Ezekiel 28:1-26
A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre
A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, “Son of man, speak to Ethbaal. He is the ruler of Tyre. Tell him, ‘The Lord and King says,
“ ‘ “In your proud heart
you say, ‘I am a god.
I sit on the throne of a god
in the Mediterranean Sea.’
But you are only a human being. You are not a god.
In spite of that, you think you are as wise as a god.
Are you wiser than Daniel?
Isn’t even one secret hidden from you?
You are wise and understanding.
So you have become very wealthy.
You have piled up gold and silver
among your treasures.
You have used your great skill in trading
to increase your wealth.
You are very rich.
So your heart has become proud.” ’ ”
The Lord and King says,
“You think you are wise.
In fact, you claim to be as wise as a god.
So I am going to bring outsiders against you.
They will not show you any pity at all.
They will use their swords against your beauty and wisdom.
They will strike down your shining glory.
They will bring you down to the grave.
You will die a horrible death
in the middle of the sea.
Then will you say, ‘I am a god’?
Will you say that to those who kill you?
You will be only a human being to those who kill you.
You will not be a god to them.
You will die just like those who have not been circumcised.
Outsiders will kill you.
I have spoken,” announces the Lord and King.
A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, “Son of man, sing a song of sadness about the king of Tyre. Tell him, ‘The Lord and King says,
“ ‘ “You were the model of perfection.
You were full of wisdom.
You were perfect and beautiful.
You were in Eden.
It was my garden.
All kinds of jewels decorated you.
Here is a list of them:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made out of gold.
On the day you were created,
they were prepared.
I appointed you to be like a guardian angel.
I anointed you for that purpose.
You were on my holy mountain.
You walked among the gleaming jewels.
Your conduct was without blame
from the day you were created.
But soon you began to sin.
You traded with many nations.
You harmed people everywhere.
And you sinned.
So I sent you away from my mountain in shame.
Guardian angel, I drove you away
from among the gleaming jewels.
You thought you were so handsome
that it made your heart proud.
You thought you were so glorious
that it spoiled your wisdom.
So I threw you down to the earth.
I made an example out of you in front of kings.
Your many sins and dishonest trade
made your holy places impure.
So I made you go up in flames.
I turned you into nothing but ashes on the ground.
I let everyone see it.
All the nations that knew you
are shocked because of what happened to you.
You have come to a horrible end.
And you will be gone forever.” ’ ”
A Prophecy Against Sidon
A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, “Son of man, turn your attention to the city of Sidon. Prophesy against it. Say, ‘The Lord and King says,
“ ‘ “Sidon, I am against your people.
Among you I will display my glory.
I will punish your people.
Among you I will prove that I am holy.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
I will send a plague on you.
I will make blood flow in your streets.
Those who are killed will fall inside you.
Swords will strike your people on every side.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
“ ‘ “The people of Israel will no longer have neighbors who hate them. Those neighbors will not be like sharp and painful thorns anymore. Then Israel will know that I am the Lord and King.” ’ ”
The Lord and King says, “I will gather the people of Israel together from the nations where they have been scattered. That will prove that I am holy. I will let the nations see it. Then Israel will live in their own land. I gave it to my servant Jacob. My people will live there in safety. They will build houses. They will plant vineyards. They will live in safety. I will punish all their neighbors who told lies about them. Then Israel will know that I am the Lord their God.”
Ezekiel 29:1-21
A Prophecy Against Egypt
It was the tenth year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the 12th day of the tenth month, a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, “Son of man, turn your attention to Pharaoh Hophra. He is king of Egypt. Prophesy against him and the whole land of Egypt. Tell him, ‘The Lord and King says,
“ ‘ “Pharaoh Hophra, I am against you.
King of Egypt, you are like a huge monster
lying among your streams.
You say, ‘The Nile River belongs to me.
I made it for myself.’
But I will put hooks in your jaws.
I will make the fish in your streams
stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams.
All the fish will stick to your scales.
I will leave you out in the desert.
All the fish in your streams
will be there with you.
You will fall down in an open field.
You will not be picked up.
I will feed you to the wild animals
and to the birds in the sky.
Then everyone who lives in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.
“ ‘ “You have been like a walking stick made out of a papyrus stem. The people of Israel tried to lean on you. They took hold of you. But you broke under their weight. You tore open their shoulders. The people of Israel leaned on you. But you snapped in two. And their backs were broken.” ’ ”
So the Lord and King says, “I will send Nebuchadnezzar’s sword against you. He will kill people and animals alike. Egypt will become a dry and empty desert. Then your people will know that I am the Lord.
“You said, ‘The Nile River belongs to me. I made it for myself.’ So I am against you and your streams. I will destroy the land of Egypt. I will turn it into a dry and empty desert from Migdol all the way to Aswan. I will destroy everything as far as the border of Cush. No people or animals will travel through Egypt. No one will even live there for 40 years. Egypt will be more empty than any other land. Its destroyed cities will lie empty for 40 years. I will scatter the people of Egypt among the nations. I will send them to other countries.”
But here is what the Lord and King says. “At the end of 40 years I will gather the Egyptians together. I will bring them back from the nations where they were scattered. I will bring them back from where they were taken as prisoners. I will return them to Upper Egypt. That is where their families came from. There they will be an unimportant kingdom. Egypt will be the least important kingdom of all. It will never place itself above the other nations again. I will make it very weak. Then it will never again rule over the nations. The people of Israel will no longer trust in Egypt. Instead, Egypt will remind them of how they sinned when they turned to it for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord and King.”
It was the 27th year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the first day of the first month, a message from the Lord came to me. Here is what the Lord said. “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar drove his army in a hard military campaign. The campaign was against Tyre. Their helmets rubbed their heads bare. The heavy loads they carried made their shoulders raw. But he and his army did not gain anything from the campaign he led against Tyre. So I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth. He will take away anything else they have. He will give it to his army. I have given Egypt to him as a reward for his efforts. After all, he and his army attacked Egypt because I told them to,” announces the Lord and King.
“When Nebuchadnezzar wins the battle over Egypt, I will make the Israelites strong again. Ezekiel, I will open your mouth. And you will be able to speak to them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
