1 In the ninth year, on the tenth day of the tenth month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, write down today’s date, for on this very day the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem. 3Now speak a parable to this rebellious house and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says:

6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:

9 Yes, this is what the Lord GOD says:

15 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 16“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow. 17Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Put on your turban and strap your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners.”

18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. And the next morning I did as I had been commanded.

19 Then the people asked me, “Won’t you tell us what these things you are doing mean to us?”

20 So I answered them, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying: 21Tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I am about to desecrate My sanctuary, the pride of your power, the desire of your eyes, and the delight of your soul. And the sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword.’

22 Then you will do as I have done: You will not cover your lips or eat the bread of mourners. 23Your turbans will remain on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep, but you will waste away because of your sins, and you will groan among yourselves.

24‘Thus Ezekiel will be a sign for you; you will do everything that he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Lord GOD.’

25 And you, son of man, know that on the day I take away their stronghold, their pride and joy — the desire of their eyes which uplifted their souls — and their sons and daughters as well, 26on that day a fugitive will come and tell you the news. 27On that day your mouth will be opened to him who has escaped; you will speak and no longer be mute. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

1 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3Tell the Ammonites to hear the word of the Lord GOD, for this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you exclaimed, “Aha!” when My sanctuary was profaned, when the land of Israel was laid waste, and when the house of Judah went into exile, 4therefore I will indeed give you as a possession to the people of the East. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. 5I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and Ammon a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’

6 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because you clapped your hands and stomped your feet and rejoiced over the land of Israel with a heart full of contempt, 7therefore I will indeed stretch out My hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the Lord.’

8 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Moab and Seir said, “Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations,” 9therefore I will indeed expose the flank of Moab beginning with its frontier cities — Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim — the glory of the land. 10I will give it along with the Ammonites as a possession to the people of the East, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations. 11So I will execute judgments on Moab, and they will know that I am the Lord.’

12 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt, 13therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. 14I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’

15 This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because the Philistines acted in vengeance, taking vengeance with malice of soul to destroy Judah with ancient hostility, 16therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant along the coast. 17I will execute great vengeance against them with furious reproof. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay My vengeanceupon them.’”

1 In the eleventh month of the twelfth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2“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,’ 3therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, O Tyre, I am against you, and I will raise up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. 4They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and make her a bare rock. 5She will become a place to spread nets in the sea, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. She will become plunder for the nations, 6and the villages on her mainland will be slain by the sword. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

7 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company of troops. 8He will slaughter the villages of your mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp to your walls, and raise his shields against you. 9He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his axes. 10His multitude of horses will cover you in their dust.

When he enters your gates as an army entering a breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry, wagons, and chariots. 11The hooves of his horses will trample all your streets. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. 12They will plunder your wealth and pillage your merchandise. They will demolish your walls, tear down your beautiful homes, and throw your stones and timber and soil into the water.

13 So I will silence the sound of your songs, and the music of your lyres will no longer be heard. 14I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread the fishing nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the Lord, have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.’

15 This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: ‘Will not the coastlands quake at the sound of your downfall, when the wounded groan at the slaughter in your midst?

16 All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled over you. 17Then they will lament for you, saying,

19 For this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I make you a desolate city like other deserted cities, and when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters cover you, 20then I will bring you down with those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the earth below like the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or set in splendor in the land of the living. 21I will make you an object of horror, and you will be no more. You will be sought, but will never be found,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

1 Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. 2This is why the ancients were commended.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous when God gave approval to his gifts. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he did not see death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, without knowing where he was going. 9By faith he dwelt in the promised land as a stranger in a foreign country. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11 By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised. 12And so from one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13 All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

14 Now those who say such things show that they are seeking a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.