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The Watchman’s Duty
33 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, speak to the (A)sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming upon the land and (B)blows on the trumpet and warns the people, 4 then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and (C)does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his (D)blood will be on his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have (E)delivered his life. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is (F)taken away [a]in his iniquity; but his (G)blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’
7 “Now as for you, son of man, I have [b](H)appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a [c]message from My mouth and give them (I)warning from Me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will (J)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 from your hand. 9 But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he (K)does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have (L)delivered your life.
10 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are (M)rotting away in them; (N)how then can we [d]survive?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘(O)As I live!’ declares the Lord [e]God, ‘I take (P)no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked (Q)turn from his way and live. (R)Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’ 12 And you, son of man, say to [f]your fellow citizens, ‘The (S)righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will (T)not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live [g]by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.’ 13 When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he (U)commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die. 14 But when I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and he (V)turns from his sin and practices (W)justice and righteousness, 15 if a wicked man restores a pledge, (X)pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the (Y)statutes [h]which ensure life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 (Z)None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he shall surely live.
17 “Yet [i]your fellow citizens say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right,’ when it is their own way that is not right. 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and (AA)commits iniquity, then he shall die in [j]it. 19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. 20 Yet you say, ‘(AB)The way of the Lord is not right.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”
Word of Jerusalem’s Capture
21 Now (AC)in the (AD)twelfth year of our exile, on the fifth of the tenth month, the [k]refugees from Jerusalem came to me, saying, “(AE)The city has been [l]taken.” 22 Now the (AF)hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before the [m]refugees came. And He (AG)opened my mouth [n]at the time they came to me in the morning; so my mouth was (AH)opened and I was no longer [o]speechless.
23 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 24 “Son of man, they who (AI)live in these waste places in the land of Israel are saying, ‘(AJ)Abraham was only one, yet he possessed the land; so to (AK)us who are many the land has been given as a possession.’ 25 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You eat meat with the (AL)blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols as you shed blood. (AM)Should you then possess the land? 26 You [p](AN)rely on your sword, you commit abominations and each of you defiles his neighbor’s wife. Should you then possess the land?”’ 27 Thus you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “As I live, surely those who are in the waste places will (AO)fall by the sword, and whoever is in the [q]open field I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and in the (AP)caves will die of pestilence. 28 I will (AQ)make the land a desolation and a waste, and the (AR)pride of her power will cease; and the mountains of Israel will be desolate so that no one will pass through. 29 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I make the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations which they have committed.”’
30 “But as for you, son of man, [r]your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, ‘(AS)Come now and hear what the [s]message is which comes forth from the Lord.’ 31 They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their (AT)mouth, and their heart goes after their (AU)gain. 32 Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a (AV)beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them. 33 So when it (AW)comes to pass—[t]as surely it will—then they will know that a prophet has been in their midst.”
Prophecy against the Shepherds of Israel
34 Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the (AX)shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to [u]those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord [v]God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been [w](AY)feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds [x](AZ)feed the flock? 3 You (BA)eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you (BB)slaughter the fat sheep without [y]feeding the flock. 4 Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the [z]diseased you have not healed, (BC)the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you (BD)sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. 5 They were (BE)scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became (BF)food for every beast of the field and were scattered. 6 My flock (BG)wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; (BH)My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was (BI)no one to search or seek for them.”’”
7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” declares the Lord God, “surely because My flock has become a (BJ)prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock; 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am (BK)against the shepherds, and I will demand My [aa]sheep [ab]from them and make them (BL)cease from feeding [ac]sheep. So the shepherds will not [ad]feed themselves anymore, but I will (BM)deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’”
The Restoration of Israel
11 For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will (BN)search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 (BO)As a shepherd [ae]cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered [af]sheep, so I will [ag](BP)care for My [ah]sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a (BQ)cloudy and gloomy day. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will (BR)feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the (BS)streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will feed them in a (BT)good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and feed in [ai](BU)rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will (BV)feed My flock and I will [aj]lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God. 16 “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick; but the (BW)fat and the strong I will destroy. I will (BX)feed them with judgment.
17 “As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will (BY)judge between one [ak]sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. 18 Is it too (BZ)slight a thing for you that you should feed in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must [al]foul the rest with your feet? 19 As for My flock, they must eat what you tread down with your feet and drink what you [am]foul with your feet!’”
20 Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them, “Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and with shoulder, and (CA)thrust at all the [an]weak with your horns until you have scattered them [ao]abroad, 22 therefore, I will (CB)deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another.
23 “Then I will (CC)set over them one (CD)shepherd, My servant (CE)David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant (CF)David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.
25 “I will make a (CG)covenant of peace with them and (CH)eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may (CI)live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places around My hill a (CJ)blessing. And I will cause (CK)showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of (CL)blessing. 27 Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be (CM)secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have (CN)broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will (CO)live securely, and no one will make them afraid. 29 I will establish for them a (CP)renowned planting place, and they will (CQ)not again be [ap]victims of famine in the land, and they will not (CR)endure the insults of the nations anymore. 30 Then they will know that (CS)I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord God. 31 “As for you, My (CT)sheep, the (CU)sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God.
The Changeless Christ
13 Let (A)love of the brethren continue. 2 Do not neglect to (B)show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have (C)entertained angels without knowing it. 3 (D)Remember (E)the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. 4 (F)Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; (G)for fornicators and adulterers God will judge. 5 Make sure that your character is (H)free from the love of money, (I)being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “(J)I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently say,
“(K)The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”
7 Remember (L)those who led you, who spoke (M)the word of God to you; and considering the [a]result of their conduct, (N)imitate their faith. 8 (O)Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 (P)Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to (Q)be strengthened by grace, not by (R)foods, (S)through which those who [b]were so occupied were not benefited. 10 We have an altar (T)from which those (U)who serve the [c]tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For (V)the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, (W)that He might sanctify the people (X)through His own blood, suffered (Y)outside the gate. 13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, (Z)bearing His reproach. 14 For here (AA)we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking (AB)the city which is to come.
God-pleasing Sacrifices
15 (AC)Through Him then, let us continually offer up a (AD)sacrifice of praise to God, that is, (AE)the fruit of lips that [d]give thanks to His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and (AF)sharing, for (AG)with such sacrifices God is pleased.
17 (AH)Obey your leaders and submit to them, for (AI)they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. [e]Let them do this with joy and not [f]with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
18 (AJ)Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a (AK)good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things. 19 And I urge you all the more to do this, (AL)so that I may be restored to you the sooner.
Benediction
20 Now (AM)the God of peace, who (AN)brought up from the dead the (AO)great Shepherd of the sheep [g]through (AP)the blood of the (AQ)eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, 21 (AR)equip you in every good thing to do His will, (AS)working in us that (AT)which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, (AU)to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
22 But (AV)I urge you, (AW)brethren, [h]bear with [i]this (AX)word of exhortation, for (AY)I have written to you briefly. 23 [j]Take notice that (AZ)our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. 24 Greet (BA)all of your leaders and all the [k](BB)saints. Those from (BC)Italy greet you.
25 (BD)Grace be with you all.
Heathen Idols Contrasted with the Lord.
115 (A)Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
But (B)to Your name give glory
Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your [a]truth.
2 (C)Why should the nations say,
“(D)Where, now, is their God?”
3 But our (E)God is in the heavens;
He (F)does whatever He pleases.
4 Their (G)idols are silver and gold,
The (H)work of man’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they (I)cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
6 They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
7 [b]They have hands, but they cannot feel;
[c]They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.
8 (J)Those who make them [d]will become like them,
Everyone who trusts in them.
9 O (K)Israel, (L)trust in the Lord;
He is their (M)help and their shield.
10 O house of (N)Aaron, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who [e](O)fear the Lord, trust in the Lord;
He is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord (P)has been mindful of us; He will bless us;
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will (Q)bless those who [f]fear the Lord,
(R)The small together with the great.
14 May the Lord (S)give you increase,
You and your children.
15 May you be blessed of the Lord,
(T)Maker of heaven and earth.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.