Ezekiel 27 - 28 - Legacy Standard Bible

Ezekiel 27 - 28

Lament over Tyre

Moreover, the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 2 “Now as for you, son of man, take up a lamentation over Tyre 3 and say to Tyre, who inhabits the entrance to the sea, a trader of the peoples to many coastlands, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,

“O Tyre, you have said, ‘I am perfect in beauty.’

Your borders are in the heart of the seas;

Your builders have perfected your beauty.

They have made all your planks of fir trees from Senir;

They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

Of oaks from Bashan they have made your oars;

With ivory they have inlaid your deck of boxwood from the coastlands of Cyprus.

Your sail was of fine embroidered linen from Egypt

So that it became your standard;

Your awning was blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah.

The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers;

Your wise men, O Tyre, were aboard; they were your pilots.

The elders of Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your seams;

All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise.

10 “Persia and Lud and Put were in your military force, your men of war. They hung shield and helmet in you; they set forth your majesty. 11 The sons of Arvad and your military force were on your walls, all around, and the Gammadim were in your towers. They hung their small shields on your walls all around; they perfected your beauty. 12 “Tarshish was your customer because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth; with silver, iron, tin, and lead they paid for your wares. 13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were your traders; with the lives of men and vessels of bronze they paid for your merchandise. 14 Those from Beth-togarmah gave horses and war horses and mules for your wares. 15 The sons of Dedan were your traders. Many coastlands were customers at your hand; ivory tusks and ebony they brought as your payment. 16 Aram was your customer because of the abundance of your goods; they paid for your wares with emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies. 17 Judah and the land of Israel, they were your traders; with the wheat of Minnith, cakes, honey, oil, and balm they paid for your merchandise. 18 Damascus was your customer because of the abundance of your goods, because of the abundance of all kinds of wealth, because of the wine of Helbon and white wool. 19 Also Vedan and Javan paid for your wares from Uzal; wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were among your merchandise. 20 Dedan traded with you in saddlecloths for riding. 21 Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were customers at your hand for lambs, rams, and goats; for these, they were your customers. 22 The traders of Sheba and Raamah, they traded with you; they paid for your wares with the best of all kinds of spices and with all kinds of precious stones and gold. 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, the traders of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad traded with you. 24 They traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and in carpets of many colors and tightly wound cords, which were among your merchandise. 25 The ships of Tarshish were the carriers for your merchandise.

And you were filled and were very glorious

In the heart of the seas.

“Your rowers have brought you

Into great waters;

The east wind has broken you

In the heart of the seas.

Your wealth, your wares, your merchandise,

Your sailors and your pilots,

Your repairers of seams, your dealers in merchandise,

And all your men of war who are in you,

With all your assembly that is in your midst,

Will fall into the heart of the seas

On the day of your downfall.

At the sound of the cry of your pilots

The pasture lands will shake.

All who handle the oar,

The sailors and all the pilots of the sea,

Will come down from their ships;

They will stand on the land,

And they will make their voice heard over you

And will cry bitterly.

They will cast dust on their heads;

They will wallow in ashes.

Also they will make themselves bald for you

And gird themselves with sackcloth;

And they will weep for you in bitterness of soul

With bitter mourning.

Moreover, in their wailing they will take up a lamentation for you

And lament over you:

‘Who is like Tyre,

Like her who is silent in the midst of the sea?

When your wares went out from the seas,

You satisfied a great number of peoples;

With the greatness of your wealth and your merchandise

You enriched the kings of earth.

Now that you are broken by the seas

In the depths of the waters,

Your merchandise and all your assembly

Have fallen in the midst of you.

All the inhabitants of the coastlands

Are appalled at you,

And their kings are horribly horrified;

They are troubled in countenance.

The merchants among the peoples hiss at you;

You have become terrified,

And you will cease to be forever.’”’”

Prophesy Against the King of Tyre

The word of Yahweh came again to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,

“Because your heart is lofty

And you have said, ‘I am a god;

I sit enthroned in the seat of gods

In the heart of the seas’;

Yet you are a man and not God,

Although you make your heart like the heart of God—

Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;

There is no secret that is a match for you.

By your wisdom and understanding

You have acquired wealth for yourself

And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.

By your great wisdom, by your trade

You have increased your wealth,

And your heart is lofty because of your wealth—

6 Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh,

‘Because you have made your heart

Like the heart of God,

Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you,

The most ruthless of the nations.

And they will draw their swords

Against the beauty of your wisdom

And defile your splendor.

They will bring you down to the pit,

And you will die the death of those who are slain

In the heart of the seas.

Will you still say, “I am a god,”

In the presence of the one who kills you,

Though you are a man and not God,

In the hands of those who slay you?

You will die the death of the uncircumcised

By the hand of strangers,

For I have spoken!’ declares Lord Yahweh!”’”

Lament over the King of Tyre

11 Again the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,

“You had the seal of perfection,

Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

You were in Eden, the garden of God;

Every precious stone was your covering:

The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond;

The beryl, the onyx, and the jasper;

The lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald;

And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,

Was in you.

On the day that you were created

They were prepared.

You were the anointed cherub who covers,

And I placed you there.

You were on the holy mountain of God;

You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

You were blameless in your ways

From the day you were created

Until unrighteousness was found in you.

By the abundance of your trade

You were internally filled with violence,

And you sinned;

Therefore I have cast you as profane

From the mountain of God.

And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,

From the midst of the stones of fire.

Your heart was lofty because of your beauty;

You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.

I cast you to the ground;

I put you before kings,

That they may see you.

By the abundance of your iniquities,

In the unrighteousness of your trade

You profaned your sanctuaries.

Therefore I have brought out fire from the midst of you;

It has consumed you,

And I have turned you to ashes on the earth

In the eyes of all who see you.

All who know you among the peoples

Are appalled at you;

You have become terrified,

And you will cease to be forever.”’”

Prophesy Against Sidon

20 And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 21 “Son of man, set your face toward Sidon, prophesy against her 22 and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,

“Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,

And I will be glorified in your midst.

Then they will know that I am Yahweh when I execute judgments in her,

And I will manifest My holiness in her.

For I will send pestilence to her

And blood to her streets,

And the wounded will fall in her midst

By the sword upon her on every side;

Then they will know that I am Yahweh.

24 And there will be no more for the house of Israel a prickling brier or a painful thorn from any round about them who scorned them; then they will know that I am Lord Yahweh.”

Israel Regathered

25 ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples, among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. 26 They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards, and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them all around them. Then they will know that I am Yahweh their God.”’”

Titus 1 - 3

Greetings and Grace

Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of God’s elect and the full knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life, which the God who cannot lie promised from all eternity, 3 but at the proper time manifested His word in preaching, with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior, 4 To Titus, my genuine child according to our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Qualifications of Elders

5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, who are not accused of dissipation, or rebellious. 7 For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of dishonest gain, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to reprove those who contradict. 10 For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their works they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and unfit for any good work.

Instructions for the Older and Younger

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may instruct the young women in sensibility: to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be slandered. 6 Likewise urge the younger men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be a model of good works, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in word which is irreproachable, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. 9 Urge slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be pleasing, not contradicting, 10 not pilfering, but demonstrating all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in everything. 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works. 15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Be Ready for Every Good Work

Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, demonstrating all gentleness to all men. 3 For we ourselves also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and affection of God our Savior appeared, 5 He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be intent to lead in good works. These things are good and profitable for men. 9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and conflicts about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. 10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.

Personal Instructions and Greetings

12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, be diligent to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Diligently help send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. 14 And our people must also learn to lead in good works to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. 15 All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

Proverbs 4

A Father’s Wise Instruction

Hear, O sons, the discipline of a father,

And pay attention that you may know understanding,

For I give you sound learning;

Do not forsake my instruction.

When I was a son to my father,

Tender and the only son before my mother,

Then he instructed me and said to me,

“Let your heart hold fast my words;

Keep my commandments and live;

Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding!

Do not forget and do not turn away from the sayings of my mouth.

Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;

Love her, and she will guard you.

The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom;

And with all your acquiring, acquire understanding.

Prize her, and she will exalt you;

She will honor you if you embrace her.

She will give for your head a garland of grace;

She will present you with a crown of beauty.”

Hear, my son, and receive my sayings

And the years of your life will be many.

I have instructed you in the way of wisdom;

I have led you in upright tracks.

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;

And if you run, you will not stumble.

Seize discipline; do not let go.

Guard her, for she is your life.

Do not enter the path of wicked men

And do not step into the way of evil men.

Avoid it, do not pass by it;

Stray from it and pass on.

For they do not sleep unless they do evil;

And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.

For they eat the bread of wickedness

And drink the wine of violence.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

That shines brighter and brighter until the fullness of day.

The way of the wicked is like thick darkness;

They do not know over what they stumble.

My son, pay attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them deviate from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart.

For they are life to those who find them

And healing to all his flesh.

Guard your heart with all diligence,

For from it flow the springs of life.

Put away from you a perverse mouth

And put devious lips far from you.

Let your eyes look directly ahead

And even let your eyelids be fixed straight in front of you.

Watch the track of your feet

And all your ways will be established.

Do not turn to the right nor to the left;

Turn your foot from evil.