Add parallel Print Page Options

32 On the first day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year, the word of Adonai came to me: “Human being, raise a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt; say to him,

‘You compared yourself to a lion among the nations;
In fact, you are more like a crocodile in the lakes.
You burst out of your streams,
churn the water with your feet
and foul their streams.’

“So here is what Adonai Elohim says:

‘With many nations assembled,
I will spread my net over you,
and they will haul you up in my dragnet.
Then I will throw you on the shore,
hurl you into an open field,
make all the birds in the air settle on you
and let the animals of the whole earth eat their fill of you.
I will leave your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys with your rotting carcass.
I will drench the land in which you swim
with your blood, as far as the mountains;
the waterways will be full of you.
When I extinguish you, I will cover the sky
and make its stars black;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light.
All the shining lights in the sky
I will darken above you;
I will spread darkness over your land,’
says Adonai Elohim.

“‘I will anger many peoples
when I bring your destroyed ones
in among the nations,
into countries you have not known.
10 I will make many peoples aghast at you;
their kings will shudder in horror over you
when I brandish my sword before them.
On the day of your downfall
they will tremble continuously,
each man in fear of his life.’

11 “For Adonai Elohim says this:

‘The sword of the king of Bavel
will come against you.
12 With the swords of the warriors
I will cause your hordes to fall.
They are all the most barbarous of the nations,
and they will shatter the glory of Egypt —
all its hordes will be destroyed.
13 I will destroy all her cattle
beside her plentiful waters.
No human foot will trouble them again,
nor the hoof of any animal.
14 Then I will make their water clear
and cause their streams to flow like oil,’
says Adonai Elohim.
15 ‘When I make the land of Egypt a ruined waste,
a land stripped of all that filled it;
when I strike all those who live there;
they will know that I am Adonai.
16 This is the lament that they will raise;
the daughters of the nations will use it to mourn;
they will chant it for Egypt and all its hordes,’
says Adonai Elohim.”

17 On the fifteenth day of the month in the twelfth year, the word of Adonai came to me:

18 “Human being, wail for the hordes of Egypt;
send them with the daughters of mighty nations
down to the underworld,
with those who descend to the pit.
19 Are you more beautiful than the others?
Go down, lie with the uncircumcised dead!
20 They will fall among those killed by the sword;
she is given to the sword; pull her down with her hordes.
21 From the depths of Sh’ol the mightiest warriors
will speak of him with those who helped him.
They went down; they lie still,
the uncircumcised, killed by the sword.

22 “Ashur is there with her hordes;
their graves are all around them,
all of them slain, killed by the sword.
23 Their graves are in the deepest parts of the pit,
her hordes are all around her grave,
all of them slain, killed by the sword,
those who terrorized the land of the living.
24 “‘Eilam is there, with her hordes around her grave,
all of them slain, killed by the sword,
descended uncircumcised to the underworld,
those who terrorized the land of the living;
they bear their shame together with those
who descended to the pit.
25 They have given her a bed among the slain with her hordes;
her graves are all around them,
all of them uncircumcised, killed by the sword,
because they terrorized the land of the living;
they bear their shame with those who descended to the pit;
they are put among those who were slain.

26 “Meshekh and Tuval with her horde is there,
her graves are all around them,
all of them uncircumcised, killed by the sword,
because they terrorized the land of the living.
27 They do not lie with the fallen warriors
of the uncircumcised who descended to Sh’ol
with their weapons of war,
their swords laid under their heads,
and their crimes upon their bones;
because these warriors terrorized the land of the living.
28 But you will lie broken among the uncircumcised,
with those who were killed by the sword.

29 “There is Edom, her kings and all her princes,
who, despite all their power, are laid with those
who were killed by the sword, with the uncircumcised,
with those who descended to the pit.

30 “There are all the princes of the north, all of them,
and the Tzidoni, who descended with the slain,
ashamed of all the terror they caused by their power;
they lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword,
bearing their shame with those who descended to the pit.

31 “All of these Pharaoh will see,
and he will be consoled about his hordes,
Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword,”
says Adonai Elohim.
32 “For I have put my terror in the land of the living,
and he will lie among the uncircumcised,
with those killed by the sword,
Pharaoh and all his hordes,”

says Adonai Elohim.

33 The word of Adonai came to me: “Human being, speak to your people; say to them, ‘Suppose I bring the sword on a country, and the people of that country take one of their men and appoint him their watchman. Now if, upon seeing the sword coming against that country, he blows the shofar and warns the people; then, if the sword comes and takes away someone who heard the sound of the shofar but paid no attention to it, the responsibility for that person’s death will be his own — he heard the shofar but paid no attention, so the responsibility for his death is his own; whereas if he had paid attention, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the shofar, so that the people are not warned; and then the sword comes and takes any one of them, that one is indeed taken away in his guilt, but I will hold the watchman responsible for his death.’

“Likewise you, human being — I have appointed you as watchman for the house of Isra’el. Therefore, when you hear the word from my mouth, warn them for me. When I tell the wicked person, ‘Wicked person, you will certainly die’; and you fail to speak and warn the wicked person to leave his way; then that wicked person will die guilty; and I will hold you responsible for his death. On the other hand, if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he doesn’t turn from his way; then he will still die guilty, but you will have saved your own life.

10 “Therefore, you, human being, say to the house of Isra’el: ‘You say, “Our crimes and sins are weighing us down, we’re pining away because of them, how can we even stay alive?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ swears Adonai Elohim, ‘I take no pleasure in having the wicked person die, but in having the wicked person turn from his way and live. So repent! Turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, house of Isra’el?’

12 “Next, you, human being, say to your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him, once he starts committing crimes; and likewise, the wickedness of the wicked person will not cause him to fall, once he turns from his wickedness. No, the righteous person cannot live by virtue of [his former righteousness], once he starts sinning. 13 So if, after I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, he begins trusting in his own [former] righteousness and starts committing crimes; then none of his [former] righteous actions will be remembered; on the contrary, he will die for the evil deeds he has committed. 14 Likewise, if, after I tell the wicked person, “You must die,” he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right — 15 if the wicked person restores pledged property and returns what he stole, so that he lives by the laws that give life and does not commit evil deeds; then he will live, he will not die. 16 None of the sins he committed will be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he will surely live.’

17 “Now your people say, ‘Adonais way isn’t fair!’ But it is their way, theirs, that isn’t fair! 18 When the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits wickedness, he will die because of it. 19 And when the wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he will live because of it. 20 Yet you say, ‘Adonai’s way isn’t fair!’ House of Isra’el, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”

21 In the twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth day of the tenth month, a fugitive from Yerushalayim came to me with the news, “The city has been struck.” 22 Now the hand of Adonai had been on me that evening, before the fugitive arrived — he had opened my mouth prior to his coming to me in the morning, so my mouth was open, and I was no longer mute. 23 Then the word of Adonai came to me: 24 “Human being, those living in the desolate parts of the land of Isra’el are saying, ‘Avraham was only one, and he inherited the land. But we are many, so [how much more] is the land given to us to inherit!’ 25 Therefore, tell them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘You eat [flesh] with the blood, you raise your eyes to your idols, and you shed blood — and you still expect to possess the land? 26 You depend on your swords, you commit disgusting practices, and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife — and you still expect to possess the land?’ 27 Tell them that Adonai Elohim swears, ‘As I live, those living in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the countryside I will give to the wild animals to eat, and those in the fortresses and caves will die of the plague. 28 Moreover, I will utterly desolate the land; it will cease taking pride in its power; and the mountains of Isra’el will be so desolate that no one will pass through.’ 29 Then they will know that I am Adonai, when I have made the land utterly desolate, because of all the disgusting practices they have committed.

30 “Now you, human being, your people are gathering and talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of houses. They’re saying to each other, each one telling his brother, ‘Come, let’s go and hear the latest word coming from Adonai.’ 31 So then they come to you, as people do, sit in front of you as my people, and hear your words; but they don’t act on them. For with their mouths they flatter you, but their hearts are set on their own self-interest; 32 so for them you are like a love-song sung by someone with a nice voice who can play an instrument well — they hear your words, but they don’t act on them. 33 So when all this comes true, then, at last, they will realize that a prophet has been there with them.”

34 The word of Adonai came to me: “Human being, prophesy against the shepherds of Isra’el. Prophesy! Tell them, the shepherds, that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘Woe to the shepherds of Isra’el who feed themselves! Shouldn’t the shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the choice meat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, and you slaughter the best of the herd; but you don’t feed the sheep! You don’t strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bandage the broken, bring back the outcasts or seek the lost; on the contrary, you tyrannize them with crushing force. So they were scattered, without a shepherd, and became food for every wild animal — they were scattered. My sheep wandered around aimlessly on every mountain and hill; yes, my sheep were scattered all over the land, with no one to search for them or look after them.

“‘Therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Adonai: “As I live,” Adonai Elohim swears, “because my sheep have become prey, my sheep have become food for every wild animal, since there was no shepherd, since my shepherds didn’t look for my sheep, and instead my shepherds fed themselves but not my sheep,” therefore, shepherds, hear the word of Adonai! 10 Adonai Elohim says, “I am against the shepherds. I demand that they hand my sheep back to me. I will not allow them to feed the sheep, and they won’t feed themselves either. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths; they will be food for them no longer.”

11 “‘For here is what Adonai Elohim says: “I am taking over! I will search for my sheep and look after them, myself. 12 Just as a shepherd looks after his flock when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so I will look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. 13 I will bring them back from those peoples, gather them from those countries and return them to their own land. Then I will let them feed on the mountains of Isra’el, by the streams and in all the livable places of the land. 14 I will have them feed in good pastures; their grazing ground will be on the high mountains of Isra’el. They will rest in good grazing grounds and feed in rich pastures on Isra’el’s mountains. 15 Yes, I will pasture my sheep; and I will let them rest” says Adonai Elohim. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the outcasts, bandage the broken, and strengthen the sick. But the fat and the strong I will destroy — I will feed them with judgment.”

17 “‘As for you, my flock,’ Adonai Elohim says this: ‘I will judge between sheep and other sheep, between rams and billy-goats. 18 Wasn’t it enough for you to feed on the best pasture and drink from the clearest water? Did you have to trample the rest of the pasture and foul the remaining water with your feet? 19 So now my sheep eat what you have trampled with your feet and drink water fouled by your feet.’ 20 Therefore here is what Adonai Elohim says to them: ‘I will judge between the fat sheep and the thin sheep. 21 Because you push them with your flanks and shoulders and butt all the weak ones with your horns, till you scatter them in every direction; 22 therefore I will save my flock; they will no longer be prey; and I will judge between sheep and other sheep.

23 “‘I will raise up one shepherd to be in charge of them, and he will let them feed — my servant David. He will pasture them and be their shepherd. 24 I, Adonai, will be their God; and my servant David will be prince among them. I, Adonai, have spoken. 25 I will make a covenant of peace with them; I will rid the land of wild animals; and they will live securely in the desert and sleep in the forests. 26 I will make them and the places around my hill a blessing, and I will cause the rain to fall when it should — there will be showers of blessing. 27 The trees in the field will bear their fruit and the soil its produce, and they will be secure in their land. Then they will know that I am Adonai, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who turned them into slaves. 28 No longer will they be prey for the Goyim, nor will the wild animals devour them; but they will live securely, with no one to make them afraid. 29 I will make the productivity of their crops famous, and they will no longer be consumed by hunger in the land or bear the shame of the Goyim any more. 30 They will know that I, Adonai their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Isra’el, are my people,’ says Adonai Elohim. 31 ‘You, my sheep, the sheep in my pasture, are human beings; and I am your God,’ says Adonai Elohim.”

Bible Gateway Recommends

The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary on CD-Rom
The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary on CD-Rom
Retail: $179.95
Our Price: $79.99
Save: $99.96 (56%)
4.0 of 5.0 stars
Complete Jewish Bible: 2016 Updated Edition, Hardcover
Complete Jewish Bible: 2016 Updated Edition, Hardcover
Retail: $34.95
Our Price: $24.99
Save: $9.96 (28%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Flexisoft Leather,   Dark Blue
The Complete Jewish Study Bible, Flexisoft Leather, Dark Blue
Retail: $79.95
Our Price: $55.99
Save: $23.96 (30%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
The Complete Jewish Study Bible
The Complete Jewish Study Bible
Retail: $49.95
Our Price: $29.99
Save: $19.96 (40%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars