Today's Reading

Ezekiel 27

A Lament for Tyre

    ¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ² "Son of man, take up a lament concerning Tyre. ³ Say to Tyre, situated at the gateway to the sea, merchant of peoples on many coasts, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
       " 'You say, O Tyre,
       "I am perfect in beauty."

    ⁴ Your domain was on the high seas;
       your builders brought your beauty to perfection.

    ⁵ They made all your timbers
       of pine trees from Senir ^[a] ;
       they took a cedar from Lebanon
       to make a mast for you.

    ⁶ Of oaks from Bashan
       they made your oars;
       of cypress wood ^[b] from the coasts of Cyprus ^[c]
       they made your deck, inlaid with ivory.

    ⁷ Fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail
       and served as your banner;
       your awnings were of blue and purple
       from the coasts of Elishah.

    ⁸ Men of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen;
       your skilled men, O Tyre, were aboard as your seamen.

    ⁹ Veteran craftsmen of Gebal ^[d] were on board
       as shipwrights to caulk your seams.
       All the ships of the sea and their sailors
       came alongside to trade for your wares.

    ¹⁰ " 'Men of Persia, Lydia and Put
       served as soldiers in your army.
       They hung their shields and helmets on your walls,
       bringing you splendor.

    ¹¹ Men of Arvad and Helech
       manned your walls on every side;
       men of Gammad
       were in your towers.
       They hung their shields around your walls;
       they brought your beauty to perfection.

    ¹² " 'Tarshish did business with you because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin and lead for your merchandise.

    ¹³ " 'Greece, Tubal and Meshech traded with you; they exchanged slaves and articles of bronze for your wares.

    ¹⁴ " 'Men of Beth Togarmah exchanged work horses, war horses and mules for your merchandise.

    ¹⁵ " 'The men of Rhodes ^[e] traded with you, and many coastlands were your customers; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.

    ¹⁶ " 'Aram ^[f] did business with you because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple fabric, embroidered work, fine linen, coral and rubies for your merchandise.

    ¹⁷ " 'Judah and Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith and confections, ^[g] honey, oil and balm for your wares.

    ¹⁸ " 'Damascus, because of your many products and great wealth of goods, did business with you in wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.

    ¹⁹ " 'Danites and Greeks from Uzal bought your merchandise; they exchanged wrought iron, cassia and calamus for your wares.

    ²⁰ " 'Dedan traded in saddle blankets with you.

    ²¹ " 'Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers; they did business with you in lambs, rams and goats.

    ²² " 'The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your merchandise they exchanged the finest of all kinds of spices and precious stones, and gold.

    ²³ " 'Haran, Canneh and Eden and merchants of Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad traded with you. ²⁴ In your marketplace they traded with you beautiful garments, blue fabric, embroidered work and multicolored rugs with cords twisted and tightly knotted.

    ²⁵ " 'The ships of Tarshish serve
       as carriers for your wares.
       You are filled with heavy cargo
       in the heart of the sea.

    ²⁶ Your oarsmen take you
       out to the high seas.
       But the east wind will break you to pieces
       in the heart of the sea.

    ²⁷ Your wealth, merchandise and wares,
       your mariners, seamen and shipwrights,
       your merchants and all your soldiers,
       and everyone else on board
       will sink into the heart of the sea
       on the day of your shipwreck.

    ²⁸ The shorelands will quake
       when your seamen cry out.

    ²⁹ All who handle the oars
       will abandon their ships;
       the mariners and all the seamen
       will stand on the shore.

    ³⁰ They will raise their voice
       and cry bitterly over you;
       they will sprinkle dust on their heads
       and roll in ashes.

    ³¹ They will shave their heads because of you
       and will put on sackcloth.
       They will weep over you with anguish of soul
       and with bitter mourning.

    ³² As they wail and mourn over you,
       they will take up a lament concerning you:
       "Who was ever silenced like Tyre,
       surrounded by the sea?"

    ³³ When your merchandise went out on the seas,
       you satisfied many nations;
       with your great wealth and your wares
       you enriched the kings of the earth.

    ³⁴ Now you are shattered by the sea
       in the depths of the waters;
       your wares and all your company
       have gone down with you.

    ³⁵ All who live in the coastlands
       are appalled at you;
       their kings shudder with horror
       and their faces are distorted with fear.

    ³⁶ The merchants among the nations hiss at you;
       you have come to a horrible end
       and will be no more.' "

Ezekiel 28

A Prophecy Against the King of Tyre

    ¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ² "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
       " 'In the pride of your heart
       you say, "I am a god;
       I sit on the throne of a god
       in the heart of the seas."
       But you are a man and not a god,
       though you think you are as wise as a god.

    ³ Are you wiser than Daniel ^[h] ?
       Is no secret hidden from you?

    ⁴ By your wisdom and understanding
       you have gained wealth for yourself
       and amassed gold and silver
       in your treasuries.

    ⁵ By your great skill in trading
       you have increased your wealth,
       and because of your wealth
       your heart has grown proud.

    ⁶ " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says:
       " 'Because you think you are wise,
       as wise as a god,

    ⁷ I am going to bring foreigners against you,
       the most ruthless of nations;
       they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom
       and pierce your shining splendor.

    ⁸ They will bring you down to the pit,
       and you will die a violent death
       in the heart of the seas.

    ⁹ Will you then say, "I am a god,"
       in the presence of those who kill you?
       You will be but a man, not a god,
       in the hands of those who slay you.

    ¹⁰ You will die the death of the uncircumcised
       at the hands of foreigners.
      I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.' "

    ¹¹ The word of the LORD came to me: ¹² "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
       " 'You were the model of perfection,
       full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

    ¹³ You were in Eden,
       the garden of God;
       every precious stone adorned you:
       ruby, topaz and emerald,
       chrysolite, onyx and jasper,
       sapphire, ^[i] turquoise and beryl. ^[j]
       Your settings and mountings ^[k] were made of gold;
       on the day you were created they were prepared.

    ¹⁴ You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
       for so I ordained you.
       You were on the holy mount of God;
       you walked among the fiery stones.

    ¹⁵ You were blameless in your ways
       from the day you were created
       till wickedness was found in you.

    ¹⁶ Through your widespread trade
       you were filled with violence,
       and you sinned.
       So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,
       and I expelled you, O guardian cherub,
       from among the fiery stones.

    ¹⁷ Your heart became proud
       on account of your beauty,
       and you corrupted your wisdom
       because of your splendor.
       So I threw you to the earth;
       I made a spectacle of you before kings.

    ¹⁸ By your many sins and dishonest trade
       you have desecrated your sanctuaries.
       So I made a fire come out from you,
       and it consumed you,
       and I reduced you to ashes on the ground
       in the sight of all who were watching.

    ¹⁹ All the nations who knew you
       are appalled at you;
       you have come to a horrible end
       and will be no more.' "

A Prophecy Against Sidon

    ²⁰ The word of the LORD came to me: ²¹ "Son of man, set your face against Sidon; prophesy against her ²² and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
       " 'I am against you, O Sidon,
       and I will gain glory within you.
       They will know that I am the LORD,
       when I inflict punishment on her
       and show myself holy within her.

    ²³ I will send a plague upon her
       and make blood flow in her streets.
       The slain will fall within her,
       with the sword against her on every side.
       Then they will know that I am the LORD.

    ²⁴ " 'No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

    ²⁵ " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. ²⁶ They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.' "

Ezekiel 29

A Prophecy Against Egypt

    ¹ In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the LORD came to me: ² "Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. ³ Speak to him and say: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
       " 'I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
       you great monster lying among your streams.
       You say, "The Nile is mine;
       I made it for myself."

    ⁴ But I will put hooks in your jaws
       and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
       I will pull you out from among your streams,
       with all the fish sticking to your scales.

    ⁵ I will leave you in the desert,
       you and all the fish of your streams.
       You will fall on the open field
       and not be gathered or picked up.
       I will give you as food
       to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.

    ⁶ Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the LORD.
      " 'You have been a staff of reed for the house of Israel. ⁷ When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched. ^[l]

    ⁸ " 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will bring a sword against you and kill your men and their animals. ⁹ Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
      " 'Because you said, "The Nile is mine; I made it," ¹⁰ therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush. ^{[m] 11} No foot of man or animal will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years. ¹² I will make the land of Egypt desolate 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.

    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, ^[n] the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly kingdom. ¹⁵ It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations. I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. ¹⁶ Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Israel but will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.' "

    ¹⁷ In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the LORD came to me: ¹⁸ "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare and every shoulder made raw. 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 king of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder the land as pay for his army. ²⁰ I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign LORD.

    ²¹ "On that day I will make a horn ^[o] grow for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

1 Peter 3

Wives and Husbands

    ¹Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, ²when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. ⁴Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. ⁵For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, ⁶like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

    ⁷Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Suffering for Doing Good

    ⁸Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. ⁹Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For,
   "Whoever would love life
      and see good days
   must keep his tongue from evil
      and his lips from deceitful speech.
    ¹¹He must turn from evil and do good;
      he must seek peace and pursue it.
    ¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
      and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
   but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."^[a]

    ¹³Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear^[b]; do not be frightened."^{[c] 15}But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. ¹⁷It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. ¹⁸For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹through whom^[d] also he went and preached to the spirits in prison ²⁰who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, ²¹and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge^[e] of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Footnotes:

Ezekiel 27-29

1. Ezekiel 27:5 That is, Hermon
2. Ezekiel 27:6 Targum; the Masoretic Text has a different division of the consonants.
3. Ezekiel 27:6 Hebrew Kittim
4. Ezekiel 27:9 That is, Byblos
5. Ezekiel 27:15 Septuagint; Hebrew Dedan
6. Ezekiel 27:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Edom
7. Ezekiel 27:17 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
8. Ezekiel 28:3 Or Danel ; the Hebrew spelling may suggest a person other than the prophet Daniel.
9. Ezekiel 28:13 Or lapis lazuli
10. Ezekiel 28:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.
11. Ezekiel 28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
12. Ezekiel 29:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint and Vulgate Hebrew and you caused their backs to stand
13. Ezekiel 29:10 That is, the upper Nile region
14. Ezekiel 29:14 Hebrew to Pathros
15. Ezekiel 29:21 Horn here symbolizes strength.

1 Peter 3

1. 1 Peter 3:12 Psalm 34:12-16
2. 1 Peter 3:14 Or not fear their threats
3. 1 Peter 3:14 Isaiah 8:12
4. 1 Peter 3:19 Or alive in the spirit, 19 through which
5. 1 Peter 3:21 Or response