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Ezekiel 31-33
New American Standard Bible
Ezekiel 31-33
New American Standard Bible
Pharaoh Warned of Assyria’s Fate
31 In the (A)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 (B)hordes,
‘Whom are you like in your greatness?
3 Behold, Assyria was a (C)cedar in Lebanon
With beautiful branches and forest shade,
And [a](D)very high,
And its top was among the [b]clouds.
4 The (E)waters made it grow, the [c]deep made it high.
With its rivers it continually [d]extended all around its planting place,
And sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore (F)its height was loftier than all the trees of the field
And its boughs became many and its branches long
Because of (G)many waters [e]as it spread them out.
6 All the (H)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.
7 So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches;
For its [f]roots extended to many waters.
8 The (I)cedars in (J)God’s garden [g]could not match it;
The junipers [h]could not compare with its branches,
And the plane trees [i]could not match its branches.
No tree in (K)God’s garden [j]could compare with it in its beauty.
9 I made it beautiful with the multitude of its branches,
And all the trees of (L)Eden, which were in the (M)garden of God, were jealous of it.
10 ‘Therefore this is what the Lord [k]God says: “Because [l]it is tall in stature and has put its top among the [m]clouds, and its (N)heart is haughty in its loftiness, 11 I will hand it over to a [n](O)ruler of the nations; he will thoroughly deal with it. In accordance with its wickedness I have (P)driven it out. 12 (Q)Foreign (R)tyrants of the nations have cut it down and left it; on the (S)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 (T)gone down from its shade and left it. 13 All the (U)birds of the sky will nest on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field will [o]rest on its fallen branches, 14 so that all the trees by the waters will not be exalted in their stature, nor put their tops among the [p]clouds, nor will any of their [q]well-watered mighty ones stand straight in their height. For they have all been turned over to death, to the (V)earth beneath, among [r]mankind, [s]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 (W)caused mourning; I closed the [t]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. 16 I made the nations (X)quake from the sound of its fall when I made it (Y)go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the [u]well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of (Z)Lebanon, were (AA)comforted in the earth beneath. 17 They also (AB)went down with it to Sheol to those who were (AC)slain by the sword; and those who were its [v]strength lived (AD)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 (AE)uncircumcised with those who were killed by the sword. (AF)This is Pharaoh and all his hordes!”’ declares the Lord God.”
Grief over Pharaoh and Egypt
32 In the (AG)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 (AH)song of mourning over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him,
‘You [w]compared yourself to a young (AI)lion of the nations,
Yet you are like the (AJ)monster in the seas;
And you (AK)burst forth in your rivers
And muddied the waters with your feet
And [x]fouled their rivers.’”
3 This is what the Lord [y]God says:
“Now I will (AL)spread My net over you
With a contingent of many peoples,
And they will lift you up in My net.
4 I will leave you on the land;
I will hurl you on the [z]open field.
And I will cause all the (AM)birds of the sky to [aa]nest on you,
And I will satisfy the animals of the whole earth [ab]with you.
5 I will lay your flesh (AN)on the mountains
And fill the valleys with your refuse.
6 I will also make the land drink the discharge of your (AO)blood
As far as the mountains,
And the ravines will be full of you.
7 And when I (AP)extinguish you,
I will (AQ)cover the heavens and darken their (AR)stars;
I will cover the (AS)sun with a cloud
And the moon will not give its light.
8 All the shining (AT)lights in the heavens
I will darken over you
And will set darkness on your land,”
Declares the Lord God.
9 “I will also (AU)trouble the hearts of many peoples when I (AV)bring your destruction among the nations, into lands which you have not known. 10 And I will make many peoples (AW)appalled at you, and their kings will be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and (AX)they will tremble again and again, every person for his own life, on the day of your fall.”
11 For (AY)the Lord God says (AZ)this: “The sword of the king of Babylon will [ac]attack you. 12 By the swords of the warriors I will make your multitude fall; all of them are (BA)tyrants of the nations,
And they will (BB)devastate the pride of Egypt,
And all its multitude will be destroyed.
13 I will also eliminate all its cattle from beside many waters;
And (BC)a human foot will not muddy them anymore,
And the hoofs of animals will not muddy them.
14 Then 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 (BD)desolation,
And the land is destitute of that which filled it,
When I strike all those who live in it,
Then they shall (BE)know that I am the Lord.
16 This is a (BF)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.
17 In the (BG)twelfth year, on the (BH)fifteenth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, (BI)lament for the hordes of Egypt and (BJ)bring it down, her and the daughters of the mighty nations, to the (BK)netherworld, with those who go down to the pit;
19 ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and make your bed with the (BL)uncircumcised.’
20 They shall fall in the midst of those who are killed by the sword. [ad]She is turned over to the sword; they have (BM)dragged her and all her hordes away. 21 The (BN)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 “(BO)Assyria is there and all her company; [ae]her graves are all around [af]her. All of them killed, fallen by the sword, 23 whose (BP)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 [ag]spread terror in the land of the living.
24 “(BQ)Elam is there and all her hordes around her grave; all of them killed, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised to the (BR)lower parts of the earth, who inflicted their terror on the (BS)land of the living, and (BT)bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit. 25 They have made a (BU)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 [ah]inflicted on the land of the living), and they bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit; [ai]they were put in the midst of the slain.
26 “(BV)Meshech, (BW)Tubal, and all their hordes are there; their graves [aj]surround them. All of them were killed by the sword (BX)uncircumcised, though they inflicted their terror on the land of the living. 27 (BY)Nor do they lie beside the fallen [ak](BZ)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 (CA)wrongdoing rested on their bones, though the terror of these [al]heroes was once in the land of the living. 28 But in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken and lie with those killed by the sword.
29 “There also is (CB)Edom, its kings and all its [am]princes, who [an]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 [ao]chiefs of the (CC)north, all of them, and all the (CD)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 (CE)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 (CF)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, 3 and he sees the sword coming upon the land and (CG)blows the [ap]horn and warns the people, 4 then [aq]someone who hears the sound of the horn but (CH)does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his (CI)blood will be on his own head. 5 He 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 (CJ)saved his life. 6 But 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 (CK)taken away for his wrongdoing; but I will [ar]require his (CL)blood from the watchman’s hand.’
7 “Now as for you, son of man, I have [as](CM)appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a [at]message from My mouth and give them a (CN)warning from Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will (CO)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 [au]require his blood from your hand. 9 But if you on your part warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he (CP)does not turn from his way, he will die for his wrongdoing, but you have (CQ)saved your life.
10 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you have [av]said: “Surely our offenses and our sins are upon us, and we are (CR)rotting away in them; (CS)how then can we [aw]survive?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘(CT)As I live!’ declares the Lord [ax]God, ‘I take (CU)no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked (CV)turn from his way and live. (CW)Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then should you die, house of Israel?’ 12 And you, son of man, say to [ay]your fellow citizens, ‘The (CX)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 (CY)not stumble because of it on the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous one will not be able to live [az]by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ 13 When I say to the righteous that he will certainly live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he (CZ)commits injustice, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but for that same injustice of his which he has committed he will die. 14 But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will certainly die,’ and he (DA)turns from his sin and practices (DB)justice and righteousness, 15 if a wicked person returns a pledge, (DC)pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the (DD)statutes [ba]which ensure life without committing injustice, he shall certainly live; he shall not die. 16 (DE)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 [bb]your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and (DF)commits injustice, then he shall die in [bc]it. 19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. 20 Yet you say, ‘(DG)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
21 Now (DH)in the (DI)twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, the survivor from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “(DJ)The city has been [bd]taken.” 22 Now the (DK)hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before the survivors came. And He (DL)opened my mouth [be]at the time they came to me in the morning; so my mouth was (DM)opened and I was no longer [bf]speechless.
23 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 24 “Son of man, they who (DN)live in these ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘(DO)Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to (DP)us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’ 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “You eat meat with the (DQ)blood in it, raise your eyes to your idols as you shed blood. (DR)Should you then possess the land? 26 You [bg](DS)rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”’ 27 You 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 (DT)fall by the sword, and whoever is in the [bh]open field I will give to the animals to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the (DU)caves will die of plague. 28 And I will (DV)make the land a desolation and a waste, and the (DW)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. 29 Then 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, [bi]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, ‘(DX)Come now and hear what the [bj]message is that comes from the Lord.’ 31 And 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 (DY)mouth, and their heart follows their unlawful (DZ)gain. 32 And behold, you are to them like a love song by one who has a (EA)beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them. 33 So when it (EB)comes—[bk]as it certainly will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 31:3 Lit high of stature
- Ezekiel 31:3 As in LXX; MT thick boughs
- Ezekiel 31:4 I.e., subterranean waters
- Ezekiel 31:4 Lit was going
- Ezekiel 31:5 Lit in its sending forth
- Ezekiel 31:7 Lit root was
- Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
- Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
- Ezekiel 31:8 Lit were not like
- Ezekiel 31:8 Lit did
- Ezekiel 31:10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 31:10 As in Syriac; MT you are
- Ezekiel 31:10 As in LXX; MT thick branches
- Ezekiel 31:11 Or mighty one
- Ezekiel 31:13 Lit be on
- Ezekiel 31:14 As in LXX; MT thick branches
- Ezekiel 31:14 Lit drinkers of water
- Ezekiel 31:14 Lit sons of mankind
- Ezekiel 31:14 Lit to
- Ezekiel 31:15 I.e., subterranean waters
- Ezekiel 31:16 Lit drinkers of water
- Ezekiel 31:17 Lit arm
- Ezekiel 32:2 Or were like
- Ezekiel 32:2 Lit fouled by stamping
- Ezekiel 32:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 32:4 Lit faces of the field
- Ezekiel 32:4 Lit dwell
- Ezekiel 32:4 Lit from
- Ezekiel 32:11 Lit come upon you
- Ezekiel 32:20 Or The sword is given
- Ezekiel 32:22 Lit his
- Ezekiel 32:22 Lit him
- Ezekiel 32:23 Lit gave, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 32:25 Lit given
- Ezekiel 32:25 As in ancient versions; MT he was
- Ezekiel 32:26 Lit are around him
- Ezekiel 32:27 Or mighty ones
- Ezekiel 32:27 Or mighty ones
- Ezekiel 32:29 Or leaders
- Ezekiel 32:29 Lit in
- Ezekiel 32:30 Or leaders
- Ezekiel 33:3 Heb shofar; i.e., ram’s horn
- Ezekiel 33:4 Lit the one who hears the sound...hears it but
- Ezekiel 33:6 I.e., hold the watchman responsible
- Ezekiel 33:7 Or given
- Ezekiel 33:7 Lit word
- Ezekiel 33:8 I.e., hold you responsible
- Ezekiel 33:10 Lit said, saying
- Ezekiel 33:10 Lit live
- Ezekiel 33:11 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 33:12 Lit the sons of your people
- Ezekiel 33:12 Lit by it
- Ezekiel 33:15 Lit of life
- Ezekiel 33:17 Lit the sons of your people
- Ezekiel 33:18 Lit them
- Ezekiel 33:21 Lit struck
- Ezekiel 33:22 Lit until he came
- Ezekiel 33:22 Or mute
- Ezekiel 33:26 Lit stand
- Ezekiel 33:27 Lit faces of the field
- Ezekiel 33:30 Lit the sons of your people
- Ezekiel 33:30 Lit word
- Ezekiel 33:33 Lit behold, it is coming
Ezekiel 31-33
New International Version
Ezekiel 31-33
New International Version
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) 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:
“‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?
3 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)
4 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)
5 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)
6 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)
7 It was majestic in beauty,
with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
to abundant waters.(L)
8 The cedars(M) in the garden of God
could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees(N)
compare with its branches—
no tree in the garden of God
could match its beauty.(O)
9 I made it beautiful
with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden(P)
in the garden of God.(Q)
10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud(R) 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,(S) 12 and the most ruthless of foreign nations(T) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;(U) 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.(V) 13 All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.(W) 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(X) for death,(Y) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.(Z)
15 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away.(AA) 16 I made the nations tremble(AB) at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees(AC) of Eden,(AD) the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled(AE) in the earth below.(AF) 17 They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword,(AG) along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations.
18 “‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised,(AH) with those killed by the sword.
“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
A Lament Over Pharaoh
32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(AI) 2 “Son of man, take up a lament(AJ) concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:
“‘You are like a lion(AK) among the nations;
you are like a monster(AL) in the seas(AM)
thrashing about in your streams,
churning the water with your feet
and muddying the streams.(AN)
3 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘With a great throng of people
I will cast my net over you,
and they will haul you up in my net.(AO)
4 I will throw you on the land
and hurl you on the open field.
I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you
and all the animals of the wild gorge themselves on you.(AP)
5 I will spread your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys(AQ) with your remains.
6 I will drench the land with your flowing blood(AR)
all the way to the mountains,
and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.(AS)
7 When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light.(AT)
8 All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken(AU) over you;
I will bring darkness over your land,(AV)
declares the Sovereign Lord.
9 I will trouble the hearts of many peoples
when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
among[a] lands you have not known.
10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
and their kings will shudder with horror because of you
when I brandish my sword(AW) before them.
On the day(AX) of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment for his life.(AY)
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘The sword(AZ) of the king of Babylon(BA)
will come against you.(BB)
12 I will cause your hordes to fall
by the swords of mighty men—
the most ruthless of all nations.(BC)
They will shatter the pride of Egypt,
and all her hordes will be overthrown.(BD)
13 I will destroy all her cattle
from beside abundant waters
no longer to be stirred by the foot of man
or muddied by the hooves of cattle.(BE)
14 Then I will let her waters settle
and make her streams flow like oil,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 When I make Egypt desolate
and strip the land of everything in it,
when I strike down all who live there,
then they will know that I am the Lord.(BF)’
16 “This is the lament(BG) they will chant for her. The daughters of the nations will chant it; for Egypt and all her hordes they will chant it, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Egypt’s Descent Into the Realm of the Dead
17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(BH) 18 “Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and consign(BI) to the earth below both her and the daughters of mighty nations, along with those who go down to the pit.(BJ) 19 Say to them, ‘Are you more favored than others? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised.’(BK) 20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; let her be dragged(BL) off with all her hordes.(BM) 21 From within the realm of the dead(BN) the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised,(BO) with those killed by the sword.’
22 “Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword. 23 Their graves are in the depths of the pit(BP) and her army lies around her grave.(BQ) All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.
24 “Elam(BR) is there, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.(BS) All who had spread terror in the land of the living(BT) went down uncircumcised to the earth below. They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(BU) 25 A bed is made for her among the slain, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised,(BV) killed by the sword. Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain.
26 “Meshek and Tubal(BW) are there, with all their hordes around their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old,[b](BX) who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields[c] resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.
28 “You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.
29 “Edom(BY) is there, her kings and all her princes; despite their power, they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.(BZ)
30 “All the princes of the north(CA) and all the Sidonians(CB) are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power. They lie uncircumcised(CC) with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(CD)
31 “Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled(CE) for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord. 32 Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh(CF) and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(CG)
Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman
33 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword(CH) against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman,(CI) 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet(CJ) to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning(CK) and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head.(CL) 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head.(CM) If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves.(CN) 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’(CO)
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman(CP) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.(CQ) 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,(CR)’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[d] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(CS) 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so,(CT) they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.(CU)
10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away(CV) because of[e] them. How then can we live?(CW)”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.(CX) Turn!(CY) Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’(CZ)
12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people,(DA) ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’(DB) 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done.(DC) 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just(DD) and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge(DE) for a loan, return what they have stolen,(DF) follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die.(DG) 16 None of the sins(DH) that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.(DI)
17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil,(DJ) they will die for it.(DK) 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so.(DL) 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”(DM)
Jerusalem’s Fall Explained
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped(DN) from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!(DO)” 22 Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me,(DP) and he opened my mouth(DQ) before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.(DR)
23 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 24 “Son of man, the people living in those ruins(DS) in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many;(DT) surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’(DU) 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you eat(DV) meat with the blood(DW) still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land?(DX) 26 You rely on your sword, you do detestable things,(DY) and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife.(DZ) Should you then possess the land?’
27 “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague.(EA) 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains(EB) of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them.(EC) 29 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate(ED) waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’(EE)
30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before(EF) you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy(EG) for unjust gain.(EH) 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs(EI) with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.(EJ)
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.(EK)”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 32:9 Hebrew; Septuagint bring you into captivity among the nations, / to
- Ezekiel 32:27 Septuagint; Hebrew warriors who were uncircumcised
- Ezekiel 32:27 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text punishment
- Ezekiel 33:8 Or in; also in verse 9
- Ezekiel 33:10 Or away in
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