Ezekiel 23:40-35:15

New American Standard Bible

⁴⁰“Furthermore, ^[a]they have even sent for men who come from a great distance, to whom a messenger was sent; and behold, they came—for whom you bathed, ^(A)put makeup on your eyes, and ^(B)adorned yourselves with jewelry; ⁴¹and you sat on a splendid ^(C)couch with a ^(D)table arranged in front of it on which you had set My ^(E)incense and My ^(F)oil. ⁴²And the sound of a ^[b]^(G)carefree multitude was with her; and ^(H)heavy drinkers were brought from the wilderness with people from the multitude of humanity. And they put ^(I)bracelets on ^[c]the wrists of the women and beautiful crowns on their heads.

⁴³“Then I said concerning her who was ^(J)worn out by adulteries, ‘^[d]Will they now commit adultery with her when she is like this?’ ⁴⁴^[e]But they went in to her as they would go in to a prostitute. This is how they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women. ⁴⁵But they, righteous people, will ^(K)judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and with the judgment of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

⁴⁶“For this is what the Lord God says: ‘Bring up a contingent against them and turn them over to ^(L)terror and plunder. ⁴⁷The contingent will ^(M)stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and their daughters and ^(N)burn their houses with fire. ⁴⁸So I will eliminate outrageous conduct from the land, so that all women will take warning and not commit ^[f]outrageous sin as you have done. ⁴⁹Your outrageous conduct ^[g]will be ^(O)repaid to you, and you will bear the guilt for your idols; so you will know that I am the Lord God.’”

Parable of the Boiling Pot

24 Now the word of the Lord came to me in the ninth year, in the tenth month, on the tenth of the month, saying, ²“Son of man, write the name of the day, this very day. The king of Babylon ^[h]has ^(P)laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. ³Present a ^(Q)parable to the ^(R)rebellious house and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord ^[i]God says:

“Put on the ^(S)pot, put it on and also pour water into it;
⁴^[j]^(T)Put in it the pieces of meat,
Every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder;
Fill it with choice bones.
⁵Take the ^(U)choicest of the flock,
And also stack ^[k]wood under ^[l]the pot.
Make it boil vigorously.
Also boil its bones in it.”

⁶‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

“Woe to the ^(V)bloody city,
To the pot in which there is rust
And whose rust has not gone out of it!
Take out of it piece after piece,
^[m]Without making a choice.
⁷For her blood is in her midst;
She placed it on the bare rock;
She did not ^(W)pour it on the ground
To cover it with dust.
⁸So that it may ^(X)cause wrath to come up to take vengeance,
I have put her blood on the bare rock,
So that it will not be covered.”

⁹Therefore, this is what the Lord God says:

“^(Y)Woe to the bloody city!
I also will make the wood pile great.
¹⁰Heap on the wood, kindle the fire,
^[n]Cook the meat thoroughly
And mix in the spices,
And let the bones be burned up.
¹¹Then ^(Z)set it empty on its burning coals
So that it may be hot
And its bronze may ^[o]glow,
And its ^(AA)filthiness may be melted in it,
Its rust eliminated.
¹²She has ^(AB)wearied Me with work,
Yet her great rust has not gone from her;
Let her rust be in the fire!
¹³In your filthiness is outrageous sin.
Because I would have cleansed you,
Yet you are ^(AC)not clean,
You will not be cleansed from your filthiness again
Until I have ^[p]^(AD)expended My wrath on you.

¹⁴I, the Lord, have spoken; it is ^(AE)coming and I will act. I will not overlook, I will not ^(AF)pity, and I will not be sorry; ^(AG)according to your ways and according to your deeds ^[q]I will judge you,” declares the Lord God.’”

Death of Ezekiel’s Wife Is a Sign

¹⁵And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁶“Son of man, behold, I am about to take from you ^(AH)what is precious to your eyes with a ^(AI)fatal blow; but you shall not ^(AJ)mourn and you shall not weep, and your ^(AK)tears shall not come. ¹⁷Groan silently; do ^(AL)no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban and put your sandals on your feet, and do not ^[r]cover your mustache, and ^(AM)do not eat the ^[s]bread of other people.” ¹⁸So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And in the morning I did as I was commanded. ¹⁹And the people said to me, “Will you not tell us what these things mean for us, that you are doing?” ²⁰Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²¹‘Speak to the house of Israel, “This is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am about to profane My sanctuary, the pride of your power, ^(AN)that which is precious in your eyes and the longing of your soul; and your ^(AO)sons and your daughters whom you have left behind will fall by the sword. ²²And you will do just as I have done; you will not ^[t]cover your mustache, and you will not eat the ^[u]bread of other people. ²³Your turbans will be on your heads, and your sandals on your feet. You ^(AP)will not mourn and you will not weep; but ^(AQ)you will rot away in your guilty deeds, and you will groan ^[v]to one another. ²⁴So Ezekiel will be a ^(AR)sign to you; according to all that he has done, you will do. When it comes, then you will know that I am the Lord God.’”

²⁵‘As for you, son of man, will it not be on the day when I take from them their ^(AS)stronghold, the joy of their splendor, that which is precious in their eyes and their ^[w]heart’s longing, their sons and their daughters, ²⁶that on that day the one who ^(AT)escapes will come to you with information for your ears? ²⁷On that day your ^(AU)mouth will be opened to him who escaped, and you will speak and no longer be silenced. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Judgment on Gentile Nations—Ammon

25 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, set your face against the ^(AV)sons of Ammon and prophesy against them, ³and say to the sons of Ammon, ‘Hear the word of the Lord ^[x]God! This is what the Lord God says: “Because you said, ‘^(AW)Aha!’ against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into exile, ⁴therefore, behold, I am going to give you to the ^[y]^(AX)people of the east as a possession, and they will set up their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they will ^(AY)eat your fruit and drink your milk. ⁵I will make ^(AZ)Rabbah a pasture for camels, and the sons of Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ⁶For this is what the Lord God says: “Because you have ^(BA)clapped your hands and stamped your feet, and have ^(BB)rejoiced with all the malice in your soul against the land of Israel, ⁷therefore, behold, I have ^(BC)reached out with My hand against you and I will give you as ^(BD)plunder to the nations. And I will ^(BE)cut you off from the peoples and ^(BF)eliminate you from the lands. I will exterminate you. So you will ^(BG)know that I am the Lord.”

Moab

⁸‘The Lord God says this: “Because ^(BH)Moab and Seir say, ‘Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations,’ ⁹therefore, behold, I am going to ^[z]deprive the flank of Moab of its cities, of its cities ^[aa]which are on its frontiers, the glory of the land, ^(BI)Beth-jeshimoth, ^(BJ)Baal-meon, and ^(BK)Kiriathaim; ¹⁰and I will give it as a possession along with the sons of Ammon to the ^[ab]^(BL)people of the east, so that the sons of Ammon will not be remembered among the nations. ¹¹So I will execute judgments on Moab, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

Edom

¹²‘The Lord God says this: “Because ^(BM)Edom has acted against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has incurred great guilt, and avenged themselves upon them,” ¹³therefore this is what the Lord God says: “I will also ^(BN)reach out with My hand against Edom and ^(BO)eliminate human and animal life from it. And I will turn it into ruins; from ^(BP)Teman even to ^(BQ)Dedan they will fall by the sword. ¹⁴And ^(BR)I will inflict My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel. Therefore, they will act in Edom ^(BS)in accordance with My anger and My wrath; so they will know My vengeance,” declares the Lord God.

Philistia

¹⁵‘This is what the Lord God says: “Because the Philistines have acted in ^(BT)revenge, and have taken vengeance with malice in their souls to destroy with everlasting hostility,” ¹⁶therefore this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to ^(BU)reach out with My hand against the Philistines and eliminate the ^(BV)Cherethites; and I will destroy the remnant of the seacoast. ¹⁷I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes; and they will ^(BW)know that I am the Lord, when I inflict My vengeance on them.”’”

Judgment on Tyre

26 Now in the eleventh year, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, because ^(BX)Tyre has said in regard to Jerusalem, ‘Aha! The ^(BY)gateway of the peoples is broken; it has ^[ac]^(BZ)opened to me. I shall be filled, now that she is laid waste,’ ³therefore this is what the Lord ^[ad]God says: ‘Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and I will bring up ^(CA)many nations against you, as the ^(CB)sea brings up its waves. ⁴They will ^(CC)destroy the walls of Tyre and tear down her towers; and I will sweep her debris away from her and make her a bare rock. ⁵She will become a dry place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord God; ‘and she will become ^(CD)plunder for the nations. ⁶Also her ^(CE)daughters who are ^[ae]on the mainland will be killed by the sword, and they will know that I am the Lord.’”

⁷For the Lord God says this: “Behold, I am going to bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, ^(CF)king of kings, with horses, ^(CG)chariots, cavalry, and ^[af]a great army. ⁸He will kill your daughters ^[ag]on the mainland with the sword; and he will make ^(CH)siege walls against you, pile up an ^(CI)assault ramp against you, and raise up a large shield against you. ⁹And he will direct the blow of his battering rams against your walls, and he will tear down your towers with his ^[ah]axes. ¹⁰Because of the multitude of his ^(CJ)horses, the dust raised by them will cover you; your walls will ^(CK)shake from the noise of cavalry, ^[ai]wagons, and chariots when he ^(CL)enters your gates as warriors enter a city that is breached. ¹¹With the hoofs of his ^(CM)horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill your people with the sword, and your strong ^[aj]pillars will ^(CN)go down to the ground. ¹²Also they will take your riches as spoils and plunder your ^(CO)merchandise, ^(CP)tear down your walls and destroy your ^(CQ)delightful houses, and ^[ak]throw your stones, your timbers, and your debris ^(CR)into the water. ¹³So I will put an end to the sound of your ^(CS)songs, and the sound of your ^(CT)harps will no longer be heard. ¹⁴I will turn you into a bare rock; you will become a dry place for the spreading of nets. You will not be ^(CU)rebuilt, for I the ^(CV)Lord have spoken,” declares the Lord God.

¹⁵The Lord God says this to Tyre: “Will the ^(CW)coastlands not ^(CX)shake from the sound of your downfall when the wounded groan, when the slaughter takes place in your midst? ¹⁶Then all the princes of the sea will ^(CY)descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their colorfully woven garments. They will ^(CZ)clothe themselves with ^[al]trembling; they will sit on the ground, ^(DA)tremble again and again, and be appalled at you. ¹⁷And they will take up a ^(DB)song of mourning over you and say to you,

‘^(DC)How you have perished, you inhabited one,
From the seas, you famous city,
Which was ^(DD)mighty on the sea,
She and her inhabitants,
Who imposed ^[am]her terror
On all her inhabitants!
¹⁸Now the ^(DE)coastlands will tremble
On the day of your downfall;
Yes, the coastlands which are by the sea
Will be horrified at your ^(DF)passing.’”

¹⁹For this is what the Lord God says: “When I make you a desolate city, like the cities which are not inhabited, when I ^(DG)bring up the deep over you and the great waters cover you, ²⁰then I will bring you down with those who ^(DH)go down to the pit, to the people of old, and I will make you remain in the ^(DI)lower parts of the earth, like the ancient ruins, with those who go down to the pit, so that you will not ^[an]be inhabited; but I will put ^(DJ)glory in the land of the living. ²¹I will ^[ao]cause you ^(DK)sudden terrors and you will no longer exist; though you will be sought, ^(DL)you will never be found again,” declares the Lord God.

Grief over Tyre

27 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“And you, son of man, ^(DM)take up a song of mourning over Tyre; ³and say to Tyre, ^(DN)who sits at the ^[ap]entrance to the sea, ^(DO)merchant of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘This is what the Lord ^[aq]God says:

“Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’
⁴Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
Your builders have perfected your beauty.
⁵They have ^[ar]made all your planks of juniper trees from ^(DP)Senir;
They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
⁶Of ^(DQ)oaks from ^(DR)Bashan they have made your rudders;
With ivory they have ^[as]inlaid your deck of boxwood from the coastlands of ^(DS)Cyprus.
⁷Your sail was of colorfully embroidered linen from Egypt
So that it became your flag;
Your ^[at]awning was ^(DT)violet and purple from the coastlands of ^(DU)Elishah.
⁸The inhabitants of Sidon and ^(DV)Arvad were your rowers;
Your ^(DW)wise men, Tyre, were ^[au]aboard; they were your sailors.
⁹The elders of ^(DX)Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your leaks;
All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise.

¹⁰“^(DY)Persia, ^(DZ)Lud, and ^(EA)Put were in your army, your men of war. They hung up shield and helmet on you; they presented your splendor. ¹¹The sons of Arvad and your army were on your walls, all around, and the ^[av]Gammadim were in your towers. They hung their shields on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty.

¹²“Tarshish was your customer because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth; with silver, iron, tin, and lead they paid for your merchandise. ¹³^(EB)Javan, ^(EC)Tubal, and ^(ED)Meshech, they were your traders; with human ^(EE)lives and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise. ¹⁴Those from ^(EF)Beth-togarmah gave horses, war horses, and mules for your merchandise. ¹⁵The sons of ^(EG)Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were ^[aw]your market; they brought ^(EH)ivory tusks and ebony as your payment. ¹⁶^(EI)Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your ^[ax]goods; they paid for your merchandise with ^[ay]^(EJ)emeralds, purple, ^(EK)colorfully woven cloth, fine linen, coral, and rubies. ¹⁷Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of ^(EL)Minnith, ^[az]cakes, honey, oil, and balsam they paid for your merchandise. ¹⁸^(EM)Damascus was your customer because of the abundance of your ^[ba]goods, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool. ¹⁹Vedan and Javan paid for your merchandise from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia, and spice reed were among your merchandise. ²⁰^(EN)Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. ²¹^(EO)Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were ^[bb]your customers for ^(EP)lambs, rams, and goats; for these they were your customers. ²²The traders of ^(EQ)Sheba and Raamah, they traded with you; they paid for your merchandise with the best of all ^(ER)balsam oil, and with all kinds of precious stones, and gold. ²³Haran, Canneh, ^(ES)Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. ²⁴They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of violet and colorfully woven cloth, and in blankets of two colors, and tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise. ²⁵The ^(ET)ships of Tarshish were ^[bc]the carriers for your merchandise.

And you were filled and were very ^[bd]glorious
In the heart of the seas.

²⁶“Your rowers have brought you
Into ^(EU)great waters;
The ^(EV)east wind has broken you
In the heart of the seas.
²⁷Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise,
Your seamen and your sailors,
Your repairers of leaks, your dealers in merchandise,
And all your men of war who are in you,
With all your contingent that is in your midst,
Will fall into the heart of the seas
On the day of your overthrow.
²⁸At the sound of the cry of your sailors,
The pasture lands will ^(EW)shake.
²⁹All who handle the oar,
The ^(EX)seamen and all the sailors of the sea
Will come down from their ships;
They will stand on the land,
³⁰And they will ^(EY)make their voice heard over you
And cry out bitterly.
They will ^(EZ)throw dust on their heads,
They will ^(FA)wallow in ashes.
³¹Also they will shave themselves ^(FB)bald for you
And ^(FC)put on sackcloth;
And they will ^(FD)weep for you in bitterness of soul
With bitter mourning.
³²Moreover, in their wailing they will take up a ^(FE)song of mourning for you
And sing a song of mourning over you:
‘Who is like Tyre,
Like her who is silent in the midst of the sea?
³³When your merchandise went out from the seas,
You satisfied many peoples;
With the ^(FF)abundance of your wealth and your merchandise
You enriched the kings of the earth.
³⁴^[be]Now that you are ^(FG)broken by the seas
In the depths of the waters,
Your ^(FH)merchandise and all your company
Have fallen in the midst of you.
³⁵All the ^(FI)inhabitants of the coastlands
Are appalled at you,
And their kings are horribly afraid;
They ^[bf]have a troubled look.
³⁶The merchants among the peoples ^(FJ)hiss at you;
You have become ^[bg]terrified
And you ^(FK)will cease to be forever.’”’”

Tyre’s King Overthrown

28 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, ²“Son of man, say to the ^[bh]leader of Tyre, ‘The Lord ^[bi]God says this:

“Because your heart is haughty
And you have said, ‘^(FL)I am a god,
I sit in the seat of ^[bj]gods
In the heart of the seas’;
Yet you are a ^(FM)mortal and not God,
Although you make your heart like the heart of God—
³Behold, you are wiser than ^(FN)Daniel;
There is no secret that is a match for you!
⁴By your wisdom and understanding
You have acquired ^(FO)riches for yourself
And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.
⁵By your great wisdom, by your ^(FP)trade
You have increased your riches,
And your ^(FQ)heart is haughty because of your riches—

⁶Therefore this is what the Lord God says:

‘Because you have ^(FR)made your heart
Like the heart of God,
⁷Therefore, behold, I am going to bring ^(FS)strangers against you,
The ^(FT)most ruthless of the nations.
And they will draw their swords
Against the beauty of your wisdom
And profane your splendor.
⁸They will bring you down to the pit,
And you will die the ^(FU)death of those who are killed
In the heart of the seas.
⁹Will you still say, “I am a god,”
In the presence of one who kills you,
Though you are a mortal and not God,
In the hands of those who wound you?
¹⁰You will die the death of the ^(FV)uncircumcised
By the hand of strangers,
For I have spoken!’ declares the Lord God!”’”

¹¹Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹²“Son of man, ^(FW)take up a song of mourning over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

“You ^[bk]had the seal of ^[bl]perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
¹³You were in ^(FX)Eden, the garden of God;
^(FY)Every precious stone was your covering:
The ^(FZ)ruby, the topaz and the diamond;
The beryl, the onyx and the jasper;
The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald;
And the gold, the workmanship of your ^[bm]^(GA)settings and ^[bn]sockets,
Was in you.
On the day that you were created
They were prepared.
¹⁴You were the ^(GB)anointed cherub who ^[bo]covers,
And I placed you there.
You were on the holy ^(GC)mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the ^(GD)stones of fire.
¹⁵You were ^(GE)blameless in your ways
From the day you were created
Until ^(GF)unrighteousness was found in you.
¹⁶By the ^(GG)abundance of your trade
^[bp]You were internally ^(GH)filled with violence,
And you sinned;
Therefore I have cast you as profane
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, you ^[bq]covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.
¹⁷Your heart was haughty because of your ^(GI)beauty;
You ^(GJ)corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.
I threw you to the ground;
I put you before ^(GK)kings,
That they may see you.
¹⁸By the multitude of your wrongdoings,
In the unrighteousness of your trade
You profaned your sanctuaries.
Therefore I have brought ^(GL)fire from the midst of you;
It has consumed you,
And I have turned you to ^(GM)ashes on the earth
In the eyes of all who see you.
¹⁹All who know you among the peoples
Are appalled at you;
You have become ^[br]^(GN)terrified
And you will cease to be ^(GO)forever.”’”

Judgment of Sidon

²⁰And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²¹“Son of man, ^(GP)set your face toward ^(GQ)Sidon, prophesy against her ²²and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

“Behold, I am against you, Sidon,
And I will appear in My glory in your midst.
Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I ^(GR)execute judgments against her,
And I will reveal Myself as holy in her.
²³For ^(GS)I will send a plague to her
And blood to her streets,
And the ^(GT)wounded will ^[bs]fall in her midst
By the sword upon her on every side;
Then they will know that I am the Lord.

²⁴And there will no longer be for the house of Israel a ^(GU)painful thorn or a hurtful thorn bush from any surrounding them who despised them; then they will know that I am the Lord God.”

Israel Regathered

²⁵‘This is what the Lord God says: “When I ^(GV)gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations, then they will ^(GW)live on their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. ²⁶They will ^(GX)live on it securely; and they will ^(GY)build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I ^(GZ)execute judgments upon all around them who despise them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”’”

Judgment of Egypt

29 In the ^(HA)tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, set your face against ^(HB)Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all ^(HC)Egypt. ³Speak and say, ‘This is what the Lord ^[bt]God says:

“Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
The great ^[bu]^(HD)monster that lies in the midst of his ^[bv]canals,
That ^(HE)has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’
⁴I will put ^(HF)hooks in your jaws
And make the fish of your ^[bw]canals cling to your scales.
And I will bring you up out of the midst of your ^[bx]canals,
And all the fish of your ^[by]canals will cling to your scales.
⁵I will ^(HG)abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your ^[bz]canals;
You will fall on the ^[ca]open field; you will not be brought together or ^[cb]^(HH)gathered.
I have given you for ^(HI)food to the animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky.
⁶Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord,
Because they have been only a ^(HJ)staff made of reed to the house of Israel.
⁷When they took hold of you with the hand,
You ^(HK)broke and tore all their ^[cc]hands;
And when they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their hips ^[cd]shake.”

⁸‘Therefore the Lord God says this: “Behold, I am going to ^(HL)bring upon you a sword, and I will cut off from you human and animal life. ⁹The ^(HM)land of Egypt will become a desolation and place of ruins. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“Because ^[ce]you ^(HN)said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it,’ ¹⁰therefore, behold, I am ^(HO)against you and against your ^[cf]canals, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and as far as the border of ^[cg]Cush. ¹¹A human foot will ^(HP)not pass through it, nor will the foot of an animal pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years. ¹²So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the ^(HQ)midst of deserted lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate for forty years; and I will ^(HR)scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.”

¹³‘For this is what the Lord God says: “At the end of forty years I will ^(HS)gather the Egyptians from the peoples ^[ch]among whom they were scattered. ¹⁴And I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of ^(HT)Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom. ¹⁵It will be the ^(HU)lowest of the kingdoms, and it will not raise itself above the nations again. And I will make them small so that they will not ^(HV)rule over the nations. ¹⁶And it will no longer be a kingdom on which ^(HW)the house of Israel relies, ^[ci]^(HX)bringing to mind the guilt of their having turned ^[cj]to Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”’”

¹⁷Now in the ^(HY)twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁸“Son of man, ^(HZ)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor ^[ck]hard against Tyre; every head ^[cl]had a ^(IA)bald spot and every shoulder was rubbed raw. But he and his army acquired no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had ^[cm]performed against it.” ¹⁹Therefore this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to ^(IB)give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her ^(IC)wealth and capture her spoils and seize her plunder; and it will be wages for his army. ²⁰I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor which he ^[cn]^(ID)performed, because they acted for Me,” declares the Lord God.

²¹“On that day I will make a ^(IE)horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will ^[co]^(IF)open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Grief over Egypt

30 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, ²“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord ^[cp]God says:

“^(IG)Wail, ‘Woe for the day!’
³For the day is near,
Indeed, ^(IH)the day of the Lord is near;
It will be a day of ^(II)clouds,
A time of doom for the nations.
⁴A sword will come upon Egypt,
And there will be trembling in ^[cq]Cush;
When the slain fall in Egypt,
They will ^(IJ)take away her ^[cr]wealth,
And her foundations will be torn down.

⁵^[cs]Cush, Put, Lud, all ^[ct]^(IK)Arabia, ^[cu]Libya and the ^[cv]people of the land ^[cw]that is in league will fall with them by the sword.”

⁶‘This is what the Lord says:
“Indeed, those who support ^(IL)Egypt will fall
And the pride of her power will come down;
From Migdol to Syene
They will fall within her by the sword,”
Declares the Lord God.
⁷“They will be desolate
In the ^(IM)midst of the desolated lands;
And her cities will be
In the midst of the devastated cities.
⁸And they will ^(IN)know that I am the Lord,
When I set a ^(IO)fire in Egypt
And all her helpers are broken.

⁹On that day ^(IP)messengers will go out from Me in ships to frighten ^(IQ)carefree ^[cx]Cush; and ^(IR)trembling will come on them as on the day of Egypt; for behold, it is coming!”

¹⁰‘This is what the Lord God says:

“^(IS)I will also make the ^[cy]hordes of Egypt cease
By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
¹¹He and his people with him,
^(IT)The most ruthless of the nations,
Will be brought in to destroy the land;
And they will draw their swords against Egypt
And fill the land with the slain.
¹²Moreover, I will make the ^(IU)Nile canals dry
And ^(IV)sell the land into the hands of evil men.
And I will make the land desolate
And ^[cz]all that is in it,
By the hand of strangers; I the Lord have spoken.”

¹³‘This is what the Lord God says:

“I will also ^(IW)destroy the idols
And make the ^[da]images cease from ^[db]^(IX)Memphis.
And there will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt;
And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
¹⁴I will make ^(IY)Pathros desolate,
Set a fire in ^(IZ)Zoan
And execute judgments on ^[dc]^(JA)Thebes.
¹⁵I will pour out My wrath on ^[dd]Sin,
The stronghold of Egypt;
I will also eliminate the hordes of ^[de]Thebes.
¹⁶I will set a fire in Egypt;
^[df]Sin will writhe in anguish,
^[dg]Thebes will be breached
And ^[dh]Memphis will have ^[di]distresses daily.
¹⁷The young men of ^[dj]^(JB)On and of Pi-beseth
Will fall by the sword,
And ^[dk]the women will go into captivity.
¹⁸In ^(JC)Tehaphnehes the day will ^[dl]be ^(JD)dark
When I ^(JE)break there the yoke bars of Egypt.
Then the pride of her power will cease in her;
A cloud will cover her,
And her daughters will go into captivity.
¹⁹So I will ^(JF)execute judgments on Egypt,
And they will know that I am the Lord.”’”

Victory for Babylon

²⁰In the ^(JG)eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²¹“Son of man, I have ^(JH)broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been ^(JI)bound up ^[dm]for healing ^[dn]or wrapped with a bandage, so that it may be strong to wield the sword. ²²Therefore this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am ^(JJ)against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, both the strong and the ^(JK)broken; and I will make the sword ^(JL)fall from his hand. ²³And I will ^(JM)scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands. ²⁴For I will ^(JN)strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put ^(JO)My sword in his hand; and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, so that he will groan before him with the groans of a wounded man. ²⁵So I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fail. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he ^(JP)reaches out with it against the land of Egypt. ²⁶When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands, then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Pharaoh Warned of Assyria’s Fate

31 In the ^(JQ)eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his ^(JR)hordes,

‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
³Behold, Assyria was a ^(JS)cedar in Lebanon
With beautiful branches and forest shade,
And ^[do]^(JT)very high,
And its top was among the ^[dp]clouds.
⁴The ^(JU)waters made it grow, the ^[dq]deep made it high.
With its rivers it continually ^[dr]extended all around its planting place,
And sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
⁵Therefore ^(JV)its height was loftier than all the trees of the field
And its boughs became many and its branches long
Because of ^(JW)many waters ^[ds]as it spread them out.
⁶All the ^(JX)birds of the sky nested in its twigs,
And under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth,
And all great nations lived under its shade.
⁷So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches;
For its ^[dt]roots extended to many waters.
⁸The ^(JY)cedars in ^(JZ)God’s garden ^[du]could not match it;
The junipers ^[dv]could not compare with its branches,
And the plane trees ^[dw]could not match its branches.
No tree in ^(KA)God’s garden ^[dx]could compare with it in its beauty.
⁹I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches,
And all the trees of ^(KB)Eden, which were in the ^(KC)garden of God, were jealous of it.

¹⁰‘Therefore this is what the Lord ^[dy]God says: “Because ^[dz]it is tall in stature and has put its top among the ^[ea]clouds, and its ^(KD)heart is haughty in its loftiness, ¹¹I will hand it over to a ^[eb]^(KE)ruler of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. In accordance with its wickedness I have ^(KF)driven it out. ¹²^(KG)Foreign ^(KH)tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the ^(KI)mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its branches have been broken in all the ravines of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have ^(KJ)gone down from its shade and left it. ¹³All the ^(KK)birds of the sky will nest on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field will ^[ec]rest on its fallen branches, ¹⁴so that all the trees by the waters will not be exalted in their stature, nor put their tops among the ^[ed]clouds, nor will any of their ^[ee]well-watered mighty ones stand straight in their height. For they have all been turned over to death, to the ^(KL)earth beneath, among ^[ef]mankind, ^[eg]with those who go down to the pit.”

¹⁵‘This is what the Lord God says: “On the day when it went down to Sheol I ^(KM)caused mourning; I closed the ^[eh]deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it. ¹⁶I made the nations ^(KN)quake from the sound of its fall when I made it ^(KO)go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the ^[ei]well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of ^(KP)Lebanon, were ^(KQ)comforted in the earth beneath. ¹⁷They also ^(KR)went down with it to Sheol to those who were ^(KS)slain by the sword; and those who were its ^[ej]strength lived ^(KT)in its shade among the nations.

¹⁸“To which among the trees of Eden are you so alike in glory and greatness? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath; you will lie in the midst of the ^(KU)uncircumcised with those who were killed by the sword. ^(KV)This is Pharaoh and all his hordes!”’ declares the Lord God.”

Grief over Pharaoh and Egypt

32 In the ^(KW)twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, take up a ^(KX)song of mourning over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him,

‘You ^[ek]compared yourself to a young ^(KY)lion of the nations,
Yet you are like the ^(KZ)monster in the seas;
And you ^(LA)burst forth in your rivers
And muddied the waters with your feet
And ^[el]fouled their rivers.’”

³This is what the Lord ^[em]God says:

“Now I will ^(LB)spread My net over you
With a contingent of many peoples,
And they will lift you up in My net.
⁴I will leave you on the land;
I will hurl you on the ^[en]open field.
And I will cause all the ^(LC)birds of the sky to ^[eo]nest on you,
And I will satisfy the animals of the whole earth ^[ep]with you.
⁵I will lay your flesh ^(LD)on the mountains
And fill the valleys with your refuse.
⁶I will also make the land drink the discharge of your ^(LE)blood
As far as the mountains,
And the ravines will be full of you.
⁷And when I ^(LF)extinguish you,
I will ^(LG)cover the heavens and darken their ^(LH)stars;
I will cover the ^(LI)sun with a cloud
And the moon will not give its light.
⁸All the shining ^(LJ)lights in the heavens
I will darken over you
And will set darkness on your land,”
Declares the Lord God.

⁹“I will also ^(LK)trouble the hearts of many peoples when I ^(LL)bring your destruction among the nations, into lands which you have not known. ¹⁰And I will make many peoples ^(LM)appalled at you, and their kings will be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and ^(LN)they will tremble again and again, every person for his own life, on the day of your fall.”

¹¹For ^(LO)the Lord God says ^(LP)this: “The sword of the king of Babylon will ^[eq]attack you. ¹²By the swords of the warriors I will make your multitude fall; all of them are ^(LQ)tyrants of the nations,

And they will ^(LR)devastate the pride of Egypt,
And all its multitude will be destroyed.
¹³I will also eliminate all its cattle from beside many waters;
And ^(LS)a human foot will not muddy them anymore,
And the hoofs of animals will not muddy them.
¹⁴Then I will make their waters settle,
And make their rivers run like oil,”
Declares the Lord God.
¹⁵“When I make the land of Egypt a ^(LT)desolation,
And the land is destitute of that which filled it,
When I strike all those who live in it,
Then they shall ^(LU)know that I am the Lord.

¹⁶This is a ^(LV)song of mourning, and they shall sing it. The daughters of the nations shall sing it. Over Egypt and over all her hordes they shall sing it,” declares the Lord God.

¹⁷In the ^(LW)twelfth year, on the ^(LX)fifteenth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁸“Son of man, ^(LY)lament for the hordes of Egypt and ^(LZ)bring it down, her and the daughters of the mighty nations, to the ^(MA)netherworld, with those who go down to the pit;

¹⁹‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and make your bed with the ^(MB)uncircumcised.’

²⁰They shall fall in the midst of those who are killed by the sword. ^[er]She is turned over to the sword; they have ^(MC)dragged her and all her hordes away. ²¹The ^(MD)strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol: ‘They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, killed by the sword.’

²²“^(ME)Assyria is there and all her company; ^[es]her graves are all around ^[et]her. All of them killed, fallen by the sword, ²³whose ^(MF)graves are set in the remotest parts of the pit, and her company is all around her grave. All of them killed, fallen by the sword, who ^[eu]spread terror in the land of the living.

²⁴“^(MG)Elam is there and all her hordes around her grave; all of them killed, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised to the ^(MH)lower parts of the earth, who inflicted their terror on the ^(MI)land of the living, and ^(MJ)bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit. ²⁵They have made a ^(MK)bed for her among the slain with all her hordes. Her graves are around it, they are all uncircumcised, killed by the sword (although their terror was ^[ev]inflicted on the land of the living), and they bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit; ^[ew]they were put in the midst of the slain.

²⁶“^(ML)Meshech, ^(MM)Tubal, and all their hordes are there; their graves ^[ex]surround them. All of them were killed by the sword ^(MN)uncircumcised, though they inflicted their terror on the land of the living. ²⁷^(MO)Nor do they lie beside the fallen ^[ey]^(MP)heroes of the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war and whose swords were placed under their heads; but the punishment for their ^(MQ)wrongdoing rested on their bones, though the terror of these ^[ez]heroes was once in the land of the living. ²⁸But in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken and lie with those killed by the sword.

²⁹“There also is ^(MR)Edom, its kings and all its ^[fa]princes, who ^[fb]despite all their might are laid with those killed by the sword; they will lie with the uncircumcised and with those who go down to the pit.

³⁰“There also are the ^[fc]chiefs of the ^(MS)north, all of them, and all the ^(MT)Sidonians, who in spite of the terror resulting from their might, in shame went down with the slain. So they lay down uncircumcised with those killed by the sword and bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit.

³¹“These Pharaoh will see, and he will ^(MU)find consolation regarding all his hordes killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army,” declares the Lord God. ³²“Though I inflicted the terror of him on the land of the living, yet he will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised along with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes,” declares the Lord God.

The Watchman’s Duty

33 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, speak to the ^(MV)sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, ³and he sees the sword coming upon the land and ^(MW)blows the ^[fd]horn and warns the people, ⁴then ^[fe]someone who hears the sound of the horn but ^(MX)does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his ^(MY)blood will be on his own head. ⁵He heard the sound of the horn but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have ^(MZ)saved his life. ⁶But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the horn and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is ^(NA)taken away for his wrongdoing; but I will ^[ff]require his ^(NB)blood from the watchman’s hand.’

⁷“Now as for you, son of man, I have ^[fg]^(NC)appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a ^[fh]message from My mouth and give them a ^(ND)warning from Me. ⁸When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will ^(NE)certainly die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked about his way, that wicked person shall die for his wrongdoing, but I will ^[fi]require his blood from your hand. ⁹But if you on your part warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he ^(NF)does not turn from his way, he will die for his wrongdoing, but you have ^(NG)saved your life.

¹⁰“Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you have ^[fj]said: “Surely our offenses and our sins are upon us, and we are ^(NH)rotting away in them; ^(NI)how then can we ^[fk]survive?”’ ¹¹Say to them, ‘^(NJ)As I live!’ declares the Lord ^[fl]God, ‘I take ^(NK)no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked ^(NL)turn from his way and live. ^(NM)Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then should you die, house of Israel?’ ¹²And you, son of man, say to ^[fm]your fellow citizens, ‘The ^(NN)righteousness of a righteous one will not save him on the day of his offense, and as for the wickedness of a wicked one, he will ^(NO)not stumble because of it on the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous one will not be able to live ^[fn]by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ ¹³When I say to the righteous that he will certainly live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he ^(NP)commits injustice, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but for that same injustice of his which he has committed he will die. ¹⁴But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and he ^(NQ)turns from his sin and practices ^(NR)justice and righteousness, ¹⁵if a wicked person returns a pledge, ^(NS)pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the ^(NT)statutes ^[fo]which ensure life without committing injustice, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. ¹⁶^(NU)None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall certainly live.

¹⁷“Yet ^[fp]your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. ¹⁸When the righteous turns from his righteousness and ^(NV)commits injustice, then he shall die in ^[fq]it. ¹⁹But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. ²⁰Yet you say, ‘^(NW)The way of the Lord is not right.’ I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.”

Word of Jerusalem’s Capture

²¹Now ^(NX)in the ^(NY)twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, the survivor from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “^(NZ)The city has been ^[fr]taken.” ²²Now the ^(OA)hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before the survivors came. And He ^(OB)opened my mouth ^[fs]at the time they came to me in the morning; so my mouth was ^(OC)opened and I was no longer ^[ft]speechless.

²³Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²⁴“Son of man, they who ^(OD)live in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘^(OE)Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to ^(OF)us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’ ²⁵Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “You eat meat with the ^(OG)blood in it, raise your eyes to your idols as you shed blood. ^(OH)Should you then possess the land? ²⁶You ^[fu]^(OI)rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”’ ²⁷You shall say this to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: “As I live, those who are in the places of ruins certainly will ^(OJ)fall by the sword, and whoever is in the ^[fv]open field I will give to the animals to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the ^(OK)caves will die of plague. ²⁸And I will ^(OL)make the land a desolation and a waste, and the ^(OM)pride of her power will be brought to an end; and the mountains of Israel will be deserted so that no one will pass through. ²⁹Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed.”’

³⁰“But as for you, son of man, ^[fw]your fellow citizens who talk with one another about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak one with another, each with his brother, saying, ‘^(ON)Come now and hear what the ^[fx]message is that comes from the Lord.’ ³¹And they come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them; for they do the lustful desires expressed by their ^(OO)mouth, and their heart follows their unlawful ^(OP)gain. ³²And behold, you are to them like a love song by one who has a ^(OQ)beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them. ³³So when it ^(OR)comes—^[fy]as it certainly will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel

34 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, prophesy against the ^(OS)shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to ^[fz]those shepherds, ‘This is what the Lord ^[ga]God says: “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been ^[gb]^(OT)feeding themselves! Should the shepherds not ^[gc]^(OU)feed the flock? ³You ^(OV)eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you ^(OW)slaughter the fat sheep ^[gd]without feeding the flock. ⁴Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, ^(OX)the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you ^(OY)searched for the lost; but with force and with violence you have ^[ge]dominated them. ⁵They ^(OZ)scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became ^(PA)food for every animal of the field and scattered. ⁶My flock ^(PB)strayed through all the mountains and on every high hill; ^(PC)My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was ^(PD)no one to search or seek for them.”’”

⁷Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸“As I live,” declares the Lord God, “certainly, because My flock has become ^(PE)plunder, and My flock has become food for all the animals of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock, ⁹therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰‘This is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am ^(PF)against the shepherds, and I will demand My ^[gf]sheep ^[gg]from them and make them ^(PG)stop tending sheep. So the shepherds will not ^[gh]feed themselves anymore, but I will ^(PH)save My sheep from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”

The Restoration of Israel

¹¹For the Lord God says this: “Behold, I Myself will ^(PI)search for My sheep and look after them. ¹²^(PJ)As a shepherd cares for his flock on a day when he is among his scattered ^[gi]sheep, so I will ^(PK)care for My ^[gj]sheep and will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a ^(PL)cloudy and gloomy day. ¹³I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will ^(PM)feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ^(PN)streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. ¹⁴I will feed them in a ^(PO)good pasture, and their grazing place will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down in a good grazing place and feed in ^[gk]^(PP)rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵I Myself will ^(PQ)feed My flock and I Myself will ^[gl]lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. ¹⁶“I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the ^(PR)fat and the strong I will eliminate. I will ^(PS)feed them with judgment.

¹⁷“As for you, My flock, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am going to ^(PT)judge between one ^[gm]sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. ¹⁸Is it too ^(PU)little a thing for you to feed in the good pasture, that you must trample with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or too little for you to drink the clear waters, that you must muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹But as for My flock, they must eat what you trample with your feet, and drink what you muddy with your feet!’”

²⁰Therefore, this is what the Lord God says to them: “Behold, I, I Myself will also judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹Since you push away with your side and shoulder, and ^(PV)gore all the ^[gn]weak with your horns until you have scattered them ^[go]abroad, ²²therefore, I will ^(PW)save My flock, and they will no longer be plunder; and I will judge between one sheep and another.

²³“Then I will ^(PX)appoint over them one ^(PY)shepherd, My servant ^(PZ)David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. ²⁴And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant ^(QA)David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.

²⁵“And I will make a ^(QB)covenant of peace with them and ^(QC)eliminate harmful animals from the land, so that they may ^(QD)live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. ²⁶I will make them and the places around My hill a ^(QE)blessing. And I will make ^(QF)showers fall in their season; they will be showers of ^(QG)blessing. ²⁷Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its produce, and they will be ^(QH)secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have ^(QI)broken the bars of their yoke and have saved them from the hand of those who enslaved them. ²⁸They will no longer be plunder to the nations, and the animals of the earth will not devour them; but they will ^(QJ)live securely, and no one will make them afraid. ²⁹I will establish for them a ^(QK)renowned planting place, and they will ^(QL)not again be ^[gp]victims of famine in the land, and they will not ^(QM)endure the insults of the nations anymore. ³⁰Then they will know that ^(QN)I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord God. ³¹“As for you, My ^(QO)sheep, ^[gq]the ^(QP)sheep of My pasture, you are mankind, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God.

Prophecy against Mount Seir

35 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ²“Son of man, set your face against ^(QQ)Mount Seir, and prophesy against it ³and say to it, ‘This is what the Lord ^[gr]God says:

“Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir,
And I will ^(QR)reach out with My hand against you
And make you a ^(QS)desolation and a waste.
⁴I will ^(QT)turn your cities to ruins,
And you will become a desolation.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.

⁵Since you have had everlasting ^(QU)hostility and have turned over the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their disaster, at the time of the ^[gs]^(QV)punishment of the end, ⁶therefore as I live,” declares the Lord God, “I will certainly ^[gt]doom you to ^(QW)bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you; since you have not hated bloodshed, therefore bloodshed will pursue you. ⁷I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation and I will eliminate from it one who passes through and returns. ⁸I will ^(QX)fill its mountains with its slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines. ⁹I will make you a permanent ^(QY)desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰“Since you have ^(QZ)said, ‘These two nations and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess ^[gu]them,’ although the ^(RA)Lord was there, ¹¹therefore as I live,” declares the Lord God, “I will deal with you ^(RB)according to your anger and according to your envy which you displayed because of your hatred for them; so I will ^(RC)make Myself known among them when I judge you. ¹²Then you will know ^[gv]that I, the Lord, have heard all your insults which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel saying, ‘They are desolate; they have been ^(RD)given to us as food.’ ¹³And you have ^[gw]^(RE)spoken arrogantly against Me and have multiplied your words against Me; ^(RF)I Myself have heard it.” ¹⁴This is what the Lord God says: “As all the ^(RG)earth rejoices, I will make you a desolation. ¹⁵As you ^(RH)rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, ^(RI)so I will do to you. You will be a ^(RJ)desolation, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”’