Ezekiel 31
A Warning to Pharaoh
1 Again it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his multitude, ‘To whom do you liken yourself in your high position?†
3 Behold, Assyria was a cypress in Lebanon, and he was beautiful in offshoots and high in greatness. His rule came to be among the clouds.
4 Water nurtured him, and the depths made him grow tall. The depths led her rivers around his trees, and sent forth her system into all the trees of the plain.
5 For this reason his greatness was exalted above all the trees of the plain, and his branches were enlarged because of the abundance of water.
6 All the birds of the heavens made their nests in his offshoots, and under his branches all the wild animals of the plain brought forth their young; and all the multitude of nations dwelt under his shadow.
7 Thus he was beautiful in his high position because of the multitude of his branches, for his roots were in much water.
8 There were no such cypresses in the paradise of God, and there were no pine trees displaying offshoots like these. Silver firs did not have branches like these. No tree in the paradise of God was like him in beauty because of the multitude of his branches,
9 and all the trees of God’s paradise of splendor were jealous of him.’
10 “Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Because you increased in greatness, and you established your rule among the clouds, and I saw him when he was exalted;†
11 therefore, I delivered him into the hands of the ruler of nations, and he carried out his destruction.
12 Thus foreigners, the plague of the nations, destroyed him and cast him down upon the mountains. His branches fell in all the valleys, and his stems were broken in every plain of the land. All the peoples of the nations went down from their shelter and dashed him to the ground.
13 All the birds of heaven rested on his fall, and all the wild animals of the field came upon his branches,
14 that no trees in the water may ever again exalt themselves in their greatness, nor establish their rule among the clouds, and that no trees which drink water may stand in their high position. For all were delivered to death, to the depths of the earth, among the sons of men who go down to the pit.’
15 “Thus says the Lord and Master: ‘In the day he went down to Hades, the deep abyss mourned him; and I stood over her rivers and restrained her abundant water. Lebanon mourned over him, and all the trees of the field fainted over him.
16 From the sound of his fall, the nations were shaken when I cast him down to Hades, together with those who descend into the pit. All the trees of splendor and the chosen plants of Lebanon, all that drink water, comforted him in the earth.
17 Yet they also went down to Hades with him among those slain by the sword, along with their posterity. They that dwelt under his shadow perished in the midst of their life.
18 To whom are you likened? Go down and be humiliated with the trees of splendor to the depths of the earth. You will sleep in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. Thus shall it be for Pharaoh and the multitude of his strength,’ says the Lord and Master.”
Psalms 129
1 An ode of ascents. Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
2 O Lord, hear my voice; Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplication.
3 If You, O Lord, should mark transgression, O Lord, who would stand?
4 For there is forgiveness with You.
5 Because of Your law, O Lord, I waited for You; My soul waited for Your word.
6 My soul hopes in the Lord, From the morning watch until night; From the morning watch until night, Let Israel hope in the Lord.
7 For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption;
8 And He shall redeem Israel From all his transgressions.
Psalms 130
1 An ode of ascents, by David. O Lord, My heart is not exalted, Neither are my eyes raised up; Neither am I carried along in great things, Nor in things too marvelous for me.
2 If I were not humble-minded, But exalted my soul, Like a child weaned from his mother, So You would reward my soul.
3 Let Israel hope in the Lord From this present time and unto the ages.
Proverbs of Solomon 28
6 A poor man walking in the truth is better than a rich liar.
7 A wise son keeps the law, But he who cherishes luxury dishonors his father.
8 He who increases his wealth with usury and unjust gains Gathers it for him who shows mercy to the poor.
9 He who turns away his ear so as not to hear the law, He also makes his prayer repulsive.†
10 He who leads upright men astray in an evil way, He shall fall into destruction;
11 And lawless men shall pass by good things, But they shall not enter into them.
3 John 1
Greeting to Gaius
1 The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth:†
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.†
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Commendation of Gaius
5 Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers,†
6 who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well,
7 because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles.†
8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.†
Condemnation of Diotrephes
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.†
10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.
11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.
Recommendation of Demetrius
12 Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true.†
Farewell
13 I had many things to write, but I do not wish to write to you with pen and ink;
14 but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to face. Peace to you. Our friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.