Ezekiel 28
About EzekielWritten by AI
Ezekiel is a book of prophecy from exile. Ezekiel was a priest taken to Babylon with King Jehoiachin in 597 BC. Five years later, by the River Kebar, he saw a stunning vision of God's glory and was called as a prophet. His messages are carefully dated, running from about 593 to 571 BC, and are usually held to be his own.
The book moves in three parts. Chapters 1 to 24 warn that Jerusalem will fall, and show God's glory leaving the temple. Chapters 25 to 32 speak to the surrounding nations. After news arrives that the city has fallen, chapters 33 to 48 turn to hope: a new heart, dry bones brought to life, and a renewed temple where God dwells.
Expect strange visions and acted signs. Ezekiel lies on his side, shaves his head, and loses his wife as a sign. Watch for the repeated phrase that they will know that I am the LORD. The whole book is about God making Himself known.
Before you read Ezekiel 28Written by AI
God rebukes Tyre's ruler for claiming to be a god. Then comes a lament for the king of Tyre, who was in Eden and was a guardian cherub, until pride corrupted him. Some Christians read this as also describing Satan's fall; others see poetic language for a proud king. The chapter ends with Sidon and a promise for Israel.
A Prophecy against the Ruler of Tyre
And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says:
Your heart is proud,
and you have said,
‘I am a god;
I sit in the seat of gods
in the heart of the sea.’
Yet you are a man and not a god,
though you have regarded your heart
as that of a god.
Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you!
By your wisdom and understanding
you have gained your wealth
and amassed gold and silver
for your treasuries.
By your great skill in trading
you have increased your wealth,
but your heart has grown proud
because of it.
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says:
Because you regard your heart
as the heart of a god,
behold, I will bring foreigners against you,
the most ruthless of nations.
They will draw their swords
against the beauty of your wisdom
and will defile your splendor.
They will bring you down to the Pit,
and you will die a violent death
in the heart of the seas.
Will you still say, ‘I am a god,’
in the presence of those who slay you?
You will be only a man, not a god,
in the hands of those who wound you.
You will die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners.
For I have spoken,
declares the Lord GOD.”
A Lament for the King of Tyre
Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lament for the king of Tyre and tell him that this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden,
the garden of God.
Every kind of precious stone adorned you:
ruby, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, turquoise, and emerald.
Your mountings and settings were crafted in gold,
prepared on the day of your creation.
You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for I had ordained you.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
you walked among the fiery stones.
From the day you were created
you were blameless in your ways—
until wickedness was found in you.
By the vastness of your trade,
you were filled with violence, and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace
from the mountain of God,
and I banished you, O guardian cherub,
from among the fiery stones.
Your heart grew proud of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor;
so I cast you to the earth;
I made you a spectacle before kings.
By the multitude of your iniquities
and the dishonesty of your trading
you have profaned your sanctuaries.
So I made fire come from within you,
and it consumed you.
I reduced you to ashes on the ground
in the eyes of all who saw you.
All the nations who know you
are appalled over you.
You have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.’”
A Prophecy against Sidon
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, set your face against Sidon and prophesy against her. And you are to declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Behold, I am against you, O Sidon,
and I will be glorified within you.
They will know that I am the LORD
when I execute judgments against her
and demonstrate My holiness through her.
I will send a plague against her
and shed blood in her streets;
the slain will fall within her,
while the sword is against her on every side.
Then they will know that I am the LORD.
For the people of Israel will no longer face a pricking brier or a painful thorn from all around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.’
The Restoration of Israel
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, I will show Myself holy among them in the sight of the nations.
Then they will dwell in their own land, which I have given to My servant Jacob. And there they will dwell securely, build houses, and plant vineyards. They will dwell securely when I execute judgments against all those around them who treat them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.’”