A Lament for Pharaoh King of Egypt

¹In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

²“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:‘You are like a lion among the nations;you are like a monster in the seas.You thrash about in your rivers,churning up the waters with your feetand muddying the streams.’

³This is what the Lord GOD says:‘I will spread My net over youwith a company of many peoples,and they will draw you up in My net.

⁴I will abandon you on the landand hurl you into the open field.I will cause all the birds of the airto settle upon you,and all the beasts of the earthto eat their fill of you.

⁵I will put your flesh on the mountainsand fill the valleys with your remains.

⁶I will drench the landwith the flow of your blood,all the way to the mountains—the ravines will be filled.

⁷When I extinguish you,I will cover the heavensand darken their stars.I will cover the sun with a cloud,and the moon will not give its light.

⁸All the shining lights in the heavensI will darken over you,and I will bring darknessupon your land,’declares the Lord GOD.

⁹‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,when I bring about your destruction among the nations,in countriesyou do not know.

¹⁰I will cause many peoplesto be appalled over you,and their kings will shudder in horror because of youwhen I brandish My sword before them.On the day of your downfalleach of them will trembleevery moment for his life.’

¹¹For this is what the Lord GOD says:‘The sword of the king of Babylonwill come against you!

¹²I will make your hordes fallby the swords of the mighty,the most ruthless of all nations.They will ravage the pride of Egyptand all her multitudes will be destroyed.

¹³I will slaughter all her cattlebeside the abundant waters.No human foot will muddy them again,and no cattle hooves will disturb them.

¹⁴Then I will let her waters settleand will make her rivers flow like oil,’declares the Lord GOD.

¹⁵‘When I make the land of Egypt a desolationand empty it of all that filled it,when I strike down all who live there,then they will know that I am the LORD.’

¹⁶This is the lament they will chant for her; the daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares the Lord GOD.”

Egypt Cast into the Pit

¹⁷In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month,the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

¹⁸“Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:

¹⁹Whom do you surpass in beauty?Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised!

²⁰They will fall among those slain by the sword.The sword is appointed!Let them drag her awayalong with all her multitudes.

²¹Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheolabout Egypt and her allies:‘They have come down and lie with the uncircumcised,with those slain by the sword.’

²²Assyria is there with her whole company;her graves are all around her.All of them are slain,fallen by the sword.

²³Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit,and her company is all around her grave.All of them are slain,fallen by the sword—those who once spread terrorin the land of the living.

²⁴Elam is therewith all her multitudes around her grave.All of them are slain,fallen by the sword—those who went down uncircumcisedto the earth below,who once spread their terrorin the land of the living.They bear their disgracewith those who descend to the Pit.

²⁵Among the slain they preparea resting place for Elamwith all her hordes,with her graves all around her.All of them are uncircumcised,slain by the sword,although their terror was once spreadin the land of the living.They bear their disgracewith those who descend to the Pit.They are placed among the slain.

²⁶Meshech and Tubal are therewith all their multitudes,with their graves all around them.All of them are uncircumcised,slain by the sword,because they spread their terrorin the land of the living.

²⁷They do not lie downwith the fallen warriors of old,who went down to Sheolwith their weapons of war,whose swords were placed under their heads,whose shieldsrested on their bones,although the terror of the mightywas once in the land of the living.

²⁸But you too will be shatteredand lie down among the uncircumcised,with those slain by the sword.

²⁹Edom is there,and all her kings and princes,who despite their mightare laid among those slain by the sword.They lie down with the uncircumcised,with those who descend to the Pit.

³⁰All the leaders of the northand all the Sidonians are there;they went down in disgrace with the slain,despite the terror of their might.They lie uncircumcisedwith those slain by the swordand bear their shamewith those who descend to the Pit.

³¹Pharaoh will see themand be comforted over all his multitude—Pharaoh and all his army,slain by the sword,declares the Lord GOD.

³²For I will spread My terrorin the land of the living,so that Pharaoh and all his multitudewill be laid to rest among the uncircumcised,with those slain by the sword,declares the Lord GOD.”

Jehu Anointed King of Israel

¹Now Elisha the prophet summoned one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tuck your cloak under your belt,take this flask of oil, and go to Ramoth-gilead.

²When you arrive, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go in, get him away from his companions, and take him to an inner room.

³Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and declare, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run. Do not delay!”

⁴So the young prophet went to Ramoth-gilead,

⁵and when he arrived, the army commanders were sitting there. “I have a message for you, commander,” he said.“For which of us?” asked Jehu.“For you, commander,” he replied.

⁶So Jehu got up and went into the house, where the young prophet poured the oil on his head and declared, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anoint you king over the LORD’s people Israel.

⁷And you are to strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the LORD shed by the hand of Jezebel.

⁸The whole house of Ahab will perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male,both slave and free, in Israel.

⁹I will make the house of Ahab like the houses of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah.

¹⁰And on the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour Jezebel, and there will be no one to bury her.’”Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.

¹¹When Jehu went out to the servants of his master, they asked, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?”“You know his kind and their babble,” he replied.

¹²“That is a lie!” they said. “Tell us now!”So Jehu answered, “He talked to me about this and that, saying, ‘This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

¹³Quickly, each man took his garment and put it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blew the ram’s horn and proclaimed, “Jehu is king!”

Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah

¹⁴Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram.(Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Aram,

¹⁵but King Joramhad returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the Arameans in the battle against Hazael their king.)So Jehu said, “If you commanders wish to make me king, then do not let anyone escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”

¹⁶Then Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jezreel, because Joram was laid up there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.

¹⁷Now the watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu’s troops approaching, and he called out, “I see a company of troops!”“Choose a rider,” Joram commanded. “Send him out to meet them and ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’”

¹⁸So a horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’”“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”And the watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.”

¹⁹So the king sent out a second horseman, who went to them and said, “This is what the king asks: ‘Have you come in peace?’”“What do you know about peace?” Jehu replied. “Fall in behind me.”

²⁰Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the charioteer is driving like Jehu son of Nimshi—he is driving like a madman!”

²¹“Harness!” Joram shouted, and they harnessed his chariot.Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

²²When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?”“How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as the idolatryand witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”

²³Joram turned aroundand fled, calling out to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”

²⁴Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot.

²⁵And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember that when you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, the LORD lifted up this burden against him:

²⁶‘As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the LORD, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the LORD.’ Now then, according to the word of the LORD, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground.”

²⁷When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled up the road toward Beth-haggan.And Jehu pursued him, shouting, “Shoot him too!”So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot on the Ascent of Gur,near Ibleam, and he fled to Megiddo and died there.

²⁸Then his servants carried him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fathers in his tomb in the City of David.

²⁹(In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.)

Jezebel’s Violent Death

³⁰Now when Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. So she painted her eyes, adorned her head, and looked down from a window.

³¹And as Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, O Zimri, murderer of your master?”

³²He looked up at the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?”And two or three eunuchs looked down at him.

³³“Throw her down!” yelled Jehu.So they threw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses as they trampled her underfoot.

³⁴Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of this cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was the daughter of a king.”

³⁵But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing but her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands.

³⁶So they went back and told Jehu, who replied, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke through His servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel.

³⁷And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’”

Temple Construction Begins

¹Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appearedto his father David. This was the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornanthe Jebusite.

²Solomon began construction on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

³The foundation that Solomon laid for the house of God was sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide,according to the old standard.

⁴The portico at the front, extending across the width of the temple, was twenty cubits longand twenty cubits high.He overlaid the inside with pure gold.

The Temple’s Interior

⁵He paneled the main room with cypress,which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm trees and chains.

⁶He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim.

⁷He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

⁸Then he made the Most Holy Place;its length corresponded to the width of the temple—twenty cubits long and twenty cubits wide. And he overlaid the inside with six hundred talents of fine gold.

⁹The weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold.He also overlaid the upper rooms with gold.

The Cherubim

¹⁰In the Most Holy Place he made two cherubim of sculptured work, and he overlaid them with gold.

¹¹The total wingspan of the cherubim was twenty cubits. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits longand touched the wall of the temple, and its other wing was five cubits long and touched the wing of the other cherub.

¹²The wing of the second cherub also measured five cubits and touched the wall of the temple, while its other wing measured five cubits and touched the wing of the first cherub.

¹³So the total wingspan of these cherubim was twenty cubits. They stood on their feet, facing the main room.

The Veil and Pillars

¹⁴He made the veil of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, with cherubim woven into it.

¹⁵In front of the temple he made two pillars, which together were thirty-five cubits high,each with a capital on top measuring five cubits.

¹⁶He made interwoven chainsand put them on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork.

¹⁷Then he set up the pillars in front of the temple, one on the south and one on the north. The pillar on the south he named Jachin,and the pillar on the north he named Boaz.

I Will Sing of His Love Forever

¹I will sing of the loving devotion of the LORD forever;with my mouth I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations.

²For I have said, “Loving devotion is built up forever;in the heavens You establish Your faithfulness.”

³You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one,I have sworn to David My servant:

⁴‘I will establish your offspring foreverand build up your throne for all generations.’”Selah

⁵The heavens praise Your wonders, O LORD—Your faithfulness as well—in the assembly of the holy ones.

⁶For who in the skies can compare with the LORD?Who among the heavenly beingsis like the LORD?

⁷In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared,and awesome above all who surround Him.

⁸O LORD God of Hosts, who is like You?O mighty LORD, Your faithfulness surrounds You.

⁹You rule the raging sea;when its waves mount up, You still them.

¹⁰You crushed Rahab like a carcass;You scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.

¹¹The heavens are Yours, and also the earth.The earth and its fullness You founded.

¹²North and south You created;Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.

¹³Mighty is Your arm; strong is Your hand.Your right hand is exalted.

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.

¹⁵Blessed are those who know the joyful sound,who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your presence.

¹⁶They rejoice in Your name all day long,and in Your righteousness they exult.

¹⁷For You are the glory of their strength,and by Your favor our horn is exalted.

¹⁸Surely our shield belongs to the LORD,and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹You once spoke in a vision;to Your godly ones You said,“I have bestowed help on a warrior;I have exalted one chosen from the people.

²⁰I have found My servant David;with My sacred oil I have anointed him.

²¹My hand will sustain him;surely My arm will strengthen him.

²²No enemy will exact tribute;no wicked man will oppress him.

²³I will crush his foes before himand strike down those who hate him.

²⁴My faithfulness and loving devotion will be with him,and through My name his horn will be exalted.

²⁵I will set his hand over the sea,and his right hand upon the rivers.

²⁶He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father,my God, the Rock of my salvation.’

²⁷I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn,the highest of the kings of the earth.

²⁸I will forever preserve My loving devotion for him,and My covenant with him will stand fast.

²⁹I will establish his line forever,his throne as long as the heavens endure.

³⁰If his sons forsake My lawand do not walk in My judgments,

³¹if they violate My statutesand fail to keep My commandments,

³²I will attend to their transgression with the rod,and to their iniquity with stripes.

³³But I will not withdraw My loving devotion from him,nor ever betray My faithfulness.

³⁴I will not violate My covenantor alter the utterance of My lips.

³⁵Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness—I will not lie to David—

³⁶his offspring shall endure forever,and his throne before Me like the sun,

³⁷like the moon, established forever,a faithful witness in the sky.”Selah

³⁸Now, however, You have spurned and rejected him;You are enraged by Your anointed one.

³⁹You have renounced the covenant with Your servantand sullied his crown in the dust.

⁴⁰You have broken down all his walls;You have reduced his strongholds to rubble.

⁴¹All who pass by plunder him;he has become a reproach to his neighbors.

⁴²You have exalted the right hand of his foes;You have made all his enemies rejoice.

⁴³You have bent the edge of his swordand have not sustained him in battle.

⁴⁴You have ended his splendorand cast his throne to the ground.

⁴⁵You have cut short the days of his youth;You have covered him with shame.Selah

⁴⁶How long, O LORD?Will You hide Yourself forever?Will Your wrath keep burning like fire?

⁴⁷Remember the briefness of my lifespan!For what futility You have created all men!

⁴⁸What man can live and never see death?Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?Selah

⁴⁹Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old,which You faithfully swore to David?

⁵⁰Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants,which I bear in my heart from so many people—

⁵¹how Your enemies have taunted, O LORD,and have mocked every step of Your anointed one!

⁵²Blessed be the LORD forever!Amen and amen.