New King James Version (NKJV)

Egypt Cut Down Like a Great Tree

1 Now it came to pass in theeleventh year, in the thirdmonth,on the firstdayof the month,thatthe word of theLordcame to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude:

# ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?

3 Indeed Assyriawasa cedar in Lebanon,

With fine branches that shaded the forest,

And of high stature;

And its top was among the thick boughs.

4 The waters made it grow;

Underground waters gave it height,

With their rivers running around the place where it was planted,

And sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field.

5 ‘Thereforeits height was exalted above all the trees of the field;

Its boughs were multiplied,

And its branches became long because of the abundance of water,

As it sent them out.

6 All thebirds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs;

Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young;

And in its shadow all great nations made their home.

7 ‘Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches,

Because its roots reached to abundant waters.

8 The cedars in thegarden of God could not hide it;

The fir trees were not like its boughs,

And the chestnut trees were not like its branches;

No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty.

9 I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches,

So that all the trees of Eden envied it,

Thatwerein the garden of God.’

10 “Therefore thus says the LordGod: ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, andits heart was lifted up in its height,

11 therefore I will deliver it into the hand of themighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness.

12 And aliens,the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallenon the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs liebroken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it.

13 ‘Onits ruin will remain all the birds of the heavens,

And all the beasts of the field will come to its branches—

14 ‘So that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height, nor set their tops among the thick boughs, that no tree which drinks water may ever be high enough to reach up to them.

# ‘Forthey have all been delivered to death,

# To the depths of the earth,

Among the children of men who go down to the Pit.’

15 “Thus says the LordGod: ‘In the day when itwent down to hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it.

16 I made the nationsshake at the sound of its fall, when Icast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; andall the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water,were comforted in the depths of the earth.

17 They also went down to hell with it, with those slain by the sword; andthosewhowereitsstrongarmdwelt in its shadows among the nations.

18 ‘To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth;you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, withthoseslain by the sword. ThisisPharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the LordGod.”

Lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt

1 And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in thetwelfthmonth,on the firstdayof the month,thatthe word of theLordcame to me, saying,

2 “Son of man,take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

# ‘You are like a young lion among the nations,

# Andyouarelike a monster in the seas,

# Bursting forth in your rivers,

Troubling the waters with your feet,

# Andfouling their rivers.

3 ‘Thus says the LordGod:

# “I will thereforespread My net over you with a company of many people,

And they will draw you up in My net.

4 ThenI will leave you on the land;

I will cast you out on the open fields,

# And cause to settle on you all the birds of the heavens.

And with you I will fill the beasts of the whole earth.

5 I will lay your fleshon the mountains,

And fill the valleys with your carcass.

6 “I will also water the land with the flow of your blood,

Evento the mountains;

And the riverbeds will be full of you.

7 WhenIput out your light,

# I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark;

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

And the moon shall not give her light.

8 All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you,

And bring darkness upon your land,”

Says the LordGod.

9 ‘I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known.

10 Yes, I will make many peoples astonished at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; andthey shall trembleeverymoment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.

11 ‘For thus says the LordGod: “The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you.

12 By the swords of the mighty warriors, all of themthe most terrible of the nations, I will cause your multitude to fall.

# “They shall plunder the pomp of Egypt,

And all its multitude shall be destroyed.

13 Also I will destroy all its animals

From beside its great waters;

# The foot of man shall muddy them no more,

Nor shall the hooves of animals muddy them.

14 Then I will make their waters clear,

And make their rivers run like oil,”

Says the LordGod.

15 “When I make the land of Egypt desolate,

And the country is destitute of all that once filled it,

When I strike all who dwell in it,

# Then they shall know that IamtheLord.

16 “Thisisthelamentation

With which they shall lament her;

The daughters of the nations shall lament her;

They shall lament for her, for Egypt,

And for all her multitude,”

Says the LordGod.’ ”

Egypt and Others Consigned to the Pit

17 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, on the fifteenthdayof the month,thatthe word of theLordcame to me, saying:

18 “Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt,

# Andcast them down to the depths of the earth,

Her and the daughters of the famous nations,

With those who go down to the Pit:

19 ‘Whomdo you surpass in beauty?

# Go down, be placed with the uncircumcised.’

20 “They shall fall in the midst ofthoseslain by the sword;

She is delivered to the sword,

# Drawing her and all her multitudes.

21 The strong among the mighty

Shall speak to him out of the midst of hell

With those who help him:

# ‘They havegone down,

They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’

22 “Assyriaisthere, and all her company,

With their graves all around her,

All of them slain, fallen by the sword.

23 Her graves are set in the recesses of the Pit,

And her company is all around her grave,

All of them slain, fallen by the sword,

# Whocaused terror in the land of the living.

24 “ThereisElam and all her multitude,

All around her grave,

All of them slain, fallen by the sword,

# Who havegone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth,

# Who caused their terror in the land of the living;

Now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

25 They have set herbed in the midst of the slain,

With all her multitude,

With her graves all around it,

All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword;

Though their terror was caused

In the land of the living,

Yet they bear their shame

With those who go down to the Pit;

It was put in the midst of the slain.

26 “ThereareMeshech and Tubal and all their multitudes,

With all their graves around it,

# All of themuncircumcised, slain by the sword,

Though they caused their terror in the land of the living.

27 They do not lie with the mighty

Whoarefallen of the uncircumcised,

Who have gone down to hell with their weapons of war;

They have laid their swords under their heads,

But their iniquities will be on their bones,

Because of the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

28 Yes, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised,

And lie withthoseslain by the sword.

29 “ThereisEdom,

Her kings and all her princes,

Who despite their might

Are laid besidethoseslain by the sword;

They shall lie with the uncircumcised,

And with those who go down to the Pit.

30 Therearethe princes of the north,

# All of them, and all theSidonians,

Who have gone down with the slain

In shame at the terror which they caused by their might;

They lie uncircumcised withthoseslain by the sword,

And bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

31 “Pharaoh will see them

# And becomforted over all his multitude,

Pharaoh and all his army,

Slain by the sword,”

Says the LordGod.

32 “For I have caused My terror in the land of the living;

And he shall be placed in the midst of the uncircumcised

Withthoseslain by the sword,

Pharaoh and all his multitude,”

Says the LordGod.

The Watchman and His Message

1 Again the word of theLordcame to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, speak tothe children of your people, and say to them:‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him theirwatchman,

3 when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people,

4 then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and doesnot take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away,his blood shall be on hisownhead.

5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.

6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takesanyperson from among them,he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

7 “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.

8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wickedman,you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wickedmanshall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand.

9 Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.

10 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sinslieupon us, and wepine away in them,how can we then live?” ’

11 Say to them: ‘AsI live,’ says the LordGod,‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wickedturn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! Forwhy should you die, O house of Israel?’

The Fairness of God’s Judgment

12 “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘Therighteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked,he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because ofhisrighteousnessin the day that he sins.’

13 When I say to the righteousthathe shall surely live,but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.

14 Again,when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right,

15 ifthe wickedrestores the pledge,gives back what he has stolen, and walks inthe statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

16 None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.

17 “Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair!

18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it.

19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it.

20 Yet you say,‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.”

The Fall of Jerusalem

21 And it came to pass in the twelfth yearof our captivity, in the tenthmonth,on the fifthdayof the month,thatone who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said,“The city has been captured!”

22 Nowthe hand of theLordhad been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He hadopened my mouth; so when he came to me in the morning, my mouth was opened, and I was no longer mute.

The Cause of Judah’s Ruin

23 Then the word of theLordcame to me, saying:

24 “Son of man,they who inhabit thoseruins in the land of Israel are saying,‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land.But wearemany; the land has been given to us as apossession.’

25 “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LordGod:“You eatmeatwith blood, youlift up your eyes toward your idols, andshed blood. Should you then possess theland?

26 You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and youdefile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land?” ’

27 “Say thus to them, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “AsI live, surelythose whoarein the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one whoisin the open fieldI will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those whoarein the strongholds andcaves shall die of the pestilence.

28 For I will make the land most desolate, herarrogant strength shall cease, andthe mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through.

29 Then they shall know that IamtheLord, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.” ’

Hearing and Not Doing

30 “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and theyspeak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from theLord.’

31 Sothey come to you as people do, theysit before youasMy people, and theyhear your words, but they do not do them;for with their mouth they show much love,buttheir hearts pursue theirowngain.

32 Indeed youareto them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they donot do them.

33 And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—thenthey will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Irresponsible Shepherds

1 And the word of theLordcame to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the LordGodto the shepherds:“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; youslaughter the fatlings,butyou do not feed the flock.

4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, norsought what was lost; but withforce and cruelty you have ruled them.

5 So they werescattered becausetherewasno shepherd;and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.

6 My sheepwandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searchingforthem.”

7 ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of theLord:

8 “AsI live,” says the LordGod, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flockbecame food for every beast of the field, becausetherewasno shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock,but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”—

9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of theLord!

10 Thus says the LordGod: “Behold, Iamagainst the shepherds, andI will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shallfeed themselves no more; for I willdeliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God, the True Shepherd

11 ‘For thus says the LordGod: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.

12 As ashepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered ona cloudy and dark day.

13 AndI will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country.

14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel.There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the LordGod.

16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroythe fat and the strong, and feed themin judgment.”

17 ‘Andasforyou, O My flock, thus says the LordGod:“Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.

18 Isittoo little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?

19 AndasforMy flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

20 ‘Therefore thus says the LordGodto them:“Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep.

21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad,

22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

23 I will establish oneshepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.

24 AndI, theLord, will be their God, and My servant Davida prince among them; I, theLord, have spoken.

25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, andcause wild beasts to cease from the land; and theywill dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

26 I will make them and the places all aroundMy hilla blessing; and I willcause showers to come down in their season; there shall beshowers of blessing.

27 Thenthe trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that IamtheLord, when I havebroken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those whoenslaved them.

28 And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; butthey shall dwell safely, and no one shall makethemafraid.

29 I will raise up for them agarden of renown, and they shallno longer be consumed with hunger in the land,nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore.

30 Thus they shall know thatI, theLordtheir God,amwith them, and they, the house of Israel,areMy people,” says the LordGod.’

31 “You are Myflock, the flock of My pasture; youaremen,andIamyour God,” says the LordGod.

Judgment on Mount Seir

1 Moreover the word of theLordcame to me, saying,

2 “Son of man, set your face againstMount Seir andprophesy against it,

3 and say to it, ‘Thus says the LordGod:

“Behold, O Mount Seir, Iamagainst you;

# I will stretch out My hand against you,

And make you most desolate;

4 I shall lay your cities waste,

And you shall be desolate.

Then you shall know that IamtheLord.

5 “Because you have had an ancient hatred, and have shedthebloodofthe children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity,when their iniquitycametoanend,

6 therefore,asI live,” says the LordGod, “I will prepare you forblood, and blood shall pursue you;since you have not hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you.

7 Thus I will make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it theone who leaves and the one who returns.

8 And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall.

9 I will make you perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited;then you shall know that IamtheLord.

10 “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we willpossess them,’ althoughtheLordwas there,

11 therefore,asI live,” says the LordGod, “I will doaccording to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.

12 Then you shall know that IamtheLord. I haveheard all yourblasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’

13 Thuswith your mouth you have boasted against Me and multiplied yourwords against Me; I have heardthem.”

14 ‘Thus says the LordGod:“The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate.

15 As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate,so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that IamtheLord.” ’

Blessing on Israel

1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to themountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of theLord!

2 Thus says the LordGod: “Becausethe enemy has said of you, ‘Aha!The ancient heightshave become our possession,’ ” ’

3 therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “Because they madeyoudesolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations,and you are taken up by the lips oftalkers and slandered by the people”—

4 therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LordGod! Thus says the LordGodto the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, whichbecame plunder andmockery to the rest of the nations all around—

5 therefore thus says the LordGod:“Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom,who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joyandspiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

6 “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you haveborne the shame of the nations.”

7 Therefore thus says the LordGod: “I haveraised My hand in an oath that surely the nations thatarearound you shallbear their own shame.

8 But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come.

9 For indeed Iamfor you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.

10 I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited andthe ruins rebuilt.

11 I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and dobetterforyouthan at your beginnings.Then you shall know that IamtheLord.

12 Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel;they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall youbereave themofchildren.”

13 ‘Thus says the LordGod: “Because they say to you,‘You devour men and bereave your nationofchildren,’

14 therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the LordGod.

15 “Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the LordGod.’ ”

The Renewal of Israel

16 Moreover the word of theLordcame to me, saying:

17 “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land,they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was likethe uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity.

18 Therefore I poured out My fury on themfor the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idolswithwhichthey had defiled it.

19 So Iscattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged themaccording to their ways and their deeds.

20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, theyprofaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘Thesearethe people of theLord,andyet they have gone out of His land.’

21 But I had concernfor My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “I do not dothisfor your sake, O house of Israel,but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.

23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that IamtheLord,” says the LordGod, “when I amhallowed in you before their eyes.

24 ForI will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.

25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse youfrom all your filthiness and from all your idols.

26 I will give you anew heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 I will put MySpirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and dothem.

28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers;you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

29 I willdeliver you from all your uncleannesses.I will call for the grain and multiply it, andbring no famine upon you.

30 And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.

31 Thenyou will remember your evil ways and your deeds thatwerenot good; and youwill loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.

32 Not for your sake do I dothis,” says the LordGod, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

33 ‘Thus says the LordGod: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enableyouto dwell in the cities,and the ruins shall be rebuilt.

34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by.

35 So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden ofEden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined citiesarenowfortifiedandinhabited.’

36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, theLord, have rebuilt the ruined placesandplanted what was desolate.I, theLord, have spokenit,and I will doit.”

37 ‘Thus says the LordGod:“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I willincrease their men like a flock.

38 Like a flockofferedasholysacrifices,like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that IamtheLord.” ’ ”

The Dry Bones Live

1 Thehand of theLordcame upon me and brought me outin the Spirit of theLord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and itwasfull of bones.

2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold,therewerevery many in the open valley; and indeedtheywerevery dry.

3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

# So I answered, “O LordGod,You know.”

4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of theLord!

5 Thus says the LordGodto these bones: “Surely I willcause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.

6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live.Then you shall know that IamtheLord.” ’ ”

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8 Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; buttherewasno breath in them.

9 Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the LordGod:“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ”

10 So I prophesied as He commanded me,and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are thewhole house of Israel. They indeed say,‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’

12 Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “Behold,O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, andbring you into the land of Israel.

13 Then you shall know that IamtheLord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

14 Iwill put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, theLord, have spokenitand performedit,” says theLord.’ ”

One Kingdom, One King

15 Again the word of theLordcame to me, saying,

16 “As for you, son of man,take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and forthe children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, andforall the house of Israel, his companions.’

17 Thenjoin them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

18 “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying,‘Will you not show us what youmeanby these?’—

19 say to them, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “Surely I will takethe stick of Joseph, whichisin the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’

20 And the sticks on which you write will be in your handbefore their eyes.

21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “SurelyI will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

22 andI will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; andone king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; butI will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

24 “David My servantshallbeking over them, andthey shall all have one shepherd;they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.

25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children,forever; andMy servant Davidshallbetheir prince forever.

26 Moreover I will makea covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them andmultiply them, and I will set Mysanctuary in their midst forevermore.

27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will betheir God, and they shall be My people.

28 The nations also will know that I, theLord,sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

Gog and Allies Attack Israel

1 Now the word of theLordcame to me, saying,

2 “Son of man,set your face againstGog, of the land ofMagog, the prince of Rosh,Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him,

3 and say, ‘Thus says the LordGod: Behold, Iamagainst you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.

4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, andlead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen,all splendidly clothed, a great companywithbucklers and shields, all of them handling swords.

5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of themwithshield and helmet;

6 Gomer and all its troops; the house ofTogarmahfromthe far north and all its troops—many peoplearewith you.

7 “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them.

8 After many daysyou will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the swordandgathered from many people onthe mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of themdwell safely.

9 You will ascend, cominglike a storm, covering theland like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

10 ‘Thus says the LordGod: “On that day it shall come to passthatthoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan:

11 You will say, ‘I will go up against a land ofunwalled villages; I willgo to a peaceful people,who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’—

12 to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste placesthatareagaininhabited,and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.

13 Sheba,Dedan, the merchantsof Tarshish, and alltheir young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’

14 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the LordGod:“On that day when My people Israeldwell safely, will you not knowit?

15 Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.

16 You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations mayknow Me, when I amhallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.”

17 Thus says the LordGod: “Areyouhe of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

Judgment on Gog

18 “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the LordGod, “thatMy fury will show in My face.

19 Forin My jealousyandin the fire of My wrath I have spoken:‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel,

20 so thatthe fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men whoareon the face of the earth shall shake at My presence.The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’

21 I willcall fora sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the LordGod.“Every man’s sword will be against his brother.

22 And I willbring him to judgment withpestilence and bloodshed;I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples whoarewith him, flooding rain,great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

23 Thus I will magnify Myself andsanctify Myself,and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that IamtheLord.” ’

Gog’s Armies Destroyed

1 “Andyou, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the LordGod: “Behold, Iamagainst you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal;

2 and I willturn you around and lead you on,bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel.

3 Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand.

4 You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples whoarewith you;I will give you to birds of prey of every sort andtothe beasts of the field to be devoured.

5 You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken,” says the LordGod.

6 “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security inthe coastlands. Then they shall know that IamtheLord.

7 So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will notletthemprofane My holy name anymore.Then the nations shall know thatIamtheLord, the Holy One in Israel.

8 Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the LordGod. “Thisisthe dayof which I have spoken.

9 “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years.

10 They will not take wood from the field nor cut downanyfrom the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons;and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,” says the LordGod.

The Burial of Gog

11 “It will come to pass in that daythatI will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will callitthe Valley of Hamon Gog.

12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them,in order to cleanse the land.

13 Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gainrenown for it on the day thatI am glorified,” says the LordGod.

14 “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party, to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in orderto cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search.

15 The search party will pass through the land; andwhenanyonesees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog.

16 Thename ofthecitywillalsobeHamonah. Thus they shallcleanse the land.” ’

A Triumphant Festival

17 “And as for you, son of man, thus says the LordGod,‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field:

# “Assemble yourselves and come;

# Gather together from all sides to Mysacrificial meal

Which I am sacrificing for you,

# A great sacrificial mealon the mountains of Israel,

That you may eat flesh and drink blood.

18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty,

Drink the blood of the princes of the earth,

Of rams and lambs,

Of goats and bulls,

# All of themfatlings of Bashan.

19 You shall eat fat till you are full,

And drink blood till you are drunk,

At My sacrificial meal

Which I am sacrificing for you.

20 You shall be filled at My table

With horses and riders,

# With mighty men

And with all the men of war,” says the LordGod.

Israel Restored to the Land

21 “I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, andMy hand which I have laid on them.

22 So the house of Israel shall know that IamtheLordtheir God from that day forward.

23 The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, thereforeI hid My face from them. Igave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword.

24 According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’

25 “Therefore thus says the LordGod:‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on thewhole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name—

26 after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when theydwelt safely in theirownland and no one madethemafraid.

27 When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and Iam hallowed in them in the sight of many nations,

28 then they shall know that IamtheLordtheir God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer.

29 And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall havepoured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the LordGod.”

A New City, a New Temple

1 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenthdayof the month, in the fourteenth year afterthe city was captured, on the very same daythe hand of theLordwas upon me; and He took me there.

2 In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel andset me on a very high mountain; on it toward the southwassomething like the structure of a city.

3 He took me there, and behold,therewasa man whose appearancewaslike the appearance of bronze.He had a line of flaxand a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.

4 And the man said to me,“Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for youwerebrought here so that I might showthemto you.Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.”

5 Now there wasa wall all around the outside of the temple. In the man’s hand was a measuring rod six cubitslong, each being acubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod.

The Eastern Gateway of the Temple

6 Then he went to the gateway which facedeast; and he went up its stairs and measured the threshold of the gateway,whichwasone rod wide, and the other thresholdwasone rod wide.

7 Each gate chamberwasone rod long and one rod wide; between the gate chamberswasaspaceoffive cubits; and the threshold of the gateway by the vestibule of the inside gatewasone rod.

8 He also measured the vestibule of the inside gate, one rod.

9 Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and the gateposts, two cubits. The vestibule of the gatewason the inside.

10 In the eastern gatewaywerethree gate chambers on one side and three on the other; the threewereall the same size; also the gateposts were of the same size on this side and that side.

11 He measured the width of the entrance to the gateway, ten cubits;andthe length of the gate, thirteen cubits.

12 Therewasa space in front of the gate chambers, one cubitonthissideand one cubit on that side; the gate chambersweresix cubits on this side and six cubits on that side.

13 Then he measured the gateway from the roof ofonegate chamber to the roof of the other; the widthwastwenty-five cubits, as door faces door.

14 He measured the gateposts, sixty cubits high, and the court all around the gatewayextendedto the gatepost.

15 Fromthe front of the entrance gate to the front of the vestibule of the inner gatewasfifty cubits.

16 Therewerebeveled windowframesin the gate chambers and in their intervening archways on the inside of the gateway all around, and likewise in the vestibules.Therewerewindows all around on the inside. And on each gatepostwerepalm trees.

The Outer Court

17 Then he brought me intothe outer court; andtherewerechambers and a pavement made all around the court;thirty chambers faced the pavement.

18 The pavement was by the side of the gateways, corresponding to the length of the gateways;thiswasthe lower pavement.

19 Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gateway to the front of the inner court exterior, one hundred cubits toward the east and the north.

The Northern Gateway

20 On the outer court was also a gateway facing north, and he measured its length and its width.

21 Its gate chambers, three on this side and three on that side, its gateposts and its archways, had the same measurements as the first gate; its lengthwasfifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.

22 Its windows and those of its archways, and also its palm trees,hadthe same measurements as the gateway facing east; it was ascended by seven steps, and its archwaywasin front of it.

23 A gate of the inner court was opposite the northern gateway, just as the easterngateway;and he measured from gateway to gateway, one hundred cubits.

The Southern Gateway

24 After that he brought me toward the south, and there a gateway was facing south; and he measured its gateposts and archways according to these same measurements.

25 Therewerewindows in it and in its archways all around like those windows; its lengthwasfifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.

26 Seven steps led up to it, and its archwaywasin front of them; and it had palm trees on its gateposts, one on this side and one on that side.

27 Therewasalso a gateway on the inner court, facing south; and he measured from gateway to gateway toward the south, one hundred cubits.

Gateways of the Inner Court

28 Then he brought me to the inner court through the southern gateway; he measured the southern gateway according to these same measurements.

29 Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archwayswereaccording to these same measurements;therewerewindows in it and in its archways all around;itwasfifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

30 Therewerearchways all around,twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide.

31 Its archways faced the outer court, palm treeswereon its gateposts, and going up to itwereeight steps.

32 And he brought me into the inner court facing east; he measured the gateway according to these same measurements.

33 Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archwayswereaccording to these same measurements; andtherewerewindows in it and in its archways all around;itwasfifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.

34 Its archways faced the outer court, and palm treeswereon its gateposts on this side and on that side; and going up to itwereeight steps.

35 Then he brought me to the north gateway and measureditaccording to these same measurements—

36 also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways. It had windows all around; its lengthwasfifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits.

37 Its gateposts faced the outer court, palm treeswereon its gateposts on this side and on that side, and going up to itwereeight steps.

Where Sacrifices Were Prepared

38 Therewasa chamber and its entrance by the gateposts of the gateway, where theywashed the burnt offering.

39 In the vestibule of the gatewayweretwo tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which to slay the burnt offering,the sin offering, andthe trespass offering.

40 At the outer side of thevestibule, as one goes up to the entrance of the northern gateway,weretwo tables; and on the other side of the vestibule of the gatewayweretwo tables.

41 Four tableswereon this side and four tables on that side, by the side of the gateway, eight tables on which they slaughteredthesacrifices.

42 Therewerealso four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, one cubit and a half long, one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high; on these they laid the instruments with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice.

43 Insidewerehooks, a handbreadth wide, fastened all around; and the flesh of the sacrificeswason the tables.

Chambers for Singers and Priests

44 Outside the inner gatewerethe chambers forthe singers in the inner court, one facing south at the side of the northern gateway, and the other facing north at the side of the southern gateway.

45 Then he said to me, “This chamber which faces southisforthe priests who have charge of the temple.

46 The chamber which faces northisfor the priestswho have charge of the altar; thesearethe sons ofZadok, from the sons of Levi, who come near theLordto minister to Him.”

Dimensions of the Inner Court and Vestibule

47 And he measured the court, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide, foursquare. The altarwasin front of the temple.

48 Then he brought me to thevestibule of the temple and measured the doorposts of the vestibule, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the width of the gateway was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side.

49 The length of the vestibulewastwenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; and by the steps which led up to ittherewerepillars by the doorposts, one on this side and another on that side.