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Ezekiel 31-33
New International Reader's Version
Ezekiel 31-33
New International Reader's Version
31 It was the 11th year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the first day of the third month, a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 2 “Son of man, speak to Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt. Also speak to his huge army. Tell him,
“ ‘Who can be compared with your majesty?
3 Think about what happened to Assyria.
Once it was like a cedar tree in Lebanon.
It had beautiful branches
that provided shade for the forest.
It grew very high.
Its top was above all the leaves.
4 The waters fed it.
Deep springs made it grow tall.
Their streams flowed
all around its base.
They made their way
to all the trees in the fields.
5 So it grew higher
than any other tree in the fields.
It grew more limbs.
Its branches grew long.
They spread because they had plenty of water.
6 All the birds in the sky
made their nests in its limbs.
All the wild animals
had their babies under its branches.
All the great nations
lived in its shade.
7 Its spreading branches
made it majestic and beautiful.
Its roots went down deep
to where there was plenty of water.
8 The cedar trees in my garden
were no match for it.
The juniper trees
could not equal its limbs.
The plane trees
could not compare with its branches.
No tree in my garden
could match its beauty.
9 I gave it many branches.
They made it beautiful.
All the trees in my Garden of Eden
were jealous of it.’ ”
10 So the Lord and King says, “The great cedar tree grew very high. Its top was above all the leaves. It was proud of how tall it was. 11 So I handed it over to the Babylonian ruler of the nations. I wanted him to punish it because it was so evil. I decided to get rid of it. 12 The Babylonians cut it down and left it there. They did not show it any pity at all. Some of its branches fell on the mountains. Others fell in all the valleys. The branches lay broken in all the stream beds in the land. All the nations on earth came out from under its shade. And they went on their way. 13 All the birds settled on the fallen tree. All the wild animals lived among its branches. 14 So trees that receive plenty of water must never grow so high that it makes them proud. Their tops must never be above the rest of the leaves. No other trees that receive a lot of water must ever grow that high. They are appointed to die and go down into the earth below. They will join human beings, who go down to the place of the dead.”
15 The Lord and King says, “Assyria was like a cedar tree. But I brought it down to the place of the dead. On that day I dried up the deep springs of water and covered them. I held its streams back. I shut off its rich supply of water. Because of that, Lebanon was dressed in gloom as if it were clothes. All the trees in the fields dried up. 16 I brought the cedar tree down to the place of the dead. It joined the other nations that go down there. I made the nations on earth shake because of the sound of its fall. Then all the trees of Eden were comforted in the earth below. That included the finest and best trees in Lebanon. And it included all the trees that received plenty of water. 17 Others also went down along with the cedar tree into the place of the dead. They included those who had been killed by swords. They also included the armed men among the nations who lived in its shade.
18 “Which one of the trees of Eden can be compared with you? What tree is as glorious and majestic as you are? But you too will be brought down to the earth below. There you will join the trees of Eden. You will lie down with those who have not been circumcised. You will be among those who were killed by swords.
“That is what will happen to Pharaoh and his huge armies,” announces the Lord and King.
32 It was the 12th year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the first day of the 12th month, a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 2 “Son of man, sing a song of sadness about Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt. Tell him,
“ ‘You are like a lion among the nations.
You are like a monster in the sea.
You move around wildly in your rivers.
You churn the water with your feet.
You make the streams muddy.’ ”
3 The Lord and King says,
“I will use a large crowd of people
to throw my net over you.
They will pull you up in it.
4 Then I will throw you on the land.
I will toss you into an open field.
I will let all the birds in the sky settle on you.
I will let all the wild animals eat you up.
5 I will scatter the parts of your body all over the mountains.
I will fill the valleys with your remains.
6 I will soak the land with your blood.
It will flow all the way to the mountains.
The valleys will be filled with the parts of your body.
7 When I wipe you out,
I will put a cover over the heavens.
I will darken the stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud.
The moon will stop shining.
8 I will darken all the bright lights
in the sky above you.
I will bring darkness over your land,”
announces the Lord and King.
9 “The hearts of many people will be troubled.
That is because I will destroy you among the nations.
You had never known anything about those lands before.
10 Many nations will be shocked
when they see what has happened to you.
Their kings will tremble with fear
when they find out about it.
I will get ready to use Nebuchadnezzar
as my sword against them.
On the day you fall from power,
each of the kings will tremble with fear.
Each will be afraid he is the next to die.”
11 The Lord and King says,
“I will send against you
the sword of the king of Babylon.
12 I will destroy your huge army.
They will be killed by the swords
of Babylon’s mighty soldiers.
The soldiers will not show them any pity.
They will bring Egypt down in all its pride.
Its huge armies will be thrown down.
13 I will destroy all its cattle
from the places where they have plenty of water.
Human feet will never stir up the water again.
The hooves of cattle will not make it muddy anymore.
14 I will let the waters of Egypt settle.
I will make its streams flow like olive oil,”
announces the Lord and King.
15 “I will turn Egypt into an empty land.
I will strip away everything in it.
I will strike down everyone who lives there.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
16 “That is the song of sadness people will sing about Egypt. Women from other nations will sing it. They will weep over Egypt and its huge armies,” announces the Lord and King.
17 A message from the Lord came to me. King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the 15th day of a month 12 years after that, the message came. The Lord said, 18 “Son of man, weep over the huge army of Egypt. Tell the Egyptians they will go down into the earth below. The women singers from the other mighty nations will go down into the grave along with them and others. 19 Tell them, ‘Are you any better than others? Since you are not, go down there. Lie down with those who have not been circumcised.’ 20 They will fall dead among those who were killed by swords. Nebuchadnezzar is ready to use his sword against them. Let Egypt be dragged off together with its huge armies. 21 The mighty leaders who are already in the place of the dead will talk about Egypt. They will also speak about the nations that were going to help it. They will say, ‘They have come down here. They are lying down with those who had not been circumcised. They are here with those who were killed by swords.’
22 “Assyria is there with its whole army. Its king is surrounded by the graves of all its people who were killed by swords. 23 Their graves are deep down in the pit. Assyria’s army lies around the grave of its king. All those who spread terror while they were alive are now dead. They were killed by swords.
24 “Elam is also there. Its huge armies lie around the grave of its king. All those who spread terror while they were alive are now dead. They were killed by swords. They had not been circumcised. They went down into the earth below. Their shame is like the shame of others who go down into the grave. 25 A bed is made for Elam’s king among the dead. His huge armies lie around his grave. They had not been circumcised. They were killed by swords. They had spread terror while they were alive. So now their shame is like the shame of others who go down into the grave. They lie down among the dead.
26 “Meshek and Tubal are also there. Their huge armies lie around the graves of their kings. None of them had been circumcised. They had spread their terror while they were alive. So they were killed by swords. 27 But they do not lie down with the other dead soldiers of long ago. Those soldiers and their weapons had gone down into the place of the dead. Their swords had been placed under their heads. Their shields rest on their bones. The soldiers of Meshek and Tubal do not lie down with them. This is true even though they had also spread terror while they were alive.
28 “Pharaoh Hophra, you too will be broken. You will lie down among those who had not been circumcised. You will be there with those who were killed by swords.
29 “Edom is also there. So are its kings and all its princes. In spite of their power, they lie down with those who were killed by swords. They lie down with those who had not been circumcised. They are there with others who went down into the grave.
30 “All the princes of the north are there too. So are all the people of Sidon. They went down into the grave in dishonor. While they were alive, they used their power to spread terror. They had never been circumcised. But now they lie down there with those who were killed by swords. Their shame is like the shame of others who go down into the grave.
31 “Pharaoh and his whole army will see all of them. That will comfort him even though his huge armies were killed by swords.” This is what the Lord and King announces. 32 “I let Pharaoh spread terror while he was alive. But now he and his huge armies will be buried with those who had not been circumcised. They will lie down there with those who were killed by swords,” announces the Lord and King.
The Lord Again Appoints Ezekiel to Warn Israel
33 A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 2 “Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them, ‘Suppose I send enemies against a land. And its people choose one of their men to stand guard. 3 He sees the enemies coming against the land. He blows a trumpet to warn the people. 4 Someone hears the trumpet. But they do not pay any attention to the warning. The enemies come and kill them. Then what happens to them will be their own fault. 5 They heard the sound of the trumpet. But they did not pay any attention to the warning. So what happened to them was their own fault. If they had paid attention, they would have saved themselves. 6 But suppose the guard sees the enemies coming. And he does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. The enemies come and kill one of them. Then their life has been taken away from them because they sinned. But I will hold the guard responsible for their death.’
7 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a prophet to warn the people of Israel. So listen to my message. Give them a warning from me. 8 Suppose I say to a sinful person, ‘You can be sure that you will die.’ And suppose you do not try to get them to change their ways. Then they will die because they have sinned. And I will hold you responsible for their death. 9 But suppose you do warn that sinful person. You tell them to change their ways. But they do not change. Then they will die because they have sinned. But you will have saved yourself.
10 “Son of man, speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘You are saying, “Our sins and the wrong things we have done weigh us down. We are wasting away because we have sinned so much. So how can we live?” ’ 11 Tell them, ‘When sinful people die, it does not give me any joy. But when they turn away from their sins and live, that makes me very happy. And that is just as sure as I am alive,’ announces the Lord and King. ‘So turn away from your sins! Change your evil ways! Why should you die, people of Israel?’
12 “Son of man, speak to your people. Tell them, ‘Suppose a godly person does not obey the Lord. Then the right things that person has done in the past count for nothing. Suppose a sinful person turns away from doing wrong things. Then the wrong things that person has done in the past won’t bring them judgment. A godly person who sins won’t be allowed to live. That’s true even though they used to do right things.’ 13 Suppose I tell a godly person that they will live. And they trust in the fact that they used to do what is right. But now they do what is evil. Then I will not remember any of the right things they have done. They will die because they have done so many evil things. 14 Suppose I say to a sinful person, ‘You can be sure you will die.’ And then they turn away from their sin. They do what is fair and right. 15 They return things they take to make sure loans are repaid. They give back what they have stolen. They obey my rules that give life. They do not do what is evil. Then you can be sure they will live. They will not die. 16 None of the sins they have committed will be held against them. They have done what is fair and right. So you can be sure they will live.
17 “In spite of that, your people say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t fair.’ But it is what you do that is not fair. 18 Suppose a godly person stops doing what is right. And they do what is evil. Then they will die because of it. 19 But suppose a sinful person turns away from the evil things they have done. And they do what is fair and right. Then they will live by doing that. 20 In spite of that, you Israelites say, ‘What the Lord does isn’t fair.’ But I will judge each of you based on how you have lived.”
The Lord Explains Why Jerusalem Fell
21 It was the 12th year since we had been brought to Babylon as prisoners. On the fifth day of the tenth month, a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to bring me a report. He said, “The city has fallen!” 22 The evening before the man arrived, the power of the Lord came on me. He opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened. I was no longer silent.
23 Then a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 24 “Son of man, here is what the people living in Israel’s broken-down buildings are saying. ‘Abraham was only one man. But he owned the land. We are many people. The land must certainly belong to us.’ 25 So tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “You eat meat that still has blood in it. You worship your statues of gods. You commit murder. So should you still possess the land? 26 You depend on your swords. You do things I hate. Each one of you sleeps with your neighbor’s wife. So should you still possess the land?” ’
27 “Tell them, ‘Here is what the Lord and King says. “The people who are left in those broken-down buildings will be killed by swords. Wild animals will eat up those who are out in the country. Those who are in caves and other safe places will die of a plague. And that is just as sure as I am alive. 28 I will turn the land into a dry and empty desert. The strength Jerusalem is so proud of will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be deserted. No one will travel across them. 29 So I will turn the land into a dry and empty desert. I will punish my people because of all the evil things they have done. I hate those things. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” ’
30 “Son of man, your people are talking about you. They are getting together by the walls of their houses and at their doors. They are saying to one another, ‘Come. Listen to the Lord’s message.’ 31 My people come to you, just as they usually do. They sit in front of you. They hear what you say. But they do not put it into practice. With their mouths they say they love me. But in their hearts they want what belongs to others. They try to get rich by cheating them. 32 You are nothing more to them than someone who sings love songs. They say you have a beautiful voice. They think you play an instrument well. They hear what you say. But they do not put it into practice.
33 “Everything I have told you will come true. You can be sure of it. Then the people will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Ezekiel 31-33
New International Version
Ezekiel 31-33
New International Version
Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon
31 In the eleventh year,(A) in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(B) 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:
“‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?
3 Consider Assyria,(C) once a cedar in Lebanon,(D)
with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
its top above the thick foliage.(E)
4 The waters(F) nourished it,
deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
all around its base
and sent their channels
to all the trees of the field.(G)
5 So it towered higher(H)
than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
and its branches grew long,
spreading because of abundant waters.(I)
6 All the birds of the sky
nested in its boughs,
all the animals of the wild
gave birth(J) under its branches;
all the great nations
lived in its shade.(K)
7 It was majestic in beauty,
with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
to abundant waters.(L)
8 The cedars(M) in the garden of God
could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees(N)
compare with its branches—
no tree in the garden of God
could match its beauty.(O)
9 I made it beautiful
with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden(P)
in the garden of God.(Q)
10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud(R) of its height, 11 I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,(S) 12 and the most ruthless of foreign nations(T) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;(U) its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.(V) 13 All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.(W) 14 Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined(X) for death,(Y) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.(Z)
15 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away.(AA) 16 I made the nations tremble(AB) at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees(AC) of Eden,(AD) the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled(AE) in the earth below.(AF) 17 They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword,(AG) along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations.
18 “‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised,(AH) with those killed by the sword.
“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
A Lament Over Pharaoh
32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(AI) 2 “Son of man, take up a lament(AJ) concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:
“‘You are like a lion(AK) among the nations;
you are like a monster(AL) in the seas(AM)
thrashing about in your streams,
churning the water with your feet
and muddying the streams.(AN)
3 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘With a great throng of people
I will cast my net over you,
and they will haul you up in my net.(AO)
4 I will throw you on the land
and hurl you on the open field.
I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you
and all the animals of the wild gorge themselves on you.(AP)
5 I will spread your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys(AQ) with your remains.
6 I will drench the land with your flowing blood(AR)
all the way to the mountains,
and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.(AS)
7 When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light.(AT)
8 All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken(AU) over you;
I will bring darkness over your land,(AV)
declares the Sovereign Lord.
9 I will trouble the hearts of many peoples
when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
among[a] lands you have not known.
10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
and their kings will shudder with horror because of you
when I brandish my sword(AW) before them.
On the day(AX) of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment for his life.(AY)
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘The sword(AZ) of the king of Babylon(BA)
will come against you.(BB)
12 I will cause your hordes to fall
by the swords of mighty men—
the most ruthless of all nations.(BC)
They will shatter the pride of Egypt,
and all her hordes will be overthrown.(BD)
13 I will destroy all her cattle
from beside abundant waters
no longer to be stirred by the foot of man
or muddied by the hooves of cattle.(BE)
14 Then I will let her waters settle
and make her streams flow like oil,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 When I make Egypt desolate
and strip the land of everything in it,
when I strike down all who live there,
then they will know that I am the Lord.(BF)’
16 “This is the lament(BG) they will chant for her. The daughters of the nations will chant it; for Egypt and all her hordes they will chant it, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Egypt’s Descent Into the Realm of the Dead
17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(BH) 18 “Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and consign(BI) to the earth below both her and the daughters of mighty nations, along with those who go down to the pit.(BJ) 19 Say to them, ‘Are you more favored than others? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised.’(BK) 20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; let her be dragged(BL) off with all her hordes.(BM) 21 From within the realm of the dead(BN) the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised,(BO) with those killed by the sword.’
22 “Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword. 23 Their graves are in the depths of the pit(BP) and her army lies around her grave.(BQ) All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.
24 “Elam(BR) is there, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.(BS) All who had spread terror in the land of the living(BT) went down uncircumcised to the earth below. They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(BU) 25 A bed is made for her among the slain, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised,(BV) killed by the sword. Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain.
26 “Meshek and Tubal(BW) are there, with all their hordes around their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old,[b](BX) who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields[c] resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.
28 “You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.
29 “Edom(BY) is there, her kings and all her princes; despite their power, they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.(BZ)
30 “All the princes of the north(CA) and all the Sidonians(CB) are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power. They lie uncircumcised(CC) with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(CD)
31 “Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled(CE) for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord. 32 Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh(CF) and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(CG)
Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman
33 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword(CH) against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman,(CI) 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet(CJ) to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning(CK) and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head.(CL) 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head.(CM) If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves.(CN) 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’(CO)
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman(CP) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.(CQ) 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,(CR)’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[d] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.(CS) 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so,(CT) they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.(CU)
10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away(CV) because of[e] them. How then can we live?(CW)”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.(CX) Turn!(CY) Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’(CZ)
12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people,(DA) ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’(DB) 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done.(DC) 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just(DD) and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge(DE) for a loan, return what they have stolen,(DF) follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die.(DG) 16 None of the sins(DH) that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.(DI)
17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil,(DJ) they will die for it.(DK) 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so.(DL) 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”(DM)
Jerusalem’s Fall Explained
21 In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month on the fifth day, a man who had escaped(DN) from Jerusalem came to me and said, “The city has fallen!(DO)” 22 Now the evening before the man arrived, the hand of the Lord was on me,(DP) and he opened my mouth(DQ) before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer silent.(DR)
23 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 24 “Son of man, the people living in those ruins(DS) in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, yet he possessed the land. But we are many;(DT) surely the land has been given to us as our possession.’(DU) 25 Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you eat(DV) meat with the blood(DW) still in it and look to your idols and shed blood, should you then possess the land?(DX) 26 You rely on your sword, you do detestable things,(DY) and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife.(DZ) Should you then possess the land?’
27 “Say this to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, those who are left in the ruins will fall by the sword, those out in the country I will give to the wild animals to be devoured, and those in strongholds and caves will die of a plague.(EA) 28 I will make the land a desolate waste, and her proud strength will come to an end, and the mountains(EB) of Israel will become desolate so that no one will cross them.(EC) 29 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolate(ED) waste because of all the detestable things they have done.’(EE)
30 “As for you, son of man, your people are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, ‘Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord.’ 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before(EF) you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy(EG) for unjust gain.(EH) 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs(EI) with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.(EJ)
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.(EK)”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 32:9 Hebrew; Septuagint bring you into captivity among the nations, / to
- Ezekiel 32:27 Septuagint; Hebrew warriors who were uncircumcised
- Ezekiel 32:27 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text punishment
- Ezekiel 33:8 Or in; also in verse 9
- Ezekiel 33:10 Or away in
New International Reader's Version (NIRV) 
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