Chronological
Prophecy Against the King of Tyre
28 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 2 “Human being, say to the ruler of Tyre: ‘This is what the Lord God says:
You are too proud.
And you say, “I am a god.
I sit on the throne of a god
in the middle of the seas.”
You think you are as wise as a god.
But you are a man, not a god.
3 You think you are wiser than Daniel.
You think you can find out all secrets.
4 Through your wisdom and understanding
you have made yourself rich.
You have gained gold and silver.
And you have saved it in your storerooms.
5 Through your great skill in trading,
you have made your riches grow.
You are too proud
because of your riches.
6 “‘So this is what the Lord God says:
You think you are wise
like a god.
7 But I will bring foreign people against you.
They will be the cruelest nation.
They will pull out their swords
and destroy all that your wisdom has built.
And they will dishonor your greatness.
8 They will kill you.
You will die a terrible death
like those who are killed at sea.
9 While they are killing you,
you will not be able to say anymore, “I am a god.”
You will be only a man, not a god,
when your murderers kill you.
10 You will die like an unclean person.
Foreigners will kill you.
I have spoken, says the Lord God.’”
11 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 12 “Human being, sing a funeral song for the king of Tyre. Say to him: ‘This is what the Lord God says:
You were an example of what was perfect.
You were full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You had a wonderful life,
like those in Eden, the garden of God.
Every valuable gem was on you:
ruby, topaz and emerald,
yellow quartz, onyx and jasper,
sapphire, turquoise and chrysolite.
Your jewelry was made of gold.
It was prepared on the day you were created.
14 I appointed a living creature to guard you.
I put you on the holy mountain of God.
You walked among the gems of fire.
15 Your life was right and good.
This was from the day you were created,
until evil was found in you.
16 Because you traded with countries far away,
you learned to be cruel, and you sinned.
So I threw you down in disgrace from the mountain of God.
And the living creature who guarded you
forced you out from among the gems of fire.
17 You became too proud
because of your beauty.
You ruined your wisdom
because of your greatness.
I threw you down to the ground.
Your example taught a lesson to other kings.
18 You dishonored your places of worship
through your many sins and dishonest trade.
So I set your city on fire.
And it burned up.
I turned you into ashes on the ground
for all those watching to see.
19 All the nations who knew you
are shocked about you.
Your punishment was so terrible.
And you are gone forever.’”
Prophecy Against Sidon
20 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 21 “Human being, look toward the city of Sidon and prophesy against her. 22 Say: ‘This is what the Lord God says:
I am against you, Sidon.
I will show my greatness among you.
Then people will know that I am the Lord
when I have punished Sidon.
I will show my holiness by defeating her.
23 I will send diseases to Sidon,
and blood will flow in her streets.
Those who are wounded in Sidon will fall dead.
She will be attacked from all sides.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
God Will Help Israel
24 “‘No more will neighboring nations be like thorny branches or sharp stickers to hurt Israel. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.
25 “‘This is what the Lord God says: I will gather the people of Israel from the nations where they are scattered. I will show my holiness when the nations see what I do to my people. Then they will live in their own land—the land I gave to my servant Jacob. 26 Then they will live safely in the land. They will build houses and plant vineyards. They will live in safety after I have punished all the nations around who hate them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.’”
Prophecy Against Egypt
29 It was the tenth year, in the tenth month of our captivity. It was on the twelfth day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 2 “Human being, look toward the king of Egypt. And prophesy against him and all Egypt. 3 Say: ‘This is what the Lord God says:
I am against you, king of Egypt.
You are like a great crocodile that lies in the Nile River.
You say, “The Nile is mine.
I made it for myself.”
4 But I will put hooks in your jaws.
I will make the fish of the Nile stick to your sides.
I will pull you up out of your rivers,
with all the fish sticking to your sides.
5 I will leave you in the desert.
I will leave you and all the fish from your rivers.
You will fall on the open field.
You will not be picked up or buried.
I have given you to the wild animals.
And I have given you to the birds of the sky for food.
6 Then all the people who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.
“‘Israel tried to lean on you for help. But you were like a crutch made out of a weak stalk of grass. 7 When their hands grabbed you, you splintered and tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you broke and made all their backs twist.
8 “‘So this is what the Lord God says: I will cause an enemy to attack you. He will kill your men and animals. 9 Then Egypt will become an empty desert. They will know that I am the Lord.
“‘This is because you said, “The Nile River is mine. And I have made it.” 10 So, I am against you. I am against your rivers. I will destroy the land of Egypt. It will be empty desert from Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south. It will be empty all the way to the southern border of Cush. 11 No man or animal will walk through it. No one will live in Egypt for 40 years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt the emptiest country of all. And her cities will be the emptiest of all ruined cities for 40 years. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. And I will spread them among the countries.
13 “‘This is what the Lord God says: After 40 years I will gather Egypt from the nations where they have been scattered. 14 I will bring back the Egyptian captives. I will make the Egyptians return to southern Egypt. They will return to the land that they came from. They will become a weak kingdom there. 15 It will be the weakest kingdom. It will never again rule other nations. I will make it so weak it will never again rule over the nations. 16 The Israelites will never again depend on Egypt. Egypt’s punishment will remind the Israelites of their sin. They turned to Egypt for help and not to God. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.’”
Egypt Is Given to Babylon
17 It was the twenty-seventh year of our captivity, in the first month. It was on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 18 “Human being, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army fight hard against Tyre. Every soldier’s head was rubbed bare. Every shoulder was rubbed raw. But Nebuchadnezzar and his army gained nothing from fighting Tyre. 19 So this is what the Lord God says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar will take away Egypt’s people. He will take Egypt’s wealth and its valuable things as pay for his army. 20 I have given Nebuchadnezzar the land of Egypt. It is a reward for working hard to defeat Egypt for me. That is what the Lord God says.
21 “On that day I will make Israel grow strong again. I will let you, Ezekiel, speak to them. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”
Egypt Will Be Punished
30 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said, 2 “Human being, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Cry and say,
“The terrible day is coming.”
3 The day is near.
The Lord’s day of judging is near.
It is a cloudy day.
It is a time when the nations will be judged.
4 An enemy will attack Egypt.
And Cush will tremble with fear.
When the killing begins in Egypt,
her wealth will be taken away.
Egypt’s foundations will be torn down.
5 Cush, Put, Lydia, Arabia, Libya and my people will die. All these who made an agreement with Egypt will fall dead in war.
6 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
Those who fight on Egypt’s side will fall.
The power she is proud of will go down.
The people in Egypt will fall dead in war
from Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south,
says the Lord God.
7 They will be
the emptiest land.
Egypt’s cities will be
like other cities that lie in ruin.
8 Then they will know that I am the Lord.
This will happen when I set fire to Egypt
and when all those nations on her side are crushed.
9 “‘At that time I will send messengers in ships. They will frighten Cush which now feels safe. The people of Cush will tremble with fear when Egypt is punished. And that time is sure to come.
10 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
I will destroy great numbers of people in Egypt.
I will do it through Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 Nebuchadnezzar and his army
are the cruelest army of any nation.
They will be brought in to destroy the land.
They will pull out their swords against Egypt.
They will fill the land with those they kill.
12 I will make the streams of the Nile River become dry land.
Then I will sell the dry land to evil people.
I will destroy the land and everything in it.
I will do it through the power of strangers.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
Egypt’s Idols Are Destroyed
13 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
I will destroy the idols.
And I will take away the statues of false gods from the city of Memphis.
There will no longer be a leader in Egypt.
And I will spread fear through the land of Egypt.
14 I will make southern Egypt empty.
I will start a fire in Zoan.
I will punish Thebes.
15 And I will pour out my anger against Pelusium,
the strong place of Egypt.
I will destroy great numbers of people in Thebes.
16 I will set fire to Egypt.
Pelusium will be in great pain.
The walls of Thebes will be broken open.
And Memphis will have troubles every day.
17 The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis
will fall dead in war.
And the people will be taken away as captives.
18 In Tahpanhes the day will be dark
when I break Egypt’s power.
A cloud will cover Egypt.
And her villages will be captured and taken away.
19 So I will punish Egypt.
And they will know I am the Lord.’”
Egypt Becomes Weak
20 It happened in the eleventh year of our captivity, in the first month. It was on the seventh day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 21 “Human being, I have broken the powerful arm of the king of Egypt. It has not been tied up so it will not get well. It has not been wrapped with a bandage. So his arm will not be strong enough to hold a sword in war. 22 So this is what the Lord God says: I am against the king of Egypt. I will break his arms. I will break both the strong arm and the broken arm. I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. And I will spread them among the countries. 24 I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong. I will put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of the king of Egypt. Then he will cry out in pain as a wounded man cries out. 25 So I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong. But the arms of the king of Egypt will fall. Then they will know that I am the Lord. I will put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon. And he will use the sword in war against Egypt. 26 Then I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. And I will spread them among the countries. And they will know that I am the Lord.”
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:
‘No one was like you in your greatness.
3 Assyria was once like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
It had beautiful branches that shaded the forest.
It was very tall.
Its top was among the clouds.
4 Much water made the tree grow.
The deep springs of water made the tree tall.
Rivers flowed
around the bottom of the tree.
They sent their streams
to all other trees of the field.
5 So the tree was taller
than all the other trees of the field.
Its branches became long and big
because of so much water.
6 All the birds of the sky
made their nests in the tree’s branches.
And all the wild animals
gave birth under the tree’s branches.
All great nations
lived in the tree’s shade.
7 So the tree was great and beautiful,
with its long branches.
Its roots reached down to many waters.
8 The cedar trees in the garden of God
were not as great as it was.
The pine trees
did not have such great branches.
The plane trees
did not have such branches.
No tree in the garden of God
was as beautiful as this tree.
9 I made it beautiful
with many branches.
And all the trees of Eden in the garden of God
wanted to be like it.
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.’”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.