    they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.(W)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 92:1 In Hebrew texts 92:1-15 is numbered 92:2-16.
  2. Psalm 92:10 Horn here symbolizes strength.

Our Heavenly Dwelling

For we know that if (A)the tent that is (B)our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, (C)a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent (D)we groan, longing to (E)put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on[a] we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal (F)may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, (G)who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always of good courage. We know that (H)while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for (I)we walk by faith, not (J)by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we (K)would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to (L)please him. 10 For (M)we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, (N)so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 5:3 Some manuscripts putting it off

Awaiting the New Body

For we know that if the earthly(A) tent(B) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan,(C) longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,(D) because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan(E) and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,(F) so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.(G)

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.(H) We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.(I) So we make it our goal to please him,(J) whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us(K) for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

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The Parable of the Seed Growing

26 And he said, (A)“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; (B)he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once (C)he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 (D)And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like (E)a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

33 (F)With many such parables he spoke (G)the word to them, (H)as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them (I)without a parable, but (J)privately to his own disciples he (K)explained everything.

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The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.(A) A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”(B)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed(C)

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,(D) or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.(E) 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable.(F) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

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