A Prophecy Against Egypt

Judgment on Pharaoh

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the Lord came to me:ver 17; S Eze 26:1² “Son of man, set your face againstS Eze 25:2 Pharaoh king of EgyptS Jer 25:19 and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.Isa 19:1-17; Jer 46:2; Eze 30:1-26; 31:1-18; 32:1-32³ Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

⁶ Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.

“‘You have been a staff of reedS 2Ki 18:21 for the people of Israel.⁷ When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered2Ki 18:21; Isa 36:6 and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.Syriac (see also Septuagint and Vulgate); Hebrew and you caused their backs to standJer 17:5; Eze 17:15-17

⁸ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring a sword against you and kill both man and beast.Eze 25:13; 32:11-13⁹ Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘Because you said, “The NileS Jer 46:8 is mine; I made it,Eze 30:7-8, 13-19”¹⁰ therefore I am against youS Jer 21:13 and against your streams, and I will make the land of EgyptS Ex 3:22 a ruin and a desolate wasteS Jer 46:19 from MigdolS Ex 14:2 to Aswan,Eze 30:6 as far as the border of Cush.That is, the upper Nile regionIsa 18:1; Eze 30:4¹¹ The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.Eze 32:13¹² I will make the land of Egypt desolateS Isa 34:10 among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.S Jer 46:19; Eze 30:7, 23, 26

¹³ “‘Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered.¹⁴ I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt,S Isa 11:11; Eze 30:14 the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowlyEze 17:14 kingdom.S Isa 19:22; Jer 46:26¹⁵ It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations.Zec 10:11 I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations.¹⁶ Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence2Ch 32:10 for the people of Israel but will be a reminderS Nu 5:15 of their sin in turning to her for help.S La 4:17 Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.Isa 20:5; S 30:2; Hos 8:13’”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Reward

¹⁷ In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:S ver 1; S Eze 24:1; 30:20; 40:1¹⁸ “Son of man, NebuchadnezzarJer 27:6; 39:1 king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bareS Lev 13:40; S Job 1:20; S Jer 48:37 and every shoulder made raw.Ge 49:15 Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre.¹⁹ Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar kingS Isa 19:4 of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunderS Eze 26:5 the land as pay for his army.Jer 43:10-13; Eze 30:4, 10, 24-25; 32:11²⁰ I have given him EgyptS Isa 43:3 as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord.Isa 10:6-7; 45:1; S Jer 25:9

²¹ “On that day I will make a hornHorn here symbolizes strength.S Ps 132:17; S Lk 1:69 grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouthEze 33:22 among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.S Eze 3:27”

A Lament Over Egypt

30 The word of the Lord came to me:² “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

⁵ Cush and Libya,S Eze 27:10 Lydia and all Arabia,S 2Ch 9:14 Kub and the peopleJer 25:20 of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.Na 3:9

⁶ “‘This is what the Lord says:

⁹ “‘On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten CushS Ge 10:6 out of her complacency. AnguishIsa 23:5 will take hold of them on the day of Egypt’s doom, for it is sure to come.Eze 32:9-10; Zep 2:12

¹⁰ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

I the Lord have spoken.

¹³ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

Pharaoh’s Arms Are Broken

²⁰ In the eleventh year, in the first month on the seventh day, the word of the Lord came to me:S Eze 26:1; S 29:17; 31:1; 32:1²¹ “Son of man, I have broken the armS Jer 48:25 of PharaohS Jer 44:30 king of Egypt. It has not been bound up to be healedJer 30:13; 46:11 or put in a splint so that it may become strong enough to hold a sword.²² Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt.S Ge 15:18; S Jer 46:25 I will break both his arms, the good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his hand.Ps 37:17; Zec 11:17²³ I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.S Eze 29:12²⁴ I will strengthenZec 10:6, 12; 12:5 the arms of the king of Babylon and put my swordS Eze 21:14; Zep 2:12 in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groanJer 51:52 before him like a mortally wounded man.²⁵ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword1Ch 21:12 into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt.S Isa 10:5; 45:1, 5; S Eze 29:19²⁶ I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.S Eze 29:12”

A Message for Egypt

29 On January 7,Hebrew On the twelfth day of the tenth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on January 7, 587 B.c.; also see note on 1:1. during the tenth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the Lord:² “Son of man, turn and face Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh the king and all the people of Egypt.³ Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord:

⁸ “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring an army against you, O Egypt, and destroy both people and animals.⁹ The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.

“Because you said, ‘The Nile River is mine; I made it,’¹⁰ I am now the enemy of both you and your river. I will make the land of Egypt a totally desolate wasteland, from Migdol to Aswan, as far south as the border of Ethiopia.Hebrew from Migdol to Syene as far as the border of Cush.¹¹ For forty years not a soul will pass that way, neither people nor animals. It will be completely uninhabited.¹² I will make Egypt desolate, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. Its cities will be empty and desolate for forty years, surrounded by other ruined cities. I will scatter the Egyptians to distant lands.

¹³ “But this is what the Sovereign Lord also says: At the end of the forty years I will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which they have been scattered.¹⁴ I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom.¹⁵ It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors.

¹⁶ “Then Israel will no longer be tempted to trust in Egypt for help. Egypt’s shattered condition will remind Israel of how sinful she was to trust Egypt in earlier days. Then Israel will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

Nebuchadnezzar to Conquer Egypt

¹⁷ On April 26, the first day of the new year,Hebrew On the first day of the first month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on April 26, 571 B.c.; also see note on 1:1. during the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the Lord:¹⁸ “Son of man, the army of King NebuchadnezzarHebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar; also in 29:19. of Babylon fought so hard against Tyre that the warriors’ heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders were raw and blistered. Yet Nebuchadnezzar and his army won no plunder to compensate them for all their work.¹⁹ Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth, plundering everything it has so he can pay his army.²⁰ Yes, I have given him the land of Egypt as a reward for his work, says the Sovereign Lord, because he was working for me when he destroyed Tyre.

²¹ “And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive,Hebrew I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel. and then, Ezekiel, your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

A Sad Day for Egypt

30 This is another message that came to me from the Lord:² “Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign Lord:

The Broken Arms of Pharaoh

²⁰ On April 29,Hebrew On the seventh day of the first month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on April 29, 587 B.c.; also see note on 1:1. 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.”

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

² Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:

³ Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

⁴ But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.

⁵ And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

⁶ And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

⁷ When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.

⁸ Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.

⁹ And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.

¹⁰ Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.

¹¹ No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.

¹² And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

¹³ Yet thus saith the Lord God; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:

¹⁴ And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.

¹⁵ It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.

¹⁶ And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord God.

¹⁷ And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

¹⁸ Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

²⁰ I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord God.

²¹ In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

30 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,

² Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Howl ye, Woe worth the day!

³ For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.

⁴ And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.

⁵ Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.

⁶ Thus saith the Lord; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord God.

⁷ And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.

⁸ And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.

⁹ In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.

¹⁰ Thus saith the Lord God; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.

¹¹ He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.

¹² And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the Lord have spoken it.

¹³ Thus saith the Lord God; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No.

¹⁵ And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.

¹⁶ And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily.

¹⁷ The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.

¹⁸ At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.

¹⁹ Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

²⁰ And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

²¹ Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.

²² Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.

²³ And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

²⁴ And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

²⁵ But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.

²⁶ And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon,Jdg 6-8 Barak,Jdg 4-5 SamsonJdg 13-16 and Jephthah,Jdg 11-12 about David1Sa 16:1, 13 and Samuel1Sa 1:20 and the prophets,³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms,2Sa 8:1-3 administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,Da 6:22³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames,Da 3:19-27 and escaped the edge of the sword;Ex 18:4 whose weakness was turned to strength;2Ki 20:7 and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.Jdg 15:8³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again.1Ki 17:22, 23; 2Ki 4:36, 37 There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging,Jer 20:2; 37:15 and even chains and imprisonment.Ge 39:20³⁷ They were put to death by stoning;Some early manuscripts stoning; they were put to the test;2Ch 24:21 they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword.1Ki 19:10; Jer 26:23 They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,2Ki 1:8 destitute, persecuted and mistreated—³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves1Ki 18:4; 19:9 and in holes in the ground.

³⁹ These were all commendedver 2, 4 for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised,ver 13; Heb 10:36⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with usRev 6:11 would they be made perfect.S Heb 2:10

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us runS 1Co 9:24 with perseveranceS Heb 10:36 the race marked out for us,² fixing our eyes on Jesus,Ps 25:15 the pioneerHeb 2:10 and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,Php 2:8, 9; Heb 2:9 scorning its shame,Heb 13:13 and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.S Mk 16:19³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow wearyGal 6:9; Rev 2:3 and lose heart.

God Disciplines His Children

⁴ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.Heb 10:32-34; 13:13⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.Dt 8:5; 2Sa 7:14; Pr 13:24 For what children are not disciplined by their father?⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline1Pe 5:9—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spiritsNu 16:22; 27:16; Rev 22:6 and live!Isa 38:16¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.S 2Pe 1:4¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peaceIsa 32:17; Jas 3:17, 18 for those who have been trained by it.

¹² Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.Isa 35:3¹³ “Make level paths for your feet,”Prov. 4:26Pr 4:26 so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.Gal 6:1

³² How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.³³ By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions,³⁴ quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.³⁵ Women received their loved ones back again from death.

But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.³⁶ Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons.³⁷ Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half,Some manuscripts add some were tested. and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated.³⁸ They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹ All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.⁴⁰ For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

God’s Discipline Proves His Love

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.Or Jesus, the originator and perfecter of our faith. Because of the joyOr Instead of the joy. awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.³ Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people;Some manuscripts read Think of how people hurt themselves by opposing him. then you won’t become weary and give up.⁴ After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

⁵ And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?Greek sons; also in 12:7, 8. He said,

⁷ As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?⁸ If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.⁹ Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?Or and really live?

¹⁰ For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.¹¹ No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

¹² So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.¹³ Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

³² And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

³³ Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.

³⁴ Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

³⁵ Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

³⁶ And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

³⁸ (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

³⁹ And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

⁴⁰ God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

³ For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

⁴ Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

⁵ And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

⁶ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

⁷ If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

⁸ But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

⁹ Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

¹² Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

¹³ And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Psalm 112This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalm 112This psalm is a Hebrew acrostic poem; after the introductory note of praise, each line begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

112 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

² His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

³ Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

⁴ Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

⁵ A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

⁶ Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

⁷ He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

⁸ His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

⁹ He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

¹⁰ The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

¹⁷ Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.