From: "FamilyNet" 

Bible Reading for September 20

Ezekiel 31
[1] And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the
first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [2]
Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom
art thou like in thy greatness?
[3] Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and
with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the
thick boughs.
[4] The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers
running round about his plants, and sent out her little rivers unto all the
trees of the field.
[5] Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and
his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the
multitude of waters, when he shot forth. [6] All the fowls of heaven made
their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the
field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great
nations. [7] Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his
branches: for his root was by great waters.
[8] The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were
not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor
any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. [9] I have
made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of
Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him. [10] Therefore thus saith
the Lord GOD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath
shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his
height;
[11] I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the
heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his
wickedness.
[12] And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have
left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are
fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers of the land; and all
the people of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
[13] Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the
beasts of the field shall be upon his branches: [14] To the end that none
of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither
shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in
their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death,
to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with
them that go down to the pit. [15] Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when
he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him,
and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and
I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted
for him. [16] I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I
cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the
trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall
be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.
[17] They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with
the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the
midst of the heathen.
[18] To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees
of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the
nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised
with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his
multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 32
[1] And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the
first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [2]
Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto
him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in
the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters
with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. [3] Thus saith the Lord GOD; I
will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people;
and they shall bring thee up in my net. [4] Then will I leave thee upon the
land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the
fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the
whole earth with thee. [5] And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and
fill the valleys with thy height.
[6] I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even
to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee. [7] And when I
shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof
dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her
light.
[8] All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set
darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD. [9] I will also vex the hearts
of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into
the countries which thou hast not known. [10] Yea, I will make many people
amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I
shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every
moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
[11] For thus saith the Lord GOD; The sword of the king of Babylon shall
come upon thee.
[12] By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the
terrible of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of
Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. [13] I will
destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither
shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts
trouble them.
[14] Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like
oil, saith the Lord GOD.
[15] When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be
destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that
dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the LORD. [16] This is the
lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations
shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all
her multitude, saith the Lord GOD. [17] It came to pass also in the twelfth
year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, [18] Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast
them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the
nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit. [19] Whom
dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
[20] They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she
is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes. [21] The strong
among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that
help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
[22] Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of
them slain, fallen by the sword:
[23] Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round
about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused
terror in the land of the living.
[24] There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them
slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the
nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the
living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
[25] They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her
multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain
by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet
have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in
the midst of them that be slain.
[26] There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round
about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they
caused their terror in the land of the living. [27] And they shall not lie
with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down
to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under
their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they
were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
[28] Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt
lie with them that are slain with the sword. [29] There is Edom, her kings,
and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were
slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them
that go down to the pit. [30] There be the princes of the north, all of
them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their
terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with
them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go
down to the pit. [31] Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over
all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith
the Lord GOD. [32] For I have caused my terror in the land of the living:
and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are
slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord
GOD.

Ezekiel 33
[1] Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, speak
to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword
upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set
him for their watchman: [3] If when he seeth the sword come upon the land,
he blow the trumpet, and warn the people;
[4] Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not
warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his
own head. [5] He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his
blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
[6] But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and
the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among
them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the
watchman's hand.
[7] So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of
Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from
me.
[8] When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if
thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall
die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. [9]
Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do
not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast
delivered thy soul.
[10] Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye
speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine
away in them, how should we then live? [11] Say unto them, As I live, saith
the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the
wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways;
for why will ye die, O house of Israel? [12] Therefore, thou son of man,
say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous
shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the
wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he
turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live
for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. [13] When I shall say to
the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own
righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be
remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for
it.
[14] Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn
from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; [15] If the wicked
restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of
life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.
[16] None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him:
he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live. [17] Yet
the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: but as
for them, their way is not equal. [18] When the righteous turneth from his
righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. [19] But
if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and
right, he shall live thereby.
[20] Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I
will judge you every one after his ways. [21] And it came to pass in the
twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth day of the
month, that one that had escaped out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying, The
city is smitten. [22] Now the hand of the LORD was upon me in the evening,
afore he that was escaped came; and had opened my mouth, until he came to
me in the morning; and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb. [23]
Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, [24] Son of man, they that
inhabit those wastes of the land of Israel speak, saying, Abraham was one,
and he inherited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for
inheritance.
[25] Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Ye eat with the
blood, and lift up your eyes toward your idols, and shed blood: and shall
ye possess the land?
[26] Ye stand upon your sword, ye work abomination, and ye defile every one
his neighbour's wife: and shall ye possess the land? [27] Say thou thus
unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; As I live, surely they that are in the
wastes shall fall by the sword, and him that is in the open field will I
give to the beasts to be devoured, and they that be in the forts and in the
caves shall die of the pestilence. [28] For I will lay the land most
desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of
Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.
[29] Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land
most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.
[30] Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking
against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to
another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what
is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. [31] And they come unto thee
as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear
thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much
love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
[32] And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a
pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy
words, but they do them not.
[33] And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know
that a prophet hath been among them.

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