Old/New Testament
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.’”
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:
‘You are like a young lion among the nations.
You are like a crocodile in the seas.
You splash around in your streams.
And you stir up the waters with your feet.
You make the rivers muddy.
3 “‘This is what the Lord God says:
I will spread my net over you.
And I will use a large group of people
to pull you up in my net.
4 Then I will throw you on the land.
I will toss you into the open field.
I will let the birds of the sky rest on you.
And I will let the animals of the earth eat you until they are full.
5 I will scatter your flesh on the mountains.
And I will fill the valleys with what is left of you.
6 I will drench the land with your flowing blood.
I will soak the mountains,
and the ravines will be full of your flesh.
7 I will make you disappear.
And I will cover the sky and make the stars dark.
I will cover the sun with a cloud.
And the moon will not shine.
8 I will make all the shining lights in the sky
become dark over you.
I will bring darkness over your land,
says the Lord God.
9 I will cause many people to be afraid
when I have another nation destroy you.
Nations you have not known will be afraid because of you.
10 I will cause people to be shocked about you.
Their kings will tremble with fear because of you
when I swing my sword before them.
They will shake every moment
on the day you fall.
Each king will be afraid for his own life.
11 “‘So this is what the Lord God says:
The sword of the king of Babylon
will come on you.
12 I will cause your people to fall
by the swords of mighty soldiers.
They are the most terrible of all the nations.
They will destroy the pride of Egypt.
All Egypt’s people will be destroyed.
13 I will also destroy all Egypt’s cattle
which live alongside many waters.
The foot of man will not stir the waters.
And the hooves of cattle will not muddy them anymore.
14 So I will let the Egyptians’ waters become quiet.
I will cause their rivers to run as smoothly as olive oil,
says the Lord God.
15 I will make the land of Egypt empty.
I will take everything that is in the land.
I will destroy all those who live in Egypt.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.’
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.”
Changed Lives
4 Christ suffered while he was in his body. So you should strengthen yourselves with the same way of thinking Christ had. The person who has suffered in his body is finished with sin. 2 Strengthen yourselves so that you will live your lives here on earth doing what God wants, not doing the evil things that people want. 3 In the past you wasted too much time doing what the non-believers like to do. You lived for the body and evil desires. You were getting drunk, you had wild and drunken parties, and you did wrong by worshiping idols. 4 Non-believers think it is strange that you do not do the many wild and wasteful things that they do. And so they insult you. 5 But they will have to explain about what they have done. They must explain to God who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 The Good News was preached to those who are now dead. By their dying, they were judged like all men. But the Good News was preached to them so that they could live in the spirit as God lives.
Use God’s Gifts Wisely
7 The time is near when all things will end. So keep your minds clear, and control yourselves. Then you will be able to pray. 8 Most importantly, love each other deeply. Love has a way of not looking at others’ sins. 9 Open your homes to each other, without complaining. 10 Each of you received a spiritual gift. God has shown you his grace in giving you different gifts. And you are like servants who are responsible for using God’s gifts. So be good servants and use your gifts to serve each other. 11 Anyone who speaks should speak words from God. The person who serves should serve with the strength that God gives. You should do these things so that in everything God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen.
Suffering As a Christian
12 My friends, do not be surprised at the painful things you are now suffering. These things are testing your faith. So do not think that something strange is happening to you. 13 But you should be happy that you are sharing in Christ’s sufferings. You will be happy and full of joy when Christ comes again in glory. 14 When people insult you because you follow Christ, then you are blessed. You are blessed because the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is with you. 15 Do not suffer for murder, theft, or any other crime, nor because you trouble other people. 16 But if you suffer because you are a Christian, then do not be ashamed. You should praise God because you wear that name. 17 It is time for judgment to begin, and it will begin with God’s family. If that judging begins with us, what will happen to those people who do not obey the Good News of God?
18 “It is very hard for a good person to be saved.
Then the wicked person and
the sinner will surely be lost!”[a]
19 So then those who suffer as God wants them to should trust their souls to him. God is the One who made them, and they can trust him. So they should continue to do what is right.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.