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Ezekiel 31

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

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1 The LORD has sworn [an oath] by the pride of Jacob, "Surely I shall never forget [nor leave unpunished] any of their [rebellious] acts.
2 "Because of this [coming judgment] will the land not quake And everyone mourn who dwells in it? Indeed, all of it shall rise up like the Nile, And it will be tossed around [from the impact of judgment] And [afterward] subside again like the Nile of Egypt.
3 "It shall come about in that day," says the Lord GOD, "That I shall cause the sun to go down at noon, And I shall darken the earth in broad daylight.
4 "And I shall turn your festivals and feasts into mourning And all your songs into dirges (funeral poems to be sung); And I shall cause sackcloth to be put on everyone's[2] loins And baldness on every head [shaved for mourning]. And I shall make that time like a time of mourning for an only son [who has died], And the end of it shall be like a bitter day.
5 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "When I will send hunger over the land, Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water, But rather [a hunger] for hearing the words of the LORD.
6 "People shall stagger from sea to sea [to the very ends of the earth] And from the north even to the east; They will roam here and there to seek the word of the LORD [longing for it as essential for life], But they will not find it.
7 "In that day the beautiful virgins And [even the vigorous] young men shall faint from thirst.
8 "Those who swear [their oaths] by the sin (guilt) of Samaria or Ashimah (a pagan goddess), Who say, 'By the life of your god [the golden calf], O Dan!' And [swear], 'By the life of the way of [idolatrous] Beersheba,' They shall fall and not rise again."
9 I saw [in a vision] the Lord standing at the altar, and He said, "Destroy the capitals (tops) of the pillars so that the thresholds will shake, And break them on the heads of all of the people! Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword; They will not have a fugitive who will get away, Or a survivor who will escape.
10 "Though they dig into[1] Sheol [to hide in the deepest pit], From there My hand will take them [for judgment]; And though they climb up to heaven [to hide in the realm of light], From there will I bring them down [for judgment].
11 "Though they hide on the summit of [Mount] Carmel, I will track them down and take them from there; And though they hide from My sight on the floor of the sea, From there I shall command the serpent and it will bite them.
12 "And though they go into captivity before their enemies, From there I shall command the sword to kill them, And I will set My eyes against them for evil (judgment, punishment) and not for good [that is, not for correction leading to restoration]."
13 The Lord GOD of hosts [the Omnipotent Ruler], It is He who touches the earth [in judgment] and it melts, And all who dwell on it mourn [in despair and fear], And all of it rises up like the Nile And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
14 It is He who builds His upper chambers in the heavens And has established His vaulted dome (the firmament of heaven) over the earth, He who calls to the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth— The LORD is His name.
15 "Are you [degenerate ones] not as the [despised] sons of Ethiopia to Me, O sons of Israel?" says the LORD. "Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt, And the Philistines from Caphtor and the Arameans (Syrians) from Kir?
16 "Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful [northern] kingdom [of Israel's ten tribes] And I shall destroy it from the face of the earth; But I shall not totally destroy the house of Jacob [that is, the entire nation of Israel]," Says the LORD.
17 "For behold, I am commanding, And I shall shake and sift the house of Israel among all nations [and cause it to tremble] Like grain is shaken in a sieve [removing the chaff], But not a kernel [of the faithful remnant] shall fall to the ground and be lost [from My sight].
18 "All the sinners among My people will die by the sword, Those who say [defiantly], 'The disaster will not overtake or confront us.'