A Lament for Egypt
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 v“Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God:
w“Wail, ‘Alas for the day!’
3 wFor the day is near,
xthe day of the Lord is near;
it will be ya day of clouds,
a time of doom for1 the nations.
4 zA sword shall come upon Egypt,
aand anguish shall be in bCush,
when the slain fall in Egypt,
and cher wealth2 is carried away,
and dher foundations are torn down.
5 bCush, and ePut, and Lud, and fall Arabia, and Libya,3 and the people of the land that is in league,4 shall fall with them by the sword.
6 “Thus says the Lord:
gThose who support Egypt shall fall,
and hher proud might shall come down;
ifrom Migdol to Syene
they shall fall within her by the sword,
declares the Lord God.
7 jAnd they shall be desolated in the midst of desolated countries,
and their cities shall be in the midst of cities that are laid waste.
8 kThen they will know that I am the Lord,
when lI have set fire to Egypt,
and gall her helpers are broken.
9 “On that day mmessengers shall go out from me in ships to terrify the unsuspecting bpeople of Cush, and aanguish shall come upon them on the day of Egypt’s doom;5 for, behold, it comes!
10 “Thus says the Lord God:
n“I will put an end to the wealth of Egypt,
by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him, othe most ruthless of nations,
shall be brought in to destroy the land,
zand they shall draw their swords against Egypt
and fill the land with the slain.
12 And pI will qdry up the Nile
and will sell the land into the hand of revildoers;
sI will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it,
by the hand of tforeigners;
uI am the Lord; I have spoken.
13 “Thus says the Lord God:
v“I will destroy the idols
and put an end to the images in wMemphis;
xthere shall no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt;
so yI will put fear in the land of Egypt.
14 I will make zPathros a desolation
and will set fire to aZoan
band will execute judgments on cThebes.
15 And I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,
the stronghold of Egypt,
and cut off the multitude6 of Thebes.
16 And I will set fire to Egypt;
Pelusium shall be in great agony;
Thebes shall be breached,
and wMemphis shall face enemies7 by day.
17 The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword,
and the women8 shall go into captivity.
18 At dTehaphnehes ethe day shall be dark,
when I break there the yoke bars of Egypt,
and fher proud might shall come to an end in her;
she shall be covered by a cloud,
and her daughters shall go into captivity.
19 Thus gI will execute judgments on Egypt.
hThen they will know that I am the Lord.”
Egypt Shall Fall to Babylon
20 iIn the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 21 j“Son of man, kI have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, lit has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and mwill break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 nI will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. 24 And oI will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put pmy sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him qlike a man mortally wounded. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. rThen they shall know that I am the Lord, swhen I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Pharaoh to Be Slain
1 tIn the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 u“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to vhis multitude:
w“Whom are you like in your greatness?
3 Behold, xAssyria was a ycedar in zLebanon,
with beautiful branches and aforest shade,
band of towering height,
its top among the clouds.9
4 The waters nourished it;
the deep made it grow tall,
making cits rivers flow
around the place of its planting,
sending forth its streams
to all the trees of the field.
5 So dit towered high
above all the trees of the field;
its boughs grew large
and its branches long
from eabundant water in its shoots.
6 fAll the birds of the heavens
made their nests in its boughs;
under its branches all the beasts of the field
gave birth to their young,
and under its shadow
lived all great nations.
7 It was gbeautiful in its greatness,
in the length of its branches;
efor its roots went down
to abundant waters.
8 hThe cedars iin the garden of God could not rival it,
nor the fir trees equal its boughs;
neither were the plane trees
like its branches;
no tree iin the garden of God
was its equal in beauty.
9 I made it beautiful
in the mass of its branches,
and all the trees of jEden envied it,
that were in the garden of God.
10 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because kit10 towered high and set its top among the clouds,11 and lits heart was proud of its height, 11 I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out. 12 mForeigners, mthe most ruthless of nations, have cut it down and left it. nOn the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken in all othe ravines of the land, and pall the peoples of the earth have gone away from its shadow and left it. 13 qOn its fallen trunk dwell all the birds of the heavens, and on its branches are all the beasts of the field. 14 rAll this is in order that no trees by the waters may grow to towering height or set their tops among the clouds,12 and that no trees that drink water may reach up to them in height. For they are all given over to death, sto the world tbelow, among the children of man,13 with those who go down to the pit.
15 “Thus says the Lord God: On the day uthe cedar14 went down to Sheol I caused mourning; I closed the deep over it, and restrained its rivers, and many waters were stopped. I clothed Lebanon in gloom for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. 16 vI made the nations quake at the sound of its fall, uwhen I cast it down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit. wAnd all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, xwere comforted in the world below. 17 They also went down to Sheol with it, yto those who are slain by the sword; yes, zthose who were its arm, awho lived under its shadow among the nations.
18 b“Whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness wamong the trees of Eden? cYou shall be brought down with wthe trees of Eden to the world below. dYou shall lie among the uncircumcised, ywith those who are slain by the sword.
b“This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”
A Lament over Pharaoh and Egypt
1 eIn the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 f“Son of man, graise a lamentation over hPharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:
“You consider yourself ia lion of the nations,
but you are like ja dragon kin the seas;
lyou burst forth in your rivers,
trouble the waters with your feet,
and foul their rivers.
3 Thus says the Lord God:
mI will throw my net over you
with a host of nmany peoples,
and othey will haul you up in my dragnet.
4 And pI will cast you on the ground;
on the open field I will fling you,
and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you,
and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you.
5 I will strew your flesh qupon the mountains
and fill the valleys with your carcass.15
6 I will drench the land even to the mountains
with your flowing blood,
and the ravines will be full of you.
7 rWhen I blot you out, sI will cover the heavens
and make their stars dark;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon shall not give its light.
8 All the bright lights of heaven
will I make dark over you,
and tput darkness on your land,
declares the Lord God.
9 “I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries that you have not known. 10 uI will make many peoples appalled at you, and the hair of their kings shall bristle with horror because of you, when vI brandish my sword before them. wThey shall tremble every moment, every one for his own life, on the day of your downfall.
11 “For thus says the Lord God: xThe sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. 12 I will cause yyour multitude to fall by the swords of mighty ones, all of them zmost ruthless of nations.
a“They shall bring to ruin the pride of Egypt,
and all its multitude16 shall perish.
13 I will destroy all its beasts
from beside many waters;
band no foot of man shall trouble them anymore,
nor shall the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
14 Then cI will make their waters clear,
and cause their rivers to run like oil,
declares the Lord God.
15 When I make the land of Egypt desolate,
and when the land dis desolate of all that fills it,
when I strike down all who dwell in it,
then ethey will know that I am the Lord.
16 fThis is a lamentation that shall be chanted; the daughters of the nations shall chant it; over Egypt, and over gall her multitude, shall they chant it, declares the Lord God.”
17 hIn the twelfth year, in the twelfth month,17 on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 i“Son of man, jwail over gthe multitude of Egypt, and ksend them down, her and the daughters of majestic nations, lto the world below, to those who have gone down to the pit:
19 m‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and nbe laid to rest with the uncircumcised.’
20 They shall fall amid those owho are slain by the sword. Egypt18 is delivered to the sword; drag her away, and pall her multitudes. 21 The mighty chiefs qshall speak of them, rwith their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, sthe uncircumcised, oslain by the sword.’
22 t“Assyria is there, and all her company, uits graves all around it, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, 23 whose graves are set in vthe uttermost parts of the pit; and her company is all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, wwho spread terror xin the land of the living.
24 y“Elam is zthere, and all her multitude around her grave; all of them aslain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into bthe world below, who spread their terror in the land of the living; and cthey bear their shame bwith those who go down to the pit. 25 dThey have made her a bed among the slain with all her multitude, eher graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for terror of them was spread in the land of the living, and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are placed among the slain.
26 f“Meshech-Tubal is ethere, and all her multitude, eher graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 And gthey do not lie with the mighty, the fallen from among the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose iniquities are upon their bones; for the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living. 28 But as for you, you shall be broken hand lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.
29 i“Edom is jthere, her kings and all her princes, who for all their might are laid with those who are killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.
30 “The princes kof the north are there, all of them, and all the lSidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, mfor all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and nbear their shame with those who go down to the pit.
31 “When Pharaoh sees them, he owill be comforted for pall his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, declares the Lord God. 32 qFor I spread terror rin the land of the living; and he shall be laid to rest among sthe uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”
Stewards of God’s Grace
1 Since therefore zChrist suffered in the flesh,1 aarm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for bwhoever has suffered in the flesh chas ceased from sin, 2 dso as to live for ethe rest of the time in the flesh fno longer for human passions but gfor the will of God. 3 For the time that is past hsuffices ifor doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of jdebauchery, and kthey malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready lto judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why mthe gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
7 nThe end of all things is at hand; therefore obe self-controlled and sober-minded pfor the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since qlove covers a multitude of sins. 9 rShow hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 sAs each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, tas good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks uoracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves vby the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything wGod may be glorified through Jesus Christ. xTo him belong glory and ydominion forever and ever. Amen.
Suffering as a Christian
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at zthe fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice ainsofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad bwhen his glory is revealed. 14 cIf you are insulted dfor the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory2 and of God rests upon you. 15 But elet none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or fas a meddler. 16 Yet eif anyone suffers as a gChristian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God din that name. 17 For it is time for judgment hto begin at the household of God; and iif it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who jdo not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
k“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”3
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will lentrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
