2
"Mortal man," he said, "tell your people what happens when I bring war to a land. The people of that country choose one of their number to be a lookout.
3
When he sees the enemy approaching, he sounds the alarm to warn everyone.
4
If someone hears it but pays no attention and the enemy comes and kills him, then he is to blame for his own death.
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His death is his own fault, because he paid no attention to the warning. If he had paid attention, he could have escaped.
6
If, however, the lookout sees the enemy coming and does not sound the alarm, the enemy will come and kill those sinners, but I will hold the lookout responsible for their death.
7
"Now, mortal man, I am making you a lookout for the nation of Israel. You must pass on to them the warnings I give you.
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If I announce that an evil person is going to die but you do not warn him to change his ways so that he can save his life, then he will die, still a sinner, and I will hold you responsible for his death.
9
If you do warn an evil person and he doesn't stop sinning, he will die, still a sinner, but your life will be spared."
10
The LORD spoke to me. "Mortal man," he said, "repeat to the Israelites what they are saying: 'We are burdened with our sins and the wrongs we have done. We are wasting away. How can we live?'
11
Tell them that as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God, I do not enjoy seeing sinners die. I would rather see them stop sinning and live. Israel, stop the evil you are doing. Why do you want to die?
12
"Now, mortal man, tell the Israelites that when someone good sins, the good he has done will not save him. If an evil person stops doing evil, he won't be punished, and if a good man starts sinning, his life will not be spared.
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I may promise life to someone good, but if he starts thinking that his past goodness is enough and begins to sin, I will not remember any of the good he did. He will die because of his sins.
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I may warn someone evil that he is going to die, but if he stops sinning and does what is right and good---
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for example, if he returns the security he took for a loan or gives back what he stole---if he stops sinning and follows the laws that give life, he will not die, but live.
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I will forgive the sins he has committed, and he will live because he has done what is right and good.
17
"And your people say that what I do isn't right! No, it's their way that isn't right.
18
When someone righteous stops doing good and starts doing evil, he will die for it.
19
When someone evil quits sinning and does what is right and good, he has saved his life.
20
But Israel, you say that what I do isn't right. I am going to judge you by what you do."
21
On the fifth day of the tenth month of the twelfth year of our exile, someone who had escaped from Jerusalem came and told me that the city had fallen.
22
The evening before he came, I had felt the powerful presence of the LORD. When the man arrived the next morning, the LORD gave me back the power of speech.
24
"Mortal man," he said, "the people who are living in the ruined cities of the land of Israel are saying: 'Abraham was only one man, and he was given the whole land. There are many of us, so now the land is ours.'
25
"Tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: You eat meat with the blood still in it. You worship idols. You commit murder. What makes you think that the land belongs to you?
26
You rely on your swords. Your actions are disgusting. Everyone commits adultery. What makes you think that the land is yours?
27
"Tell them that I, the Sovereign LORD, warn them that as surely as I am the living God, the people who live in the ruined cities will be killed. Those living in the country will be eaten by wild animals. Those hiding in the mountains and in caves will die of disease.
28
I will make the country a desolate wasteland, and the power they were so proud of will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will be so wild that no one will be able to travel through them.
29
When I punish the people for their sins and make the country a wasteland, then they will know that I am the LORD."
30
The LORD said, "Mortal man, your people are talking about you when they meet by the city walls or in the doorways of their houses. They say to one another, 'Let's go and hear what word has come from the LORD now.'
31
So my people crowd in to hear what you have to say, but they don't do what you tell them to do. Loving words are on their lips, but they continue their greedy ways.
32
To them you are nothing more than an entertainer singing love songs or playing a harp. They listen to all your words and don't obey a single one of them.
33
But when all your words come true---and they will come true---then they will know that a prophet has been among them."
2
"Mortal man," he said, "denounce the rulers of Israel. Prophesy to them, and tell them what I, the Sovereign LORD, say to them: You are doomed, you shepherds of Israel! You take care of yourselves, but never tend the sheep.
3
You drink the milk, wear clothes made from the wool, and kill and eat the finest sheep. But you never tend the sheep.
4
You have not taken care of the weak ones, healed the ones that are sick, bandaged the ones that are hurt, brought back the ones that wandered off, or looked for the ones that were lost. Instead, you treated them cruelly.
5
Because the sheep had no shepherd, they were scattered, and wild animals killed and ate them.
6
So my sheep wandered over the high hills and the mountains. They were scattered over the face of the earth, and no one looked for them or tried to find them.
7
"Now, you shepherds, listen to what I, the LORD, am telling you.
8
As surely as I am the living God, you had better listen to me. My sheep have been attacked by wild animals that killed and ate them because there was no shepherd. My shepherds did not try to find the sheep. They were taking care of themselves and not the sheep.
9
So listen to me, you shepherds.
10
I, the Sovereign LORD, declare that I am your enemy. I will take my sheep away from you and never again let you be their shepherds; never again will I let you take care only of yourselves. I will rescue my sheep from you and not let you eat them.
11
"I, the Sovereign LORD, tell you that I myself will look for my sheep and take care of them
12
in the same way as shepherds take care of their sheep that were scattered and are brought together again. I will bring them back from all the places where they were scattered on that dark, disastrous day.
13
I will take them out of foreign countries, gather them together, and bring them back to their own land. I will lead them back to the mountains and the streams of Israel and will feed them in pleasant pastures.
14
I will let them graze in safety in the mountain meadows and the valleys and in all the green pastures of the land of Israel.
15
I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will find them a place to rest. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken.
16
"I will look for those that are lost, bring back those that wander off, bandage those that are hurt, and heal those that are sick; but those that are fat and strong I will destroy, because I am a shepherd who does what is right.
17
"Now then, my flock, I, the Sovereign LORD, tell you that I will judge each of you and separate the good from the bad, the sheep from the goats.
18
Some of you are not satisfied with eating the best grass; you even trample down what you don't eat! You drink the clear water and muddy what you don't drink!
19
My other sheep have to eat the grass you trample down and drink the water you muddy.
20
"So now, I, the Sovereign LORD, tell you that I will judge between you strong sheep and the weak sheep.
21
You pushed the sick ones aside and butted them away from the flock.
22
But I will rescue my sheep and not let them be mistreated any more. I will judge each of my sheep and separate the good from the bad.
23
I will give them a king like my servant David to be their one shepherd, and he will take care of them.
24
I, the LORD, will be their God, and a king like my servant David will be their ruler. I have spoken.
25
I will make a covenant with them that guarantees their security. I will get rid of all the dangerous animals in the land, so that my sheep can live safely in the fields and sleep in the forests.
26
"I will bless them and let them live around my sacred hill. There I will bless them with showers of rain when they need it.
27
The trees will bear fruit, the fields will produce crops, and everyone will live in safety on his own land. When I break my people's chains and set them free from those who made them slaves, then they will know that I am the LORD.
28
The heathen nations will not plunder them any more, and the wild animals will not kill and eat them. They will live in safety, and no one will terrify them.
29
I will give them fertile fields and put an end to hunger in the land. The other nations will not sneer at them any more.
30
Everyone will know that I protect Israel and that they are my people. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken.
31
"You, my sheep, the flock that I feed, are my people, and I am your God," says the Sovereign LORD.
2
"Mortal man," he said, "denounce the country of Edom.
3
Tell the people what I, the Sovereign LORD, am saying: "I am your enemy, mountains of Edom! I will make you a desolate wasteland.
4
I will leave your cities in ruins And your land desolate; Then you will know that I am the LORD.
5
"You were Israel's constant enemy and let her people be slaughtered in the time of her disaster, the time of final punishment for her sins.
6
So then---as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God---death is your fate, and you cannot escape it. You are guilty of murder, and murder will follow you.
7
I will make the hill country of Edom a wasteland and kill everyone who travels through it.
8
I will cover the mountains with corpses, and the bodies of those who are killed in battle will cover the hills and valleys.
9
I will make you desolate forever, and no one will live in your cities again. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
10
"You said that the two nations, Judah and Israel, together with their lands, belonged to you and that you would possess them, even though I, the LORD, was their God.
11
So then, as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God, I will pay you back for your anger, your jealousy, and your hate toward my people. They will know that I am punishing you for what you did to them.
12
Then you will know that I, the LORD, heard you say with contempt that the mountains of Israel were desolate and that they were yours to devour.
13
I have heard the wild, boastful way you have talked against me."
14
The Sovereign LORD says, "I will make you so desolate that the whole world will rejoice at your downfall,
15
just as you rejoiced at the devastation of Israel, my own possession. The mountains of Seir, yes, all the land of Edom, will be desolate. Then everyone will know that I am the LORD."
1
After this I saw another angel coming down out of heaven. He had great authority, and his splendor brightened the whole earth.
2
He cried out in a loud voice: "She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She is now haunted by demons and unclean spirits; all kinds of filthy and hateful birds live in her.
3
For all the nations have drunk her wine---the strong wine of her immoral lust. The kings of the earth practiced sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the world grew rich from her unrestrained lust."
4
Then I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out, my people! Come out from her! You must not take part in her sins; you must not share in her punishment!
5
For her sins are piled up as high as heaven, and God remembers her wicked ways.
6
Treat her exactly as she has treated you; pay her back double for all she has done. Fill her cup with a drink twice as strong as the drink she prepared for you.
7
Give her as much suffering and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. For she keeps telling herself: 'Here I sit, a queen! I am no widow, I will never know grief !'
8
Because of this, in one day she will be struck with plagues--- disease, grief, and famine. And she will be burned with fire, because the Lord God, who judges her, is mighty."
9
The kings of the earth who took part in her immorality and lust will cry and weep over the city when they see the smoke from the flames that consume her.
10
They stand a long way off, because they are afraid of sharing in her suffering. They say, "How terrible! How awful! This great and mighty city Babylon! In just one hour you have been punished!"
11
The merchants of the earth also cry and mourn for her, because no one buys their goods any longer;
12
no one buys their gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; their goods of linen, purple cloth, silk, and scarlet cloth; all kinds of rare woods and all kinds of objects made of ivory and of expensive wood, of bronze, iron, and marble;
13
and cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; wine and oil, flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and carriages, slaves, and even human lives.
14
The merchants say to her, "All the good things you longed to own have disappeared, and all your wealth and glamor are gone, and you will never find them again!"
15
The merchants, who became rich from doing business in that city, will stand a long way off, because they are afraid of sharing in her suffering. They will cry and mourn,
16
and say, "How terrible! How awful for the great city! She used to dress herself in linen, purple, and scarlet, and cover herself with gold ornaments, precious stones, and pearls!
17
And in one hour she has lost all this wealth!" All the ships' captains and passengers, the sailors and all others who earn their living on the sea, stood a long way off,
18
and cried out as they saw the smoke from the flames that consumed her: "There never has been another city like this great city!"
19
They threw dust on their heads, they cried and mourned, saying, "How terrible! How awful for the great city! She is the city where all who have ships sailing the seas became rich on her wealth! And in one hour she has lost everything!"
20
Be glad, heaven, because of her destruction! Be glad, God's people and the apostles and prophets! For God has condemned her for what she did to you!
21
Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "This is how the great city Babylon will be violently thrown down and will never be seen again.
22
The music of harps and of human voices, of players of the flute and the trumpet, will never be heard in you again! No workman in any trade will ever be found in you again; and the sound of the millstone will be heard no more!
23
Never again will the light of a lamp be seen in you; no more will the voices of brides and grooms be heard in you. Your merchants were the most powerful in all the world, and with your false magic you deceived all the peoples of the world!"
24
Babylon was punished because the blood of prophets and of God's people was found in the city; yes, the blood of all those who have been killed on earth.
