1. THREAT OF CAPTIVITY

16
Give glory to the LORD your God
Before he brings the darkness,
Before your feet stumble
On the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
But he will turn it
To thick darkness
And change it
To deep gloom.

17 But if you
Do not listen,
I will weep in
Secret
Because of your pride;
My eyes will weep bitterly,

Overflowing with tears,
Because the LORD's flock will be
Taken captive.

24 "I will
Scatter you like chaff
Driven by
The desert wind.

25 This is
Your lot,
The portion I have
Decreed for you,"
Declares the
LORD,
"Because you have
Forgotten me
And trusted in
False gods.

26 I will pull up
Your skirts over your face
That
Your shame may be seen-

27
Your adulteries and lustful
Neighings,
Your shameless
Prostitution!
I have seen your
Detestable acts
On the hills and
In the fields.
Woe to you, O
Jerusalem!
How long will you be
Unclean?"


2. AGAINST JUDAH

"I will sweep away everything
From the face of the earth,"
.
"I will sweep away both men and animals;
I will sweep away the birds of the air
And the fish of the sea.
The wicked will have only heaps of rubble [a]
When I cut off man from the face of the earth,"

I will bring distress on the people
And they will walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the LORD.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
And their entrails like filth.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to save them
On the day of the LORD's wrath.
In the fire of his jealousy
The whole world will be consumed,
For he will make a sudden end
Of all who live in the earth."

The LORD has prepared a sacrifice;
He has consecrated those he has invited.

On the day of the LORD's sacrifice
I will punish the princes
And the king's sons
And all those clad
In foreign clothes.

"I will stretch out my hand against Judah
And against all who live in Jerusalem.
I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal,
The names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests-

Those who bow down on the roofs
To worship the starry host,
Those who bow down and swear by the LORD
And who also swear by Molech, [b]

On that day I will punish
All who avoid stepping on the threshold, [c]
Who fill the temple of their gods
With violence and deceit.

17 I will bring distress on the people
And they will walk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the LORD.
Their blood will be poured out like dust
And their entrails like filth.

18 Neither their silver nor their gold
Will be able to save them
On the day of the LORD's wrath.
In the fire of his jealousy
The whole world will be consumed,
For he will make a sudden end
Of all who live in the earth."

That day will be a day of wrath,
A day of distress and anguish,
A day of trouble and ruin,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and blackness,


3. LAMENT FOR EGYPT

Ezekiel 29
A Prophecy Against Egypt

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day

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

3 "I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
you great monster lying among your streams.

4 I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
with all the fish sticking to your scales.

5 I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
and not be gathered or picked up.

I will give you as food
to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.

8 ”I will bring a sword against you and kill your men and their animals.”

9 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,"

10 therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush.

12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.