30¹ This is another message that came to me from the Lord : ² "Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign Lord : "Weep and wail for that day, ³ for the terrible day is almost here- the day of the Lord ! It is a day of clouds and gloom, a day of despair for the nations. ⁴ A sword will come against Egypt, and those who are slaughtered will cover the ground. Its wealth will be carried away and its foundations destroyed. The land of Ethiopia will be ravished. ⁵ Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all Arabia, and all their other allies will be destroyed in that war. ⁶ "For this is what the Lord says: All of Egypt's allies will fall, and the pride of her power will end. From Migdol to Aswan they will be slaughtered by the sword, says the Sovereign Lord . ⁷ Egypt will be desolate, surrounded by desolate nations, and its cities will be in ruins, surrounded by other ruined cities. ⁸ And the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord when I have set Egypt on fire and destroyed all their allies. ⁹ At that time I will send swift messengers in ships to terrify the complacent Ethiopians. Great panic will come upon them on that day of Egypt's certain destruction. Watch for it! It is sure to come! ¹⁰ "For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: By the power of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, I will destroy the hordes of Egypt. ¹¹ He and his armies-the most ruthless of all- will be sent to demolish the land. They will make war against Egypt until slaughtered Egyptians cover the ground. ¹² I will dry up the Nile River and sell the land to wicked men. I will destroy the land of Egypt and everything in it by the hands of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken! ¹³ "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will smash the idols of Egypt and the images at Memphis. There will be no rulers left in Egypt; terror will sweep the land. ¹⁴ I will destroy southern Egypt, set fire to Zoan, and bring judgment against Thebes. ¹⁵ I will pour out my fury on Pelusium, the strongest fortress of Egypt, and I will stamp out the hordes of Thebes. ¹⁶ Yes, I will set fire to all Egypt! Pelusium will be racked with pain; Thebes will be torn apart; Memphis will live in constant terror. ¹⁷ The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in battle, and the women will be taken away as slaves. ¹⁸ When I come to break the proud strength of Egypt, it will be a dark day for Tahpanhes, too. A dark cloud will cover Tahpanhes, and its daughters will be led away as captives. ¹⁹ And so I will greatly punish Egypt, and they will know that I am the Lord ."

²⁰ On April 29, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord : ²¹ "Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. His arm has not been put in a cast so that it may heal. Neither has it been bound up with a splint to make it strong enough to hold a sword. ²² Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am the enemy of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt! I will break both of his arms-the good arm along with the broken one-and I will make his sword clatter to the ground. ²³ I will scatter the Egyptians to many lands throughout the world. ²⁴ I will strengthen the arms of Babylon's king and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he will lie there mortally wounded, groaning in pain. ²⁵ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while the arms of Pharaoh fall useless to his sides. And when I put my sword in the hand of Babylon's king and he brings it against the land of Egypt, Egypt will know that I am the Lord . ²⁶ I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, dispersing them throughout the earth. Then they will know that I am the Lord ."

31¹ On June 21, during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord : ² "Son of man, give this message to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and all his hordes: "To whom would you compare your greatness? ³ You are like mighty Assyria, which was once like a cedar of Lebanon, with beautiful branches that cast deep forest shade and with its top high among the clouds. ⁴ Deep springs watered it and helped it to grow tall and luxuriant. The water flowed around it like a river, streaming to all the trees nearby. ⁵ This great tree towered high, higher than all the other trees around it. It prospered and grew long thick branches because of all the water at its roots. ⁶ The birds nested in its branches, and in its shade all the wild animals gave birth. All the great nations of the world lived in its shadow. ⁷ It was strong and beautiful, with wide-spreading branches, for its roots went deep into abundant water. ⁸ No other cedar in the garden of God could rival it. No cypress had branches to equal it; no plane tree had boughs to compare. No tree in the garden of God came close to it in beauty. ⁹ Because I made this tree so beautiful, and gave it such magnificent foliage, it was the envy of all the other trees of Eden, the garden of God.

¹⁰ "Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because Egypt became proud and arrogant, and because it set itself so high above the others, with its top reaching to the clouds, ¹¹ I will hand it over to a mighty nation that will destroy it as its wickedness deserves. I have already discarded it. ¹² A foreign army-the terror of the nations-has cut it down and left it fallen on the ground. Its branches are scattered across the mountains and valleys and ravines of the land. All those who lived in its shadow have gone away and left it lying there. ¹³ "The birds roost on its fallen trunk, and the wild animals lie among its branches. ¹⁴ Let the tree of no other nation proudly exult in its own prosperity, though it be higher than the clouds and it be watered from the depths. For all are doomed to die, to go down to the depths of the earth. They will land in the pit along with everyone else on earth. ¹⁵ "This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Assyria went down to the grave, I made the deep springs mourn. I stopped its rivers and dried up its abundant water. I clothed Lebanon in black and caused the trees of the field to wilt. ¹⁶ I made the nations shake with fear at the sound of its fall, for I sent it down to the grave with all the others who descend to the pit. And all the other proud trees of Eden, the most beautiful and the best of Lebanon, the ones whose roots went deep into the water, took comfort to find it there with them in the depths of the earth. ¹⁷ Its allies, too, were all destroyed and had passed away. They had gone down to the grave-all those nations that had lived in its shade. ¹⁸ "O Egypt, to which of the trees of Eden will you compare your strength and glory? You, too, will be brought down to the depths with all these other nations. You will lie there among the outcasts who have died by the sword. This will be the fate of Pharaoh and all his hordes. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"

32¹ On March 3, during the twelfth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity, this message came to me from the Lord : ² "Son of man, mourn for Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and give him this message: "You think of yourself as a strong young lion among the nations, but you are really just a sea monster, heaving around in your own rivers, stirring up mud with your feet. ³ Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will send many people to catch you in my net and haul you out of the water. ⁴ I will leave you stranded on the land to die. All the birds of the heavens will land on you, and the wild animals of the whole earth will gorge themselves on you. ⁵ I will scatter your flesh on the hills and fill the valleys with your bones. ⁶ I will drench the earth with your gushing blood all the way to the mountains, filling the ravines to the brim. ⁷ When I blot you out, I will veil the heavens and darken the stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give you its light. ⁸ I will darken the bright stars overhead and cover your land in darkness. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken! ⁹ "I will disturb many hearts when I bring news of your downfall to distant nations you have never seen. ¹⁰ Yes, I will shock many lands, and their kings will be terrified at your fate. They will shudder in fear for their lives as I brandish my sword before them on the day of your fall. ¹¹ For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you. ¹² I will destroy your hordes with the swords of mighty warriors- the terror of the nations. They will shatter the pride of Egypt, and all its hordes will be destroyed. ¹³ I will destroy all your flocks and herds that graze beside the streams. Never again will people or animals muddy those waters with their feet. ¹⁴ Then I will let the waters of Egypt become calm again, and they will flow as smoothly as olive oil, says the Sovereign Lord . ¹⁵ And when I destroy Egypt and strip you of everything you own and strike down all your people, then you will know that I am the Lord . ¹⁶ Yes, this is the funeral song they will sing for Egypt. Let all the nations mourn. Let them mourn for Egypt and its hordes. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"

¹⁷ On March 17, during the twelfth year, another message came to me from the Lord : ¹⁸ "Son of man, weep for the hordes of Egypt and for the other mighty nations. For I will send them down to the world below in company with those who descend to the pit. ¹⁹ Say to them, 'O Egypt, are you lovelier than the other nations? No! So go down to the pit and lie there among the outcasts. ' ²⁰ The Egyptians will fall with the many who have died by the sword, for the sword is drawn against them. Egypt and its hordes will be dragged away to their judgment. ²¹ Down in the grave mighty leaders will mockingly welcome Egypt and its allies, saying, 'They have come down; they lie among the outcasts, hordes slaughtered by the sword.' ²² "Assyria lies there surrounded by the graves of its army, those who were slaughtered by the sword. ²³ Their graves are in the depths of the pit, and they are surrounded by their allies. They struck terror in the hearts of people everywhere, but now they have been slaughtered by the sword. ²⁴ "Elam lies there surrounded by the graves of all its hordes, those who were slaughtered by the sword. They struck terror in the hearts of people everywhere, but now they have descended as outcasts to the world below. Now they lie in the pit and share the shame of those who have gone before them. ²⁵ They have a resting place among the slaughtered, surrounded by the graves of all their hordes. Yes, they terrorized the nations while they lived, but now they lie in shame with others in the pit, all of them outcasts, slaughtered by the sword. ²⁶ "Meshech and Tubal are there, surrounded by the graves of all their hordes. They once struck terror in the hearts of people everywhere. But now they are outcasts, all slaughtered by the sword. ²⁷ They are not buried in honor like their fallen heroes, who went down to the grave with their weapons-their shields covering their bodies and their swords beneath their heads. Their guilt rests upon them because they brought terror to everyone while they were still alive. ²⁸ "You too, Egypt, will lie crushed and broken among the outcasts, all slaughtered by the sword. ²⁹ "Edom is there with its kings and princes. Mighty as they were, they also lie among those slaughtered by the sword, with the outcasts who have gone down to the pit. ³⁰ "All the princes of the north and the Sidonians are there with others who have died. Once a terror, they have been put to shame. They lie there as outcasts with others who were slaughtered by the sword. They share the shame of all who have descended to the pit. ³¹ "When Pharaoh and his entire army arrive, he will take comfort that he is not alone in having his hordes killed, says the Sovereign Lord . ³² Although I have caused his terror to fall upon all the living, Pharaoh and his hordes will lie there among the outcasts who were slaughtered by the sword. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!"

Good Stewards of God's Grace

4¹ So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. ² You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. ³ You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy-their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

⁴ Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. ⁵ But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. ⁶ That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead -so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

⁷ The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. ⁸ Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. ¹⁰ God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. ¹¹ Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

Suffering as a Christian

¹² Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be very glad-for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. ¹⁴ If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people's affairs. ¹⁶ But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! ¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God's household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God's Good News? ¹⁸ And also, "If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?" ¹⁹ So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.