Your turbans will be on your heads and your sandals will be on your feet. You won't mourn or weep. Instead, you'll waste away in your sins. Every one of you will groan to his relative.

Your mouth will freely speak to the fugitive. You won't be silent any longer. You'll be a sign to them. Then they'll know that I am the LORD."

"Son of Man, turn your attention to the descendants of Ammon and rebuke them.

therefore you'd better look out! I'm going to turn you over to men from the East, who will dominate you. You will become their property. They will set up military encampments and permanent places in which to live among you, and then they'll eat your fruit and drink your milk.

"This is what the Lord GOD says: "Because you've applauded, stamped your feet, and rejoiced with all sorts of malice in your heart against the land of Israel,

therefore you'd better watch out! I'm raising a clenched fist in your direction! I'm about to feed you to the surrounding nations as war plunder. I'm going to eliminate you as a nation and kill off those of you who survive to live in other countries. I'm going to destroy you, and that's how you'll learn that I am the LORD.'"

"This is what the Lord GOD says: "Because Moab and Seir are claiming, "Judah's citizens are just like every other nation,"

During the eleventh year, on the first day of the month of our captivity, this message came to me from the LORD:

and it will become a place where nets will be spread out right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Because I have declared this to happen,' declares the Lord GOD, "Tyre will be treated as the spoils of war by the invading nations.

He'll execute your citizens who live on the mainland with swords. He'll build siege engines to attack you. Then he'll construct siege ramps against you and build huge shields to protect themselves against you.

""He'll direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and will breach your fortified towers with axes.

There will be so many horses that the dust raised by them will cover you completely. The walls of your city will tremble from the noise of Nebuchadnezzar's cavalry, wagons, and chariots when they enter through the gates of your city, as men enter a city that has been breached.

""Their horses will trample all the public places as he executes your inhabitants with swords. The most fortified of your pillars will be torn to the ground.

They will plunder your riches and loot your businesses. They'll tear down your walls and demolish your luxurious homes. They'll grab the stones, wood, and rubble from the destruction and dump it all into the Mediterranean Sea.

""I'll silence the noise of your songs and the music of your harps won't be heard anymore.

I'll turn you into bare rock, and your city will become a place to spread nets. You will never be built again, because I the LORD have decreed this,' declares the Lord GOD."

"This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: "When your wounded citizens groan while the slaughter takes place among you, the people who live in the coastlands will tremble in terror as they hear about your fall, will they not?

They'll sing this mourning song for you: "How lost you are, you inhabited city, that was built in the middle of the sea! How famous you were! How strong on the sea! She and her inhabitants inflicted terror to everyone who lived within her."

"This is what the Lord GOD says: "When I turn your city into a ghost town, when I flood you with deep water that covers you completely,

I'll make sure that you go straight to the Pit, into the lowest part of the earth, where you'll be with people who lived in ancient times. You'll keep company there with the dead, who have gone into the Pit. As a result, your city won't be inhabited. Meanwhile, I will display my glory in the land of the living.

I'm going to send terrifying calamity in your direction, and you won't exist any longer. You might be sought after, but you'll never be found again,' declares the Lord GOD."

You've set your national boundary in international waters. Your builders made you downright beautiful!"'"

with sails made with embroidered Egyptian linen, festooned with blue banners, and with your sun shades made with purple cloth from Cypress.

Your sailors were conscripted from Sidon and Arvad, and your officers served aboard as pilots.

"Soldiers from Persia, Lud, and Libya, served in your army. They were your mighty soldiers. Their helmets and shields adorned your barracks walls, and they won battle decorations for you.

Mercenaries from Arvad and Helech stood guard duty on your walls, while brave men manned your towers. They hung their shields all around your walls just the right touch to perfect your interior decorating!"

"Tarshish was your business partner because of your phenomenal wealth. They traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for your merchandise.

Greece, Tubal, and Meshech bartered with you, exchanging slaves and bronze vessels for your wares.

Beth-togarmah traded horses, war horses, and mules in exchange for what you had to sell.

Men from the low country south of Edom and many of the coastlands were your markets for ivory tusks and ebony that they brought to trade with you.

"Aram was one of your customers because you had so much merchandise. They paid by trading turquoise, purple yarn, embroidered goods, Egyptian linen, coral, and rubies.

The territories of Judah and Israel were your clients, too. They traded wheat from their distribution centers, baked goods, honey, oil, and ointments for your merchandise.

"Because you have so much to sell and are so rich, Damascus has been your trading partner, exchanging wine from Helbon, unbleached wool,

and casks of wine from Izal for your wrought iron, cassia wood, and aromatic reeds.

Ocean-going fleets carried your merchandise." "How filled you were! How glorious you were, at home in the heart of the sea!

But your rowers have brought you into dangerous waters. The east wind has broken you in the heart of the ocean!

Your wealth, your products, your merchandise your sailors, your pilots, your tailors, your salesmen, all your mercenaries with you your entire company with you will fall into the midst of the sea on the day when you're overthrown!

When your ships' captains cry out, the pasturelands along the coast will cry out!

Everyone who handles an oar will abandon ship, they'll head straight for dry land,

Your merchandise went out over the oceans to satisfy many nations; with the abundance of your wealth you enriched the kings of the earth.

"But now it's your time to be wrecked at the bottom of the sea! Your products and your workers have sunk, and so have you!

Everyone who lives by the sea is appalled at your destruction. Their leaders are terrified their faces reflect their fears!

"Son of Man, tell Tyre's Commander-in-Chief, "This is what the Lord GOD says: "Because your heart is arrogant, and because you keep saying, "I have taken my seat, I am a god, seated in God's seat right in the middle of the sea,' and because you're a man, and not a god, even though you pretend that you have a god-like heart"

Your wisdom and understanding brought you phenomenal wealth. You've brought gold and silver into your treasuries.

By your great wisdom, by your skills in trading you have amassed wealth for yourself and your heart has become arrogant because of your wealth."

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: "Because you've made your heart like that of God

Therefore, look! I'm bringing foreigners in your direction, the most terrifying of nations! They will direct their violence against the grandeur that you've created by your wisdom.

You used to be in Eden God's paradise! You wore precious stones for clothing: ruby, topaz, diamond, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and carbuncle. Your settings were crafted in gold, along with your engravings. On the day of your creation they had been prepared!

"You were the anointed cherub; having been set in place on the holy mountain of God, you walked in the midst of fiery stones.

You were blameless in your behavior from the day you were created until wickedness was discovered in you.

Since your vast business dealings filled you with violent intent from top to bottom, you sinned, so I cast you away as defiled from the mountain of God. I destroyed you, you guardian cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.

Your heart grew arrogant because of your beauty; you annihilated your own wisdom because of your splendor. Then I threw you to the ground in the presence of kings, giving them a good look at you!

By all of your iniquity and unrighteous businesses you defiled your sanctuaries, so I'm going to bring out fire from within you and burn you to ashes on the earth before the whole watching world!

Everyone who knows you throughout all the nations will be appalled at your calamity and you will no longer exist forever."'"

"Son of Man, turn your attention to Sidon and prophesy against her.

Tell her: "Pay attention to me, Sidon! I'm against you, and I'm going to glorify myself right in your midst.' They'll learn that I am the LORD when I carry out these punishments and manifest my holiness in her midst.

In the tenth year, on the twelfth day of the tenth month, a message came to me from the LORD, who had this to say:

"Son of Man, turn your attention to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and the entire nation of Egypt.

Tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says: "Watch out! I'm coming to get you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt! You big monster! You lay in wait in the middle of your waterways and say, "My waterways belong to me! I made them for myself!"

"So I'm going to plant a hook in your jaw and make the fish in your waterways grab hold of your scales. I'll bring you up out of the middle of your waterways, along with all of the fish from your waterways that cling to your scales,

Then I'll fling you out into the desert, you and all those fish in your waterways. You'll fall out in the open fields; you'll never be reunited. I'm giving you to the wild beasts of the earth and to the birds of the sky, and they will dine on you!

"Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: "Look out! I'm bringing violent death in your direction! I'm going to kill every person and animal,

therefore watch out! I'm coming to get you! I'm going to attack your waterways, and then I'm going to make the land of Egypt a total wasteland from the Aswan fortress to the border of Ethiopia!

Neither man nor beast will walk through that area. It won't even be inhabited for 40 years.

On the first day of the first month of the twenty-seventh year of our captivity, a message came to me from the LORD, who had this to say:

Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: "I'm going to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He's going to carry off her wealth, confiscate her war implements, and use it all to pay wages for his army!

"Son of Man, here's what you are to prophesy and announce, "This is what the Lord GOD says: "Wail out loud! Oh no! The day!

War will come to Egypt, and Ethiopia will be in anguish when the slain fall in Egypt, when her wealth is carried off, and her foundations are demolished.

"This is what the LORD says: "Those who are supporting Egypt will fall; her majestic strength that she brought from the Aswan fortress will collapse by the sword that invades her,' declares the Lord GOD.

They'll remain desolate among desolate lands, their cities will be named among those that are ruined.

They will know that I am the LORD when I kindle my fire in Egypt and all who help her are crushed.

On the seventh day of the first month of the eleventh year of our captivity, a message came to me from the LORD. It had this to say:

"Son of Man, I've broken the arm of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Look! It hasn't been set in a splint for healing or wrapped with a bandage so it could be strong enough to hold a sword!

On the first day of the third month of the eleventh year of our captivity, this message came to me from the LORD:

"Son of Man, tell this to Pharaoh, king of Egypt and his gangs: "Who do you think you are? What makes you so great?

Abundant water made it great, Subterranean rivers made it grow. Rivers surrounded the area where it had been planted, and water channels nourished all the trees in the fields.

As a result, none of its watered trees will grow tall, their tops will never reach to the clouds, and they'll never grow so high again, because all of them have been appointed to death in the world beneath where human beings go, that is, down to the Pit.'"

I made the nations tremble when they heard that Assyria was falling, descending into Sheol to join those who go down into the Pit. Then all of the trees of Eden in the world below were comforted, including the choicest and best of Lebanon, all of whom were well-watered.

So tell me now, which of the trees of Eden compares to you in glory or greatness? Nevertheless, you'll be brought down, along with those trees of Eden, to the earth below. You'll lie in the middle of the uncircumcised, with those who have been killed in war. Pharaoh and all his gang will be just like this!' declares the Lord GOD."

On the first day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year of our captivity, a message came to me from the LORD, who had this to say:

"Son of Man, start singing this lamentation about Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Tell him, "You may have called yourself a lion among nations, but you're a monster at sea. You thrash about in your rivers, muddy the water with your feet, and relieve yourself in the rivers.'

I'll cover the mountains with your flesh and fill their valleys with your rotting carcass.

I'll drench the land with your blood, right up to the mountains, and the ravines will overflow with blood that comes from you!

When I extinguish your lights, I'll cover the heavens and darken their stars. I'll cover the sun with a cloud and the moon won't reflect its light.

I'll darken the bright lights in the sky above you and bring darkness to your territory,' declares the Lord GOD.

I'm going to make your gangs die using the weapons of valiant warriors, all of whom are ruthless people. "They will devastate the majesty of Egypt, destroying all of its hordes.

On the fifteenth day of the first month of the twelfth year of our captivity, a message from the LORD came to me, and this is what it said:

"They'll die along with others who are killed violently. Egypt has been given over to violence, which will carry off both it and its hordes."

They have prepared a bed for her and for her hordes that surround her graves. All of them are uncircumcised, having been killed violently, because they had spread terror throughout the land of the living. They will bear the shame of those who descend to the Pit and will take their place among the dead.

They won't be buried with dead warriors from ancient times, who went straight to Sheol, buried with their war weapons, with their swords placed under their heads and their shields laid on top of their bones, since they spread terror throughout the land of the living.

"Edom will be there, along with its kings and princes who despite all their power have been killed violently. They, too, are lying dead, along with the uncircumcised; that is, with those who descend into the Pit.

"All of the princes from the North are there, along with the Sidonians, who have gone down in shame to join those who have been killed because of all the terror they caused by their military might. They lie dead, uncircumcised, with those who have been killed violently. They will bear their shame, along with those who descend into the Pit.

"Son of Man, speak to your nation's children and tell them: "If I bring war to a land, and the people of that land appoint one of their conscripted men to serve as a sentinel,

"Now as for you, Son of Man, I've established you as a sentinel for the house of Israel. So whenever you hear a message from me, you are to warn the people from me.

""Now, Son of Man, tell this to the house of Israel: "You keep saying, "Our crimes and sins burden us so much that we're rotting away, so how can we keep on living?"'

"Tell them, "As certainly as I'm alive and living,' declares the Lord GOD, "I receive no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Instead, my pleasure is that the wicked repent from their behavior and live. Turn back! Turn back, all of you, from your wicked behavior! Why do you have to die, you house of Israel?'"

"And now, Son of Man, say this to your people: "The righteousness of the righteous won't save them when they keep on committing crimes against me, the wickedness of the wicked won't keep them from remaining away when they're turning from their wickedness, and no righteous person will keep on living by their righteousness when they sin.'

"Nevertheless, your people's children keep saying, "Living life the Lord's way isn't right,' when all the while it is their way of living that isn't right.

On the fifth day of the tenth month of the twelfth year of our captivity, a fugitive who had escaped from Jerusalem came and informed me, "The city has been destroyed."

"Son of Man, those who are living among these ruins of the land of Israel keep saying, "Abraham was only one man, but he was able to possess the land! As for us, we're a multitude, and the land has been given to us as an inheritance.'