Study Desk

This is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah and in so doing incurred grievous guilt,

This is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because the Philistines acted in vengeance and took revenge with contempt of heart, to destroy Judah with ancient hostility,

"Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gate to the nations is broken; it has swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will be filled,'

Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.

Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your goods; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidery, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.

Because of your many products and your great wealth of goods, Damascus traded with you wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar,

By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, but your heart has grown proud because of it.'

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because you regard your heart as the heart of a god,

Your heart grew proud of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor; so I cast you to the earth; I made you a spectacle before kings.

The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said, "The Nile is mine; I made it,"

I have given him the land of Egypt as the reward for his labor, because it was done for Me, declares the Lord GOD.'

Therefore it towered higher than all the trees of the field. Its branches multiplied, and its boughs grew long as it spread them out because of the abundant waters.

This is what the Lord GOD says: 'On the day it was brought down to Sheol, I caused grief. I covered the deep because of it; I held back its rivers; its abundant waters were restrained. I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it.

I will cause many peoples to be appalled over you, and their kings will shudder with horror because of you when I brandish My sword before them. On the day of your downfall each of them will tremble every moment for his life.'

Meshech and Tubal are there with all their multitudes, with their graves all around them. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword, because they spread their terror in the land of the living.

Now as for you, son of man, tell the house of Israel that this is what they have said: 'Our transgressions and our sins are heavy upon us, and we are wasting away because of them! How can we live?'

If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but he then trusts in his righteousness and commits iniquity, then none of his righteous works will be remembered; he will die because of the iniquity he has committed.

But if a wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this.

Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.'

'As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,