Day 304 of 365

¹In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

²"Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.

³Speak and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, that has said, 'My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.'

⁴I will put hooks in your jaws, and I will make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales; and I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, with all the fish of your rivers which stick to your scales.

⁵I'll cast you forth into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers. You'll fall on the open field. You won't be brought together, nor gathered. I have given you for food to the animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky.

⁶All the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

⁷When they took hold of you by your hand, you broke, and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke, and paralyzed all of their thighs."

⁸"'Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, I will bring a sword on you, and will cut off man and animal from you.

⁹The land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord. Because he has said, 'The river is mine, and I have made it;'

¹⁰therefore, behold, I am against you, and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from the tower of Seveneh even to the border of Ethiopia.

¹¹No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of animal shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.

¹²I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries."

¹³"'For thus says the Lord God: "At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were scattered;

¹⁴and I will bring back the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their birth; and they shall be there a base kingdom.

¹⁵It shall be the base of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations: and I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.

¹⁶It shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to memory, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord God."'"

¹⁷It came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

¹⁸"Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn; yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served against it.

¹⁹Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

²⁰I have given him the land of Egypt as his recompense for which he served, because they worked for me,' says the Lord God.

²¹'In that day will I cause a horn to bud forth to the house of Israel, and I will give you the opening of the mouth in their midst; and they shall know that I am the Lord.'"

¹The word of the Lord came again to me, saying,

²"Son of man, prophesy, and say, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Wail, 'Alas for the day!'

³For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near; it shall be a day of clouds, a time of the nations.

⁴A sword shall come on Egypt, and anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt; and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.

⁵Ethiopia, and Put, and Lud, and all the mixed people, and Cub, and the children of the land that is allied with them, shall fall with them by the sword."'

⁶"Thus says the Lord: 'They also who uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Seveneh shall they fall in it 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.

⁸They shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers are destroyed.

⁹In that day shall messengers go forth from before me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid; and there shall be anguish on them, as in the day of Egypt; for, behold, it comes.'

¹⁰"Thus says the Lord God: 'I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

¹¹He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought in to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.

¹²I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men; and I will make the land desolate, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I, the Lord, have spoken it.'

¹³"Thus says the Lord God: 'I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause the images to cease from Memphis; and there shall be no more a prince from the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.

¹⁴I will make Pathros desolate, and will set a fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments on No.

¹⁵I will pour my wrath on Sin, the stronghold of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.

¹⁶I will set a fire in Egypt: Sin shall be in great anguish, and No shall be broken up; and Memphis shall have adversaries in the daytime.

¹⁷The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword; and these cities shall go into captivity.

¹⁸At Tehaphnehes also the day shall withdraw itself, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt, and the pride of her power shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.

¹⁹Thus will I execute judgments on Egypt; and they shall know that I am the Lord.'"

²⁰It happened in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

²¹"Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and behold, it has not been bound up, to apply healing medicines, to put a bandage to bind it, that it be strong to hold the sword.

²²Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong arm, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.

²³I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

²⁴I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

²⁵I will hold up the arms of the king of Babylon; and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out on the land of Egypt.

²⁶I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries; and they shall know that I am the Lord.'"

¹It happened in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

²"Son of man, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: 'Whom are you like in your greatness?

³Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.

⁴The waters nourished it, the deep made it to grow: its rivers ran all around its plantation; and it sent out its channels to all the trees of the field.

⁵Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field; and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long by reason of many waters, when it shot them forth.

⁶All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs; and under its branches all the animals of the field brought forth their young; and all great nations lived under its shadow.

⁷Thus was it beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its root was by many waters.

⁸The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; the fir trees were not like its boughs, and the plane trees were not as its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like it in its beauty.

⁹I made it beautiful by the multitude of its branches, so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied it.'

¹⁰"Therefore thus said the Lord God: 'Because you are exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;

¹¹I will even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him; I have driven him out for his wickedness.

¹²Strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.

¹³On his ruin all the birds of the sky shall dwell, and all the animals of the field shall be on his branches;

¹⁴to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, neither set their top among the thick boughs, nor that their mighty ones stand up on their height, even all who drink water: for they are all delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with those who go down to the pit.'

¹⁵"Thus says the Lord God: 'In the day when he went down to Sheol I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained its rivers; and the great waters were stayed; and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.

¹⁶I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth.

¹⁷They also went down into Sheol with him to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were his arm, that lived under his shadow in the midst of the nations.

¹⁸To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? Yet you will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth: you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,' says the Lord God."

¹Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

²You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah.

³But know that the Lord has set apart for himself him who is godly: The Lord will hear when I call to him.

⁴When agitated, do not sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.

⁵Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in the Lord.

⁶Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Lord, let the light of your face shine on us.

⁷You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.

⁸In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, the Lord alone, make me live in safety.

¹These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.

²It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

³As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.

⁴Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner;

⁵Take away the wicked from the king's presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.

⁶Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, or claim a place among great men;

⁷for it is better that it be said to you, "Come up here," than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom your eyes have seen.

⁸Do not be hasty in bringing charges to court. What will you do in the end when your neighbor shames you?

⁹Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not betray the confidence of another;

¹⁰lest one who hears it put you to shame, and your bad reputation never depart.

¹¹A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

¹²As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient ear.

¹³As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the soul of his masters.

¹⁴As clouds and wind without rain, so is he who boasts of gifts deceptively.

¹⁵By patience a ruler is persuaded. A soft tongue breaks the bone.

¹⁶Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you eat too much, and vomit it.

¹⁷Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he be weary of you, and hate you.

¹⁸A man who gives false testimony against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.

¹⁹Confidence in someone unfaithful in time of trouble is like a bad tooth, or a lame foot.

²⁰As one who takes away a garment in cold weather, or vinegar on soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

²¹If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:

²²for you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.

²³The north wind brings forth rain: so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.

²⁴It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than to share a house with a contentious woman.

²⁵Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

²⁶Like a muddied spring, and a polluted well, so is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

²⁷It is not good to eat much honey; nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

²⁸Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose spirit is without restraint.