Old/New Testament
A Lament for Egypt
30 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying: 2 Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God:
Howl,
“Woe to the day!”
3 For the day is near,
even the day of the Lord is near,
a cloudy day,
it shall be the time of doom for the nations.
4 The sword shall come upon Egypt,
and great pain shall be in Ethiopia,
when the slain fall in Egypt,
they take away her wealth,
and her foundations are broken down.
5 Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, all Arabia, Kub, and the men of the land that is in league shall fall with them by the sword.
6 Thus says the Lord:
Indeed, those who uphold Egypt shall fall,
and the pride of her power shall come down.
From Migdol to Syene
they shall fall in her by the sword,
says the Lord God.
7 They shall be desolate
in the midst of the countries that are desolate,
and her cities shall be
in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
8 They shall know that I am the Lord
when I have set a fire in Egypt
and when all her helpers are destroyed.
9 In that day messengers shall go forth from Me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt. For it is coming!
10 Thus says the Lord God:
I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease
by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations,
shall be brought to destroy the land;
and they shall draw their swords against Egypt,
and fill the land with the slain.
12 I will make the rivers dry,
and sell the land into the hand of the wicked;
and I will make the land waste and all that is in it,
by the hand of strangers.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 Thus says the Lord God:
I will also destroy the idols,
and I will cause their images to cease from Memphis;
and no more shall there be a prince of the land of Egypt.
And I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.
14 I will make Pathros desolate,
and will set fire in Zoan,
and will execute judgments in Thebes.
15 I will pour out My fury upon Pelusium,
the strength of Egypt;
and I will cut off the multitude of Thebes.
16 I will set fire in Egypt;
Pelusium shall have great pain,
and Thebes shall be rent asunder,
and Memphis shall have distresses daily.
17 The young men of Heliopolis and of Bubastis
shall fall by the sword,
and the women shall go into captivity.
18 In Tahpanhes also the day shall be darkened,
when I break there the yokes of Egypt.
And the pomp of her strength shall cease in her;
as for her, a cloud shall cover her,
and her daughters shall go into captivity.
19 Thus I will execute judgments in Egypt,
and they shall know that I am the Lord.
A Prophecy Against Pharaoh
20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And it has not been bound up to be healed or wrapped with a bandage to make it strong to hold the sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong and the broken. And I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the countries. 24 For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh so that he groans before him with the groanings of a wounded man. 25 So I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down. Then they shall know that I am the Lord when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out upon the land of Egypt. 26 When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the countries, then they shall know that I am the Lord.
Pharaoh to Be Slain
31 In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 Son of man, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude:
Whom are you like in your greatness?
3 Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon,
with fair branches and shade for a forest,
and high stature;
and its top was among the clouds.
4 The waters made it great;
the deep set it up on high.
With its rivers it continually ran
all around its plants,
and sent out its little rivers
to all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore its height was exalted
above all the trees of the field,
and its boughs were multiplied,
and its branches became long
because of the abundance of water, as it spread them out.
6 All the fowl of heaven
made their nests in its boughs;
and under its branches
all the beasts of the field gave birth;
and under its shadow
all great nations lived.
7 Thus it was fair in its greatness,
in the length of its branches,
for its roots were
by many waters.
8 The cedars in the garden of God
could not match it;
the fir trees
were not like its boughs,
and the chestnut trees
were not like its branches;
nor was any tree in the garden of God
like it in its beauty.
9 I made it beautiful with an abundance of branches,
so that all the trees of Eden envied it,
that were in the garden of God.
10 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Because it is lifted up in height and has shot up its top among the clouds, and its heart is arrogant in its height, 11 I therefore will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it. I have driven it out for its wickedness. 12 Aliens, the tyrants of the nations have cut it off and left it. Upon the mountains and in all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs have been broken by all the rivers of the land. And all the peoples of the earth have gone down from its shadow and have left it. 13 Upon its ruin all the fowl of the heavens shall remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon its fallen branches 14 to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, or shoot up their tops among the clouds, or their well-watered trees stand up in their height. For they all have been delivered to death, to the nether parts of the earth in the midst of the sons of men, with those who go down to the pit.
15 Thus says the Lord God: On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused mourning. I covered the deep over it and restrained its rivers, and its many waters were stayed. And I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted for it. 16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of its fall when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit. And all the well-watered trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17 They also went down into Sheol with it to those who were slain with the sword. And those who were its power lived under its shadow in the midst of the nations.
18 To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the nether parts of the earth. You shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those who were slain by the sword.
This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God.
A Lament for Pharaoh and Egypt
32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:
You likened yourself to a young lion of the nations,
but you are as the monster in the seas;
and you burst forth in your rivers,
and muddied the waters with your feet,
and made foul their rivers.
3 Thus says the Lord God:
I will therefore spread out My net over you
with a company of many peoples,
and they shall bring you up in My net.
4 Then I will leave you upon the land;
I will cast you out on the open field,
and I will cause all the fowl of the heavens to remain upon you.
And I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with you.
5 I will lay your flesh upon the mountains,
and fill the valleys with your refuse.
6 I will also water the land with your blood,
as far as the mountains;
and the rivers shall be full of you.
7 When I put you out, I will cover the heavens
and make their stars dark;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon shall not give its light.
8 All the bright lights in the heavens
I will make dark over you,
and set darkness upon your land,
says the Lord God.
9 I will also vex the hearts of many peoples when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. 10 Indeed, I will make many peoples amazed at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for you when I brandish My sword before them. And they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, on the day of your fall.
11 For thus says the Lord God:
The sword of the king of Babylon
shall come upon you.
12 By the swords of the mighty,
I will cause your multitude to fall.
All of them are tyrants of the nations;
they shall destroy the pride of Egypt,
and all its multitude shall be destroyed.
13 I also will destroy all the beasts
from beside many waters;
nor shall the foot of man muddy them anymore,
nor the hoofs of beasts muddy them.
14 Then I will make their waters settle,
and cause their rivers to run like oil,
says the Lord God.
15 When I make the land of Egypt desolate,
and the country is destitute of that by which it was full,
when I smite all those who dwell in it,
then shall they know that I am the Lord.
16 This is the lamentation, and they shall chant it. The daughters of the nations shall chant it. They shall chant it over Egypt and over all her multitude, says the Lord God.
A Dirge for Egypt
17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt and cast it down, her and the daughters of the powerful nations, to the nether parts of the earth, with those who go down into the pit. 19 “Whom do you surpass in beauty? Descend and make your bed with the uncircumcised.” 20 They shall fall in the midst of those who are slain by the sword. She is delivered to the sword. They have drawn her and all her multitudes away. 21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him and those who help him out of the midst of Sheol: “They have gone down, they lie still, uncircumcised, slain by the sword.”
22 Assyria is there and all her company. Her graves are around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, 23 whose graves are set in the sides of the pit and her company is all around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, who cause terror in the land of the living.
24 There is Elam and all her multitude all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who descended uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living and bore their shame with those who went down to the pit. 25 They have set a bed for her in the midst of the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are all around it. All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet they have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. They were put in the midst of those who are slain.
26 There is Meshek, Tubal, and all her multitude. Their graves are all around them. All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living. 27 They shall not lie with the mighty who are fallen of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war and whose swords were laid under their heads. But the punishment for their iniquity rested upon their bones, though the terror of these mighty ones was once in the land of the living.
28 Indeed, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised and shall lie with those who are slain with the sword.
29 There is Edom also, its kings and all its officials, who for all their might are laid by those who were slain by the sword. They shall lie with the uncircumcised and with those who go down to the pit.
30 There are also the officials of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who in spite of the terror from their might have gone down in shame with the slain. So they lie down uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.
31 Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his army, says the Lord God. 32 Though I have caused a terror of him in the land of the living, yet he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with those who are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God.
Good Stewards of God’s Grace
4 Therefore, since Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh serving human desires, but the will of God. 3 For in earlier times of our lives it may have sufficed us to do what the Gentiles like to do, when we walked in immorality: lusts, drunkenness, carousing, debauchery, and abominable idolatries. 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in the same excess of wild living, and so they speak evil of you. 5 They will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, so that even though they might be judged according to men in the flesh, they might live according to God in the spirit.
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be solemn and sober so you can pray. 8 Above all things, have unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 10 As everyone has received a gift, even so serve one another with it, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone serves, let him serve with the strength that God supplies, so that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Suffering as a Christian
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings, so that you may rejoice and be glad also in the revelation of His glory. 14 If you are reproached because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 15 Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or even as a busybody. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God because of it. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, and if it begins first with us, what shall the end be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous one is scarcely saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”[a]
19 So then, let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.