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Ezekiel 25

25:1 Proclamation Against Ammon

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them. 3 Say to the Ammonites, 'Hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD:"Because you said, 'Aha!' against My sanctuary when it was profaned, and against the land of Israel when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah when they went into captivity, 4 indeed, therefore, I will deliver you as a possession to the men of the East, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings among you; they shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. 5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels and Ammon a resting place for flocks. Then you shall know that I am the LORD."
6'For thus says the Lord GOD: "Because you clapped your hands, stamped your feet, and rejoiced in heart with all your disdain for the land of Israel, 7 indeed, therefore, I will stretch out My hand against you, and give you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish from the countries; I will destroy you, and you shall know that I am the LORD."
8 Proclamation Against Moab

'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Because Moab and Seir say, 'Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,' 9 therefore, behold, I will clear the territory of Moab of cities, of the cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim. 10 To the men of the East I will give it as a possession, together with the Ammonites, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations. 11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the LORD."
12 Proclamation Against Edom

'Thus says the Lord GOD:"Because of what Edom did against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and has greatly offended by avenging itself on them," 13 therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "I will also stretch out My hand against Edom, cut off man and beast from it, and make it desolate from Teman; Dedan shall fall by the sword. 14 I will lay My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, that they may do in Edom according to My anger and according to My fury; and they shall know My vengeance," says the Lord GOD.
15 Proclamation Against Philistia

'Thus says the Lord GOD:"Because the Philistines dealt vengefully and took vengeance with a spiteful heart, to destroy because of the old hatred," 16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD:"I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant of the seacoast. 17 I will execute great vengeance on them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them."'"

Ezekiel 26

26:1 Proclamation Against Tyre

And it came to pass in the eleventh year, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, because Tyre has said against Jerusalem,'Aha! She is broken who was the gateway of the peoples; now she is turned over to me; I shall be filled; she is laid waste.'
3 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up. 4 And they shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5 It shall be a place for spreading nets in the midst of the sea, for I have spoken,' says the Lord GOD; 'it shall become plunder for the nations. 6 Also her daughter villages which are in the fields shall be slain by the sword. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.'
7 "For thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses, with chariots, and with horsemen, and an army with many people. 8 He will slay with the sword your daughter villages in the fields; he will heap up a siege mound against you, build a wall against you, and raise a defense against you. 9 He will direct his battering rams against your walls, and with his axes he will break down your towers. 10 Because of the abundance of his horses, their dust will cover you; your walls will shake at the noise of the horsemen, the wagons, and the chariots, when he enters your gates, as men enter a city that has been breached. 11 With the hooves of his horses he will trample all your streets; he will slay your people by the sword, and your strong pillars will fall to the ground. 12 They will plunder your riches and pillage your merchandise; they will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant houses; they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water. 13 I will put an end to the sound of your songs, and the sound of your harps shall be heard no more. 14 I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets, and you shall never be rebuilt, for I the LORD have spoken,' says the Lord GOD.
15 "Thus says the Lord GOD to Tyre: 'Will the coastlands not shake at the sound of your fall, when the wounded cry, when slaughter is made in the midst of you? 16 Then all the princes of the sea will come down from their thrones, lay aside their robes, and take off their embroidered garments; they will clothe themselves with trembling; they will sit on the ground, tremble every moment, and be astonished at you. 17 And they will take up a lamentation for you, and say to you:
"How you have perished,O one inhabited by seafaring men,O renowned city,Who was strong at sea,She and her inhabitants,Who caused their terror to be on all her inhabitants! 18 Now the coastlands tremble on the day of your fall;Yes, the coastlands by the sea are troubled at your departure."'
19 "For thus says the Lord GOD: 'When I make you a desolate city, like cities that are not inhabited, when I bring the deep upon you, and great waters cover you, 20 then I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit, so that you may never be inhabited; and I shall establish glory in the land of the living. 21 I will make you a terror, and you shall be no more; though you are sought for, you will never be found again,' says the Lord GOD."

Psalms 140

140:1 Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men;Preserve me from violent men, 2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;They continually gather together for war. 3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;The poison of asps is under their lips.Selah
4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;Preserve me from violent men,Who have purposed to make my steps stumble. 5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords;They have spread a net by the wayside;They have set traps for me.Selah
6 I said to the LORD: "You are my God;Hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD. 7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,You have covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked;Do not further his wicked scheme,Lest they be exalted.Selah
9 "As for the head of those who surround me,Let the evil of their lips cover them; 10 Let burning coals fall upon them;Let them be cast into the fire,Into deep pits, that they rise not up again. 11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him."
12 I know that the LORD will maintain The cause of the afflicted,And justice for the poor. 13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;The upright shall dwell in Your presence.

BIBLE SUPERSTARS

EZEKIEL

Part 1 of 2

We are not given a great deal of detail of the life of Ezekiel. We do know that he was an exile taken from his homeland by the Babylonians. He was called by God to be a watchman for the house of Israel--it was his responsibility to warn even though God did not expect the rebellious people to hear. It was around this time that II Chronicles 36:15-16 tells us that "The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against his people and there was no remedy."

Ezekiel was truly an unusal person in his time. While others rebelled against God, he obeyed even when God showed him horrifying events and required odd and sometimes painful things of him such as eating a scroll and lying on his side for 390 days.

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