Beginning

31 And in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the Word of the LORD came to me, saying:

² “Son of man, speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his multitude, ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?

³ ‘Behold, Assyria —a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and with thick shadowing boughs, and shot up very high, and his top among the thick boughs —

⁴ ‘the waters nourished him, and the deep exalted him on high, with her rivers running all through his plants. And she sent out her little rivers to all the trees of the field.

⁵ ‘Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied. And his branches were long, because of the multitude of the waters which were sent out.

⁶ ‘All the birds of the heavens made their nests in his boughs. And all the beasts of the field brought forth their young under his branches. And under his shadow dwelt all mighty nations.

⁷ ‘Thus he was fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches. For his root was near great waters.

⁸ ‘The cedars in the Garden of God could not hide him. No fir tree was like his branches. And the chestnut trees were not like his boughs. No tree in the Garden of God was like him in his beauty.

⁹ ‘I made him fair by the multitude of his branches, so that all the trees of Eden that were in the Garden of God envied him.

¹⁰ ‘Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD: “Because he is lifted up on high, and has shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height,

¹¹ “I have therefore delivered him into the hands of the mightiest among the heathen. He shall handle him. I have cast him away for his wickedness.

¹² “And the strangers have destroyed him, the ruthless nations; and they have left him upon the mountains; and in all the valleys his branches have fallen; and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land. And all the people of the Earth have departed from his shadow and have forsaken him.

¹³ “Upon his ruin shall all the birds of the heaven remain; and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches,

¹⁴ “so that none of the trees by the waters shall be exalted by their height or shall shoot up their top among the thick boughs. Nor shall those whose leaves drink water stand up in their height, for they are all delivered to death in the nether parts of the Earth, in the midst of the children of men, among those who go down to the pit.”

¹⁵ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day when he went down to Hell, I caused them to mourn. I covered the deep for him and I restrained its floods, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for him. And all the trees of the field fainted.

¹⁶ “I made the nations shake at the sound of his fall when I cast him down to Hell with those who descend into the pit and all the excellent trees of Eden and the best of Lebanon. All who are nourished with waters shall be comforted in the nether parts of the Earth.

¹⁷ “They also went down to Hell with him, to those who were killed with the sword. And they dwelt under the shadow of his arm, in the midst of the heathen.

¹⁸ “To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? And yet, you shall be cast down with the trees of Eden into the nether parts of the Earth. You shall sleep in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who are killed by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says the Lord GOD.’”

32 And in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the Word of the LORD came to me, saying:

² “Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and say to him, ‘You are like a lion of the nations, and are as a dragon in the sea. You cast out your rivers and troubled the waters with your feet and stamped in their rivers.’”

³ Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will therefore spread My net over you with a great multitude of people. And they shall make you come up into My net.

⁴ “Then I will leave you upon the land. I will cast you upon the open field; and I will cause all the birds of the sky to remain upon you; and I will fill all the beasts of the field with you.

⁵ “And I will lay your flesh upon the mountains and fill the valleys with your corpses.

⁶ “I will also water the land with the discharge of your blood, up to the mountains. And the rivers shall be full of you.

⁷ “And when I shall put you out, I will cover the sky and make its stars dark. I will cover the Sun with a cloud; and the Moon shall not give her light.

⁸ “I will make all the lights of heaven dark over you, and bring darkness upon your land,” says the Lord GOD.

⁹ “I will also trouble the hearts of many people when I shall bring your destruction among the nations, and upon the countries which you have not known.

¹⁰ “Yea, I will make many people amazed at you; and their kings shall be astonished with fear of you when I shall make My sword glitter against their faces. And they shall be afraid at every moment, every man for his own life, on the day of your fall.”

¹¹ For thus says the Lord GOD: “The sword of the king of Babel shall come upon you.

¹² “By the swords of the mighty I will cause your multitude to fall. They all shall be ruthless nations; and they shall destroy the pride of Egypt; and all its multitude shall be consumed.

¹³ “I will also destroy all its beasts from the great watersides. The foot of man shall not trouble them anymore; nor shall the hooves of beasts trouble them.

¹⁴ “Then will I make their waters deep and cause their rivers to run like oil,” says the Lord GOD.

¹⁵ “When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate — and the country, with all that is in it, shall be laid waste — when I shall strike all those who dwell in it, then shall they know that I am the LORD.

¹⁶ “This is the mourning with which they shall lament her: The daughters of the nations shall lament her. They shall lament for Egypt, and for all her multitude,” says the Lord GOD.

¹⁷ Also, in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, came the Word of the LORD to me, saying:

¹⁸ “Son of man, lament for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down into the pit, with those who go down under the nether parts of the Earth, them and the daughters of the mighty nations.

¹⁹ “Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and sleep with the uncircumcised.

²⁰ “They shall fall in the midst of those who are killed by the sword. She is delivered to the sword. Draw her down, and all her multitude.

²¹ “The most mighty and strong shall speak to him out of the midst of Hell, with those who help her. They have gone down, and sleep with the uncircumcised who have been killed by the sword.

²² “Assyria is there and all his company. Their graves are around him. All of them killed and fallen by the sword,

²³ “whose graves are made in the side of the pit. And his multitude are all around his grave. All of them killed, and fallen by the sword, who caused fear in the land of the living.

²⁴ “Elam is there, and all his multitude, all around his grave. All of them killed, and fallen by the sword, who have gone down with the uncircumcised into the nether parts of the Earth, who caused themselves to be feared in the land of the living. Yet they have borne their shame with those who have gone down to the pit.

²⁵ “They have made his bed in the midst of the slain with all his multitude. Their graves are all around him. All these uncircumcised are killed by the sword. Though they have caused their fear in the land of the living, they have still borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. They are laid in the midst of those who are killed.

²⁶ “Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitude are there. Their graves are all around them. All these uncircumcised were killed by the sword, though they caused their fear in the land of the living.

²⁷ “And those who have fallen shall not lie with the valiant of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to the grave with their weapons of war and have laid their swords under their heads. But their iniquity shall be upon their bones because they were the fear of the mighty in the land of the living.

²⁸ “Yea, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised and lie with those killed by the sword.

²⁹ “Edom, his kings, and all his princes are there, who, with their strength, are laid by those who were killed by the sword. They shall sleep with the uncircumcised, and with those who go down to the pit.

³⁰ “All the princes of the North are there, with all the Sidonians, who have gone down with the slain, with their fear. They are ashamed of their strength. And the uncircumcised sleep with those killed by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.

³¹ “Pharaoh shall see them; and he shall be comforted over all his multitude. Pharaoh and all his army shall be killed by the sword,” says the Lord GOD.

³² “For I have caused My fear in the land of the living. And he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says the Lord GOD.

33 Again, the Word of the LORD came to me, saying:

² “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them, ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man from among them and make him their watchman —

³ ‘if, when he sees the sword come upon the land, he blows the trumpet and warns the people —

⁴ ‘then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and will not be warned, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.

⁵ ‘For he heard the sound of the trumpet and would not be admonished. His blood shall be upon him. But he who receives warning, shall save his life.

⁶ ‘But if the watchman sees the sword come and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned — if the sword comes and takes any person from among them — he is taken away for his iniquity, but I will require his blood from the watchman’s hand.’

⁷ “So, you, O son of man. I have made you a watchman to the House of Israel. Therefore, you shall hear the Word from My Mouth, and admonish them from Me.

⁸ “When I shall say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall die the death,’ if you do not speak and admonish the wicked of his ways, that wicked man shall die for his iniquity, but I will require his blood from your hand.

⁹ “But, if you warn the wicked of his ways, to turn from them, if he does not turn from his ways, he shall die for his iniquity, but you have delivered your soul.

¹⁰ “Therefore, O you son of man, speak to the House of Israel. Speak like this and say, ‘If our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are consumed because of them, how should we then live?’

¹¹ “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I do not desire the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turns from his way and lives. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! For why would you die, O you House of Israel?’

¹² “Therefore you, son of man, say to the children of your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him on the day of his transgression. Nor shall the wickedness of the wicked cause him to fall in it on the day that he repents from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous live because of his righteousness on the day that he sins.’

¹³ “When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live, if he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteousness shall be remembered. But he shall die for his iniquity that he has committed.

¹⁴ “Again, when I shall say to the wicked, ‘You shall die the death,’ if he turns from his sin and does that which is lawful and right,

¹⁵ —if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has robbed, walks in the Statutes of life without committing iniquity—he shall surely live, not die.

¹⁶ “None of his sins that he has committed shall be mentioned to him. He has done that which is lawful and right. He shall surely live.

¹⁷ “Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the LORD is not equal!’ But their own way is unequal.

¹⁸ “When the righteous turns from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, he shall die by it.

¹⁹ “But if the wicked returns from his wickedness, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall live by it.

²⁰ “Yet you say, ‘The way of the LORD is not equal!’ O you House of Israel, I will judge you, each one after his ways.”

²¹ Also, in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me, and said, “The city is stricken!”

²² Now the hand of the LORD had been upon me in the evening, before he who had escaped came. And He opened my mouth. So, when he came to me in the morning, my mouth had been opened. I was no longer mute.

²³ Again, the Word of the LORD came to me, and said:

²⁴ “Son of man, those who dwell in the desolate places of the land of Israel, talk and say, ‘Abraham was but one, and he possessed the land. But we are many. Therefore, the land shall be given to us in possession.’

²⁵ “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “You eat meat with the blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood. Should you then possess the land?

²⁶ “You lean upon your swords. You work abomination and every one of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”’

²⁷ “Say this to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “As I live, surely those who are in the desolate places shall fall by the sword. And he who is in the open field I will give to the beasts, to be devoured. And those who are in the forts and in the caves shall die of pestilence.

²⁸ “For I will lay the land desolate and waste, and the pride of her strength shall cease. And the mountains of Israel shall be desolate and no one shall pass through.

²⁹ “Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land desolate and waste because of all their abominations that they have committed.”’

³⁰ “Also you, son of man, the children of your people who talk about you by the walls and in the doors of houses and speak to each another, each one to his brother, saying, ‘Please come and hear what the Word is that comes from the LORD.’

³¹ “For they come to you as the people come, and my people sit before you and hear your Words, but they will not do them. For with their mouths they make jests. Their hearts go after their covetousness.

³² “And lo, you are to them as a jesting song of one who has a pleasant voice and can sing well. For they hear your Words, but they do not do them.

³³ “And when this comes to pass (for lo, it will come) then they shall know that a Prophet has been among them.”