The Watchman and His Message

33 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, speak to ^(A)the children of your people, and say to them: ^(B)‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their ^(C)watchman, 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 does ^(D)not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, ^(E)his blood shall be on his own head. 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 ^[a]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 takes any person from among them, ^(F)he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.’

^7 (G)“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 wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall 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 ^[b]delivered your soul.

¹⁰ “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we ^(H)pine^[c] away in them, ^(I)how can we then live?” ’ ¹¹ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ^(J)‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked ^(K)turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For ^(L)why 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: ‘The ^(M)righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, ^(N)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 of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’ ¹³ When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, ^(O)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, ^(P)when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does ^[d]what is lawful and ^[e]right, ¹⁵ if the wicked ^(Q)restores the pledge, ^(R)gives back what he has stolen, and walks in ^(S)the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ^16 (T)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 (U)“Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not ^[f]fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair! ^18 (V)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, ^(W)‘The way of the Lord is not ^[g]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 year ^(X)of our captivity, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, ^(Y)that one who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me and said, ^(Z)“The city has been ^[h]captured!”

²² Now ^(AA)the hand of the Lord had been upon me the evening before the man came who had escaped. And He had ^(AB)opened 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 the Lord came to me, saying: ²⁴ “Son of man, ^(AC)they who inhabit those ^(AD)ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ^(AE)‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. ^(AF)But we are many; the land has been given to us as a ^(AG)possession.’

²⁵ “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(AH)“You eat meat with blood, you ^(AI)lift up your eyes toward your idols, and ^(AJ)shed blood. Should you then possess the ^(AK)land? ²⁶ You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you ^(AL)defile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land?” ’

²⁷ “Say thus to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely ^(AM)those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field ^(AN)I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and ^(AO)caves shall die of the pestilence. ^28 (AP)For I will make the land most desolate, ^[i]her ^(AQ)arrogant strength shall cease, and ^(AR)the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. ²⁹ Then they shall know that I am the Lord, 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 they ^(AS)speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ ³¹ So ^(AT)they come to you as people do, they ^(AU)sit before you as My people, and they ^(AV)hear your words, but they do not do them; ^(AW)for with their mouth they show much love, but ^(AX)their hearts pursue their own gain. ³² Indeed you are to 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 do ^(AY)not do them. ^33 (AZ)And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then ^(BA)they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Irresponsible Shepherds

34 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: ^(BB)“Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? ^3 (BC)You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you ^(BD)slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. ^4 (BE)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, nor ^(BF)sought what was lost; but with ^(BG)force and ^[j]cruelty you have ruled them. ^5 (BH)So they were ^(BI)scattered because there was no shepherd; ^(BJ)and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. ⁶ My sheep ^(BK)wandered 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 searching for them.”

⁷ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock ^(BL)became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, ^(BM)but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”— ⁹ therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! ¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am ^(BN)against the shepherds, and ^(BO)I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall ^(BP)feed themselves no more; for I will ^(BQ)deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God, the True Shepherd

¹¹ ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. ¹² As a ^(BR)shepherd 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 on ^(BS)a cloudy and dark day. ¹³ And ^(BT)I 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, ^[k]in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. ^14 (BU)I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. ^(BV)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 Lord God. ^16 (BW)“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 destroy ^(BX)the fat and the strong, and feed them ^(BY)in judgment.”

¹⁷ ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: ^(BZ)“Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. ¹⁸ Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the ^[l]residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? ¹⁹ And as for My 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 Lord God to them: ^(CA)“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 one ^(CB)shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—^(CC)My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ And ^(CD)I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David ^(CE)a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

^25 (CF)“I will make a covenant of peace with them, and ^(CG)cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they ^(CH)will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. ²⁶ I will make them and the places all around ^(CI)My hill ^(CJ)a blessing; and I will ^(CK)cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be ^(CL)showers of blessing. ²⁷ Then ^(CM)the 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 I am the Lord, when I have ^(CN)broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who ^(CO)enslaved them. ²⁸ And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but ^(CP)they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. ²⁹ I will raise up for them a ^(CQ)garden^[m] of renown, and they shall ^(CR)no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, ^(CS)nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. ³⁰ Thus they shall know that ^(CT)I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are ^(CU)My people,” says the Lord God.’

³¹ “You are My ^(CV)flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

Judgment on Mount Seir

35 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against ^(CW)Mount Seir and ^(CX)prophesy against it, ³ and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

^5 (CZ)“Because you have had an ^[o]ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, ^(DA)when their iniquity came to an end, ⁶ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for ^(DB)blood, and blood shall pursue you; ^(DC)since you have not hated ^[p]blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. ⁷ Thus I will make Mount Seir ^[q]most desolate, and cut off from it the ^(DD)one 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 (DE)I will make you ^[r]perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; ^(DF)then you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will ^(DG)possess them,’ although ^(DH)the Lord was there, ¹¹ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do ^(DI)according 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 (DJ)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. I have ^(DK)heard all your ^(DL)blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’ ¹³ Thus ^(DM)with your mouth you have ^[s]boasted against Me and multiplied your ^(DN)words against Me; I have heard them.”

¹⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(DO)“The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. ^15 (DP)As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, ^(DQ)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 I am the Lord.” ’

The Fall of Babylon the Great

18 After^(A) these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, ^(B)and the earth was illuminated with his glory. ² And he cried ^[a]mightily with a loud voice, saying, ^(C)“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and ^(D)has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and ^(E)a cage for every unclean and hated bird! ³ For all the nations ^(F)have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, ^(G)and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the ^[b]abundance of her luxury.”

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ^(H)“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. ^5 (I)For her sins ^[c]have reached to heaven, and ^(J)God has remembered her iniquities. ^6 (K)Render to her just as she rendered ^[d]to you, and repay her double according to her works; ^(L)in the cup which she has mixed, ^(M)mix double for her. ^7 (N)In the measure that she glorified herself and lived ^[e]luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as ^(O)queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ ⁸ Therefore her plagues will come ^(P)in one day—death and mourning and famine. And ^(Q)she will be utterly burned with fire, ^(R)for strong is the Lord God who ^[f]judges her.

The World Mourns Babylon’s Fall

^9 (S)“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her ^(T)will weep and lament for her, ^(U)when they see the smoke of her burning, ¹⁰ standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ^(V)‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! ^(W)For in one hour your judgment has come.’

¹¹ “And ^(X)the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: ^12 (Y)merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; ¹³ and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and ^(Z)souls of men. ¹⁴ The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, and all the things which are rich and splendid have ^[g]gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. ¹⁵ The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, ¹⁶ and saying, ‘Alas, alas, ^(AA)that great city ^(AB)that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! ^17 (AC)For in one hour such great riches ^[h]came to nothing.’ ^(AD)Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance ^18 (AE)and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ^(AF)‘What is like this great city?’

^19 (AG)“They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! ^(AH)For in one hour she ^[i]is made desolate.’

^20 (AI)“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you ^[j]holy apostles and prophets, for ^(AJ)God has avenged you on her!”

Finality of Babylon’s Fall

²¹ Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, ^(AK)“Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and ^(AL)shall not be found anymore. ^22 (AM)The sound of harpists, musicians, flutists, and trumpeters shall not be heard in you anymore. No craftsman of any craft shall be found in you anymore, and the sound of a millstone shall not be heard in you anymore. ^23 (AN)The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, ^(AO)and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For ^(AP)your merchants were the great men of the earth, ^(AQ)for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. ²⁴ And ^(AR)in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who ^(AS)were slain on the earth.”