The Babylonian Exile

By your wisdom and discernment you have acquired wealth, you have gathered gold and silver into your treasuries.

By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and it is because of your wealth that you have become so proud.

"Therefore Adonai ELOHIM says, 'Because you think that you think like God,

I will bring foreigners against you, the most barbarous of the nations, to draw their swords against your fine wisdom and defile your splendor.

They will lower you into the pit to die a violent death surrounded by the sea.

Will you still say, "I am God," to them who are about to kill you? You are a man, you are not God, in the hands of those who defile you.

You will die the deaths of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. For I have spoken,' says Adonai ELOHIM."

The word of ADONAI came to me:

"Human being, raise a lament for the king of Tzor, and tell him that Adonai ELOHIM says: 'You put the seal on perfection; you were full of wisdom and perfect in beauty;

you were in 'Eden, the garden of God; covered with all kinds of precious stones - carnelians, topaz, diamonds, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphires, green feldspar, emeralds; your pendants and jewels were made of gold, prepared the day you were created.

You were a keruv, protecting a large region; I placed you on God's holy mountain. You walked back and forth among stones of fire.

You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.

"'When your commerce grew, you became filled with violence; and in this way you sinned. Therefore I have thrown you out, defiled, from the mountain of God; I have destroyed you, protecting keruv, from among the stones of fire.

Your heart grew proud because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. But I have thrown you on the ground; before kings I have made you a spectacle.

By your many crimes in dishonest trading, you have profaned your sanctuaries; therefore I brought forth fire from within you, and it has devoured you; I reduced you into ashes on the ground in the sight of all who can see you.

All who know you among the peoples will be aghast at you. You are an object of terror, and you will cease to exist.'"

The word of ADONAI came to me:

"Human being, turn your face toward Tzidon, and prophesy against it.

Say that Adonai ELOHIM says: 'I am against you, Tzidon; but I will be glorified in you. They will know that I am ADONAI, once I execute judgments in her and show my holiness in her.

For I will send plagues into her, and blood will flow in her streets; attacked from all sides by the sword, the wounded will fall within her. Then they will know that I am ADONAI.

"'The house of Isra'el will no longer have a briar pricking away at them, no longer will any of its contemptuous neighbors be a thorn to stab them. Then they will know that I am Adonai ELOHIM.'

"Adonai ELOHIM says, 'Once I have gathered the house of Isra'el from the peoples among whom they are scattered, once I have shown my holiness in them as the Goyim watch, then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Ya'akov.

They will have security when they live there, building houses and planting vineyards; yes, they will live in safety, once I have executed judgments against all their contemptuous neighbors. Then they will know that I am ADONAI their God.'"

On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the twelfth year, the word of ADONAI came to me:

"Human being, turn your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt; prophesy against him and against all Egypt;