Ezekiel 30-32
1 Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Woe, woe be the day! 3 For the day of the Lord is near. It shall be the end of the nations. 4 The sword will come upon the Egyptians, and there shall be trouble in Ethiopia. The wounded will fall in Egypt, and her foundations shall collapse. 5 Persians, Cretans, Lydians, Libyans, and all the mixed multitude, and all the children of the covenant shall fall by the sword therein.”
6 ‘Thus says the Lord: “The supports of Egypt will fall, and the insolence of her strength will come down. From Migdol to Syene, they shall fall by the sword therein,” says the Lord. 7 “So they shall be wasted in the midst of desolate countries, and their cities shall be wasted in the midst of desolate cities. 8 Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I set Egypt on fire and crush all those who help it. 9 In that day messengers shall go forth, hurrying to destroy Ethiopia, and there will be trouble among them in the day of Egypt; for behold, it is coming.”
10 ‘Thus says the Lord and Master: “I shall destroy a multitude of the Egyptians by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. 11 His hand and the hand of his people, they are the plague of the nations, sent to destroy the land. They will unsheathe all their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain. 12 I shall make their rivers deserts, and I will destroy the land and its fullness by the hands of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
13 ‘For thus says the Lord and Master: “I shall also destroy the men of high status from Memphis, and the rulers of Memphis from the land of Egypt; and they shall be no more. 14 I shall destroy the land of Pathros, and set Tanis on fire, and exact vengeance on Diospolis. 15 I will pour out My anger on Sais, the strength of Egypt, and I will destroy the multitude of Memphis, 16 and set Egypt on fire. Syene will be greatly troubled, there shall be a rupture in Diospolis, and there will be flooding waters. 17 The youth of Heliopolis and Bubastum shall fall by the sword, and the women will go into captivity. 18 At Taphnae, the day will be darkened, when there I break to pieces the kingly powers of Egypt, and there the insolence of her strength shall perish. A cloud will cover her, and her daughters shall be taken prisoners. 19 Thus I shall execute judgment on Egypt, for they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
Pharaoh Punished by Babylon
20 Again it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and, behold, it has not been bound up to be healed, and no plaster applied to make it strong enough to hold a sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord and Master: ‘I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his strong and outstretched arms, and throw down his sword from his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them as chaff throughout the countries. 24 I shall strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword into his hand. I shall bring it upon Egypt, and he shall plunder and take spoils from it. 25 Thus I shall strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 So I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them as chaff throughout the countries. Then all will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
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.”
Lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt
1 Again it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and you shall say to him, ‘You are like a lion among the nations, and you are like a dragon in the sea. You assaulted with your rivers, troubled water with your feet, and trampled your rivers.’
3 “Thus says the Lord: ‘I shall therefore spread a net over you of many peoples, and bring you up with my fishhook. 4 I shall stretch you out upon the earth, and the plains will be filled with you. I shall cause the birds of the heavens to settle upon you, and all the beasts of the whole earth to fill up on you. 5 I shall offer your flesh on the open mountains and saturate them with your blood. 6 The land shall be drenched with your excrement because of your multitude upon the mountains. I will fill the valleys with you. 7 When I extinguish you, I shall cover up heaven and make its stars grow dark. I shall cover up the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give her light. 8 All the bodies that give light in heaven shall grow dark over you, and I shall bring darkness upon your land, says the Lord and Master. 9 I will provoke to anger the heart of many peoples, when I lead you captive among the nations into a land you have not known. 10 Many nations will become saddened over you, and their kings will be utterly amazed when My sword flies in their faces, as they await their own fall from the day of your fall.’
11 “For thus says the Lord: ‘The sword of the king of Babylon will come upon you with the swords of his mighty men, and I will strike down your strength. 12 All these men are plagues from the nations. They will destroy the insolence of Egypt, and all her strength will be crushed. 13 I will also destroy all her cattle from beside her abundant water, which the foot of man will trouble no more, nor will the footstep of cattle trample it. 14 Thus at that time, their waters shall become still, and their rivers will flow like oil, says the Lord, 15 when I give Egypt over to destruction, and the land becomes desolate with all its fullness, and when I disperse all who dwell in it. Then they will know that I am the Lord. 16 There is a lamentation, and you shall mourn over Pharaoh. The daughters of the nations shall mourn over him and over Egypt, and they shall mourn for her over all her strength,’ says the Lord and Master.”
The Nations Go Down to Hades
17 Again in the first month of the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, lament over the strength of Egypt, for the nations will cast down her daughters dead into the depth of the earth, to those who go down into the pit. 19 They shall fall with him among those slain by the sword, and all his strength will sleep in death. The mighty men will say to you, 20 ‘Be in the depth of the pit, for to whom are you superior? Go down and sleep in death with the uncircumcised among those slain by the sword.’
21 “Assyria is there and all its company, and all the slain were put there. Their burial-place is in the depth of the pit, and his company are set round about his grave. 22 All the slain who fell by the sword are those who caused their fear to be upon the land of the living.
23 “There is Elam and all his army all around his grave, and all the slain who fell by the sword, and the uncircumcised who went down into the depth of the earth, and who caused their terror to be in the land of the living. Now they bear their torment with those who go down to the pit among the slain.
24 “Meshech and Tubal and all their strength were put there around about his grave. All his slain men, all the uncircumcised slain by the sword, who spread their terror in the land of the living, are there. 25 They sleep in death with the mighty men who fell of old, who went down to Hades with their weapons of war. 26 Their swords were put under their heads, but their lawlessness was placed on their bones, because they terrified the mighty men in the land of the living. 27 As for you, you will sleep in death among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword.
28 “There are the rulers of Assyria who yielded his strength to a wound of the sword. 29 They sleep in death with the slain, with those who go down into the pit. 30 There are the rulers of the north, all the commanders of Assyria, who, with their terror and their strength, go down slain into the pit. They fell asleep uncircumcised with those slain by the sword, and they bear their torment with those who go down to the pit.
31 “King Pharaoh will see them, and be comforted over all their strength,” says the Lord and Master. 32 “For I caused his fear to be in the land of the living; but he shall sleep in death among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says the Lord and Master.
Psalm 136
1 By David.
By the rivers of Babylon,
There we sat and wept
When we remembered Zion.
2 Upon the willows in her midst,
We hung up our musical instruments;
3 For there our captors asked us for words from our songs,
And those who carried us off said to us,
“Sing us the songs of Zion.”
4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
May my right hand be forgotten;
6 May my tongue be glued to my throat
If I do not remember you,
If I do not prefer Jerusalem
In the beginning of my merriment.
7 O Lord, remember the sons of Edom
On that day in Jerusalem,
When they were saying, “Empty it out,
Empty it out,
Even to its foundation!”
8 O wretched daughter of Babylon,
Blessed is he who shall deal with you
As you dealt with us;
9 Blessed is he who shall get the upper hand
And dash your infants against the rock.
Psalm 137
1 By David.
I will give thanks to You, O Lord, with all my heart,
For You hear the words of my mouth;
And I shall sing to You in the presence of angels.
2 I shall bow down and worship toward Your holy temple,
And I will give thanks to Your name
For Your mercy and Your truth;
For You magnified Your teaching above every name.
3 On the day I shall call out to You, hear me speedily;
You shall treat my soul with great care in Your power.
4 O Lord, let all the kings of the earth give thanks to You,
For they heard all the words of Your mouth;
5 And let them sing in the ways of the Lord,
For the glory of the Lord is great;
6 For the Lord is high, and He watches over the lowly things;
But the high things He knows from afar.
7 If I walk in the midst of affliction, You shall make me live;
You stretched out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand saved me.
8 The Lord shall repay them on my behalf.
O Lord, Your mercy endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Proverbs 29:13–18
13 When a creditor and a debtor meet with one another,
The Lord watches both of them.
14 When a king judges the poor truly,
His throne shall be established as a testimony.
15 Blows and reproofs give wisdom,
But a child who goes astray shames his parents.
16 When the ungodly are many, there are many sins,
But when they fall, the righteous are fearful.
17 Instruct your son, and he shall give you rest,
And he will delight your soul.
18 There shall be no interpreter of the law for a lawless nation,
But he who guards the law is very blessed.
Revelation 7
1 After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.
2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,
3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed:
5 of the tribe of Judah
twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Reuben
twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Gad
twelve thousand were sealed;
6 of the tribe of Asher
twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Naphtali
twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Manasseh
twelve thousand were sealed;
7 of the tribe of Simeon
twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Levi
twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Issachar
twelve thousand were sealed;
8 of the tribe of Zebulun
twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Joseph
twelve thousand were sealed;
of the tribe of Benjamin
twelve thousand were sealed.
A Multitude from the Great Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
12 saying:
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom,
Thanksgiving and honor and power and might,
Be to our God forever and ever.
Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
16 “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;
17 “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”