Beginning

A Cedar Tree

31 It happened in the eleventh year of our captivity, in the third month. It was on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ² “Human being, say to the king of Egypt and his people:

¹⁰ “‘So this is what the Lord God says: The tree has grown tall. Its top has reached the clouds. And it has become proud of its height. ¹¹ So I have let a mighty ruler of the nations take care of the tree. The ruler will surely punish the tree. Because it is evil I will get rid of it. ¹² The cruelest foreign nation cut it down and left it. The tree’s branches fell on the mountains and in all the valleys. Its broken branches were in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth left the shade of that tree. ¹³ The birds of the sky live on the fallen tree. The wild animals live among the tree’s fallen branches. ¹⁴ Then the trees that grow by the water will not be proud to be tall. They will not put their tops among the clouds. None of the trees that are watered well will grow that tall. They all are meant to die and go under the ground. They will be with those who have died and have gone down to where the dead are.

¹⁵ “‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day when the tree went down to where the dead are, I made people cry loudly. I covered the deep springs and held back their rivers. And the great waters stopped flowing. I made Lebanon cry loudly for the great tree. All the trees of the field dried up and died. ¹⁶ I made the nations shake with fear at the sound of the tree falling. I brought the tree down to where the dead are. It went with those who go down to the grave. Then trees of Eden and the best trees of Lebanon were comforted. All the well-watered trees were comforted in the earth below. ¹⁷ But these trees also went down with the great tree to the place where the dead are. They went to join those who were killed in war. They had lived under the great tree’s shade. They were its friends among the nations.

¹⁸ “‘So no tree in Eden is equal to you in greatness and honor. But you will go down with the trees of Eden to the earth below. You will lie among unclean people who were killed in war.

“‘This will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people, says the Lord God.’”

A Funeral Song

32 It happened in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month of our captivity. It was on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ² “Human being, sing a funeral song about the king of Egypt. Say to him:

³ “‘This is what the Lord God says:

¹¹ “‘So this is what the Lord God says:

¹⁶ “This is the funeral song people will sing for Egypt. The women of the nations will sing it for Egypt. They will sing a funeral song for Egypt and all its people, says the Lord God.”

Egypt to Be Destroyed

¹⁷ It happened in the twelfth year of our captivity. It was on the fifteenth day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ¹⁸ “Human being, cry for the people of Egypt. Bring down Egypt, together with the women of the powerful nations. Bring them down to the earth below. Bring them down with those who go to the place of the dead. ¹⁹ Say to them: ‘Are you more beautiful than others? Go lie down in death with those who are unclean.’ ²⁰ The Egyptians will fall among those killed by war. Egypt is going to be killed by the sword. The enemy will drag her and all her people away. ²¹ The leaders of the mighty ones will speak from the place of death. They will say about the king of Egypt and the nations which help him: ‘The king and the nations which help him have come down here. They lie killed by the sword among those who are unclean.’

²² “Assyria and all its army lie dead there. The graves of their soldiers are all around. All were killed in war. ²³ Assyria’s grave was put in the deep parts of the place where the dead are. And its army lies around its grave. When they lived, they frightened people in the land of the living. But now all of them have been killed in war.

²⁴ “The nation of Elam is there. And all its army is around its grave. All of them were killed in war. They had frightened people on earth and were unclean. So they went down to the lowest parts of the place where the dead are. And they must carry their shame with those who go down to the place where the dead are. ²⁵ A bed is made for Elam with all those killed in war. They will be in the place where the dead are. The graves of her soldiers are all around her. Elam’s people are unclean. So they have been killed in war. They also scared people who live on earth. But they must also carry their shame with those who go down to where the dead are. Their graves are with the rest who were killed.

²⁶ “Meshech and Tubal are there. The graves of all their soldiers surround them. All of them are unclean. So they have been killed in war. They also frightened people who live on earth. ²⁷ But they are not buried with the other unclean soldiers who have been killed in battle. They are not with those who went where the dead are with their weapons of war. These soldiers had their swords laid under their heads and their shields on their bodies. People who live on earth used to be afraid of these mighty soldiers.

²⁸ “You, king of Egypt, will be broken and lie among those who are unclean. You will be with those who were killed in war.

²⁹ “Edom is there also. Its kings and all its leaders are there. They were mighty. But now they lie in death with those killed in war. They will lie with those who are unclean. And they will be with those who go down to where the dead are.

³⁰ “All the rulers of the north are there. And all the Sidonians are there. Their strength frightened people. These rulers of the north and the Sidonians have gone down in shame with those who were killed. They are unclean, lying with those killed in war. They have carried their shame with those who go down to where the dead are.

³¹ “The king of Egypt and his army will see these who have been killed in war. Then the king and all his army will be comforted for all his soldiers killed in war, says the Lord God. ³² I made people who live on earth afraid of the king of Egypt. But he and his people will lie among those who are unclean. They will lie with those who were killed by the sword, says the Lord God.”

Ezekiel Is Watchman for Israel

33 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ² “Human being, speak to your people. Say to them: ‘I might bring a war against a land. The people of the land may choose one of their men. They may make him their watchman. ³ This watchman might see the enemy coming to attack the land. And he blows the trumpet and warns the people. ⁴ A person might hear the sound of the trumpet, but do nothing. Then the enemy will come and kill him. That person will be responsible for his own death. ⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet. But he did not do anything. So he is to blame for his own death. If he had done something, he would have saved his own life. ⁶ But the watchman might see the enemy coming to attack and not blow the trumpet. So the people are not warned. Then the enemy comes and kills one of them. That person has died because of his own sin. But I will punish the watchman for the person’s death.’

⁷ “As for you, human being, I have made you a watchman for Israel. If you hear a message from me, you must warn them for me. ⁸ I might say to the wicked person: ‘Wicked man, you will surely die.’ But you might not speak to warn the evil person to stop doing evil. Then he will die while still a sinner. But I will punish you for his death. ⁹ But you might warn a wicked person to stop doing evil. If he does not stop, he will die while still a sinner. But you have saved your life.

¹⁰ “So you, human being, say to Israel: ‘You have said: Surely our law-breaking and sins are hurting us. They will kill us. What can we do so we will live?’ ¹¹ Say to them: ‘The Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true. I do not want a wicked person to die. I want him to stop doing evil and live. Turn back! Turn back from your wicked ways! You don’t want to die, people of Israel.’

¹² “And you, human being, say to your people: ‘The goodness of a good person will not save him when he sins. The evil of the wicked person will not cause him to be punished if he turns from it. A good person will not be able to live by the good he did earlier if he sins.’ ¹³ I might tell the good person, “You will surely live.” But he might think he has done enough good and then do evil. Then none of the good things he did will be remembered. He will die because of the evil he has done. ¹⁴ Or, I might say to the wicked person, “You will surely die.” But he might turn from his sin and do what is right and honest. ¹⁵ He returns what somebody gave him as a promise to repay a loan. He pays back what he stole. He lives by the rules that give life. He does not sin. Then that one will surely live. He will not die. ¹⁶ He will not be punished for any of his sins. He now does what is right and fair. He will surely live.

¹⁷ “But your people say: ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their own way that is not fair. ¹⁸ The good person might turn from his goodness and do evil. Then he will die for his evil. ¹⁹ But the wicked person might stop doing evil and do what is right and fair. Then he will live. ²⁰ You still say: ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Israel, I will judge each of you by his own ways.”

The Fall of Jerusalem Explained

²¹ It happened in the twelfth year of our captivity. It was on the fifth day of the tenth month. A person who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me. He said, “Jerusalem has been defeated.” ²² Now I had felt the power of the Lord on me the evening before. The Lord had made me able to talk again. He did this before the person came to me in the morning. I could speak. I was not without speech anymore.

²³ Then the Lord spoke his word to me. He said: ²⁴ “Human being, people who live in the ruins in the land of Israel are saying: ‘Abraham was only one person. Yet he was given the land as his own. Surely the land has been given to us, who are many, as our very own.’ ²⁵ So say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with the blood still in it. You ask your idols for help. You murder people. Should you then have the land as your very own? ²⁶ You depend on your sword. You do terrible things which I hate. Each of you commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife. So should you have the land?’

²⁷ “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, this is true. Those who are among the city ruins in Israel will be killed in war. Those who live in the country will be eaten by wild animals. People hiding in the strong places and caves will die of disease. ²⁸ I will make the land an empty desert. The people’s pride in the land’s power will end. The mountains of Israel will become empty. No one will pass through them. ²⁹ They will know that I am the Lord when I make the land an empty desert. This is because of the things they have done that I hate.’

³⁰ “But as for you, human being, your people talk against you. They talk by the walls and in the doorways of houses. They say to each other: ‘Come now, and hear the message from the Lord.’ ³¹ So they come to you as if they are still my people. They sit before you. They hear your words. But they will not do them. With their mouths they tell me they love me. But their hearts desire their selfish profits. ³² To your people you are nothing more than a singer who sings love songs. You are like one who has a beautiful voice. You are like one who plays a musical instrument well. They hear your words, but they will not do them.

³³ “This will come true. It will surely happen. Then the people will know that a prophet has been among them.”