The Berean Pursuit
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them. Tell the Ammonites to hear the word of the Lord GOD, for this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because you exclaimed, "Aha!" when My sanctuary was profaned, when the land of Israel was laid waste, and when the house of Judah went into exile, therefore I will indeed give you as a possession to the people of the East. They will set up their camps and pitch their tents among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. I will make Rabbah a pasture for camels, and Ammon a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'
For this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because you clapped your hands and stomped your feet and rejoiced over the land of Israel with a heart full of contempt, therefore I will indeed stretch out My hand against you and give you as plunder to the nations. I will cut you off from the peoples and exterminate you from the countries. I will destroy you, and you will know that I am the LORD.'
This is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because Moab and Seir said, "Look, the house of Judah is like all the other nations," therefore I will indeed expose the flank of Moab beginning with its frontier cities-Beth-jeshimoth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim-the glory of the land. I will give it along with the Ammonites as a possession to the people of the East, so that the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations. So I will execute judgments on Moab, and they will know that I am the LORD.'
This is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt, therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.'
This is what the Lord GOD says: 'Because the Philistines acted in vengeance, taking vengeance with malice of soul to destroy Judah with ancient hostility, therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant along the coast. I will execute great vengeance against them with furious reproof. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.'?"
In the eleventh month of the twelfth year, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, because Tyre has said of Jerusalem, 'Aha! The gate to the nations is broken; it has swung open to me; now that she lies in ruins I will be filled,' therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Behold, O Tyre, I am against you, and I will raise up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. They will destroy the walls of Tyre and demolish her towers. I will scrape the soil from her and make her a bare rock. She will become a place to spread nets in the sea, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. She will become plunder for the nations, and the villages on her mainland will be slain by the sword. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'
For this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Behold, I will bring against Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with cavalry and a great company of troops. He will slaughter the villages of your mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp to your walls, and raise his shields against you. He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his axes. His multitude of horses will cover you in their dust.
When he enters your gates as an army entering a breached city, your walls will shake from the noise of cavalry, wagons, and chariots. The hooves of his horses will trample all your streets. He will slaughter your people with the sword, and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground. They will plunder your wealth and pillage your merchandise. They will demolish your walls, tear down your beautiful homes, and throw your stones and timber and soil into the water.
So I will silence the sound of your songs, and the music of your lyres will no longer be heard. I will make you a bare rock, and you will become a place to spread the fishing nets. You will never be rebuilt, for I, the LORD, have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.'
This is what the Lord GOD says to Tyre: 'Will not the coastlands quake at the sound of your downfall, when the wounded groan at the slaughter in your midst?
All the princes of the sea will descend from their thrones, remove their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments. Clothed with terror, they will sit on the ground, trembling every moment, appalled over you. Then they will lament for you, saying,
"How you have perished, O city of renown
inhabited by seafaring men-
she who was powerful on the sea, along with her people,
who imposed terror on all peoples!
Now the coastlands tremble
on the day of your downfall;
the islands in the sea
are dismayed by your demise."?'
For this is what the Lord GOD says: 'When I make you a desolate city like other deserted cities, and when I raise up the deep against you so that the mighty waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the earth below like the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or set in splendor in the land of the living. I will make you an object of horror, and you will be no more. You will be sought, but will never be found,' declares the Lord GOD."
Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Now you, son of man, take up a lament for Tyre. Tell Tyre, who dwells at the gateway to the sea, merchant of the peoples on many coasts, that this is what the Lord GOD says:
You have said, O Tyre,
'I am perfect in beauty.'
Your borders are in the heart of the seas;
your builders perfected your beauty.
They constructed all your planking
with cypress from Senir.
They took a cedar from Lebanon
to make a mast for you.
Of oaks from Bashan
they made your oars;
of wood from the coasts of Cyprus
they made your deck, inlaid with ivory.
Of embroidered fine linen from Egypt
they made your sail,
which served as your banner.
Of blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah
they made your awning.
The men of Sidon and Arvad
were your oarsmen.
Your men of skill, O Tyre,
were there as your captains.
The elders of Gebal were aboard as shipwrights,
repairing your leaks.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors
came alongside to barter for your merchandise.
Men of Persia, Lydia, and Put
served as warriors in your army.
They hung their shields and helmets on your walls;
they gave you splendor.
Men of Arvad and Helech
manned your walls all around,
and the men of Gammad
were in your towers.
They hung their shields around your walls;
they perfected your beauty.
Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares.
Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise.
The men of Beth-togarmah exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your wares.
The men of Dedan were your clients; many coastlands were your market; they paid you with ivory tusks and ebony.
Aram was your customer because of your many products; they exchanged turquoise, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral, and rubies for your wares.
Judah and the land of Israel traded with you; they exchanged wheat from Minnith, cakes and honey, oil and balm for your merchandise.
Because of your many products and your great wealth of goods, Damascus traded with you wine from Helbon, wool from Zahar, and casks of wine from Izal for your wares. Wrought iron, cassia, and sweet cane were exchanged for your merchandise.
Dedan was your merchant in saddlecloths for riding.
Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers, trading in lambs, rams, and goats.
The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you; for your wares they exchanged gold, the finest of all spices, and precious stones.
Haran, Canneh, and Eden traded with you, and so did the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad. In your marketplace they traded with you fine garments of blue, embroidered work, and multicolored rugs with cords tightly twisted and knotted.
The ships of Tarshish
carried your merchandise.
And you were filled with heavy cargo
in the heart of the sea.
Your oarsmen have brought you
onto the high seas,
but the east wind will shatter you
in the heart of the sea.
Your wealth, wares, and merchandise,
your sailors, captains, and shipwrights,
your merchants and all the warriors within you,
with all the other people on board,
will sink into the heart of the sea
on the day of your downfall.
The countryside will shake
when your sailors cry out.
All who handle the oars
will abandon their ships.
The sailors and all the captains of the sea
will stand on the shore.
They will raise their voices for you
and cry out bitterly.
They will throw dust on their heads
and roll in ashes.
They will shave their heads for you
and wrap themselves in sackcloth.
They will weep over you
with anguish of soul and bitter mourning.
As they wail and mourn over you,
they will take up a lament for you:
'Who was ever like Tyre,
silenced in the middle of the sea?
When your wares went out to sea,
you satisfied many nations.
You enriched the kings of the earth
with your abundant wealth and merchandise.
Now you are shattered by the seas
in the depths of the waters;
your merchandise and the people among you
have gone down with you.
All the people of the coastlands
are appalled over you.
Their kings shudder with fear;
their faces are contorted.
Those who trade among the nations
hiss at you;
you have come to a horrible end
and will be no more.'?"
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
You showed favor to Your land, O LORD;
You restored Jacob from captivity.
You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You covered all their sin.
Selah
You withheld all Your fury;
You turned from Your burning anger.
Restore us, O God of our salvation,
and put away Your displeasure toward us.
Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You draw out Your anger to all generations?
Will You not revive us again,
that Your people may rejoice in You?
Show us Your loving devotion, O LORD,
and grant us Your salvation.
I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
for He will surely speak peace to His people and His saints;
He will not let them return to folly.
Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,
that His glory may dwell in our land.
Loving devotion and faithfulness have joined together;
righteousness and peace have kissed.
Faithfulness sprouts from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The LORD will indeed provide what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before Him
to prepare the way for His steps.
Now as Jesus was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth, and His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him. While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man's eyes. Then He told him, "Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam" (which means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.
At this, his neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging began to ask, "Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?"
Some claimed that he was, but others said, "No, he just looks like him."
But the man kept saying, "I am the one."
"How then were your eyes opened?" they asked.
He answered, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and anointed my eyes, and He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed and received my sight."
"Where is He?" they asked.
"I do not know," he answered.
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyes was a Sabbath. So the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight.
The man answered, "He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see."
Because of this, some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath."
But others said, "How can a sinful man perform such signs?"
And there was division among them. So once again they asked the man who had been blind, "What do you say about Him, since it was your eyes He opened?"
"He is a prophet," the man replied.
The Jews still did not believe that the man had been blind and had received his sight until they summoned his parents and asked, "Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he can now see?"
His parents answered, "We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind. But how he can now see or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself."
His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. For the Jews had already determined that anyone who confessed Jesus as the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. That was why his parents said, "He is old enough. Ask him."
So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, "Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner."
He answered, "Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!"
"What did He do to you?" they asked. "How did He open your eyes?"
He replied, "I already told you, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?"
Then they heaped insults on him and said, "You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from."
"That is remarkable indeed!" the man said. "You do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will. Never before has anyone heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do no such thing."
They replied, "You were born in utter sin, and you are instructing us?" And they threw him out.
When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, He found the man and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
"Who is He, Sir?" he replied. "Tell me so that I may believe in Him."
"You have already seen Him," Jesus answered. "He is the One speaking with you."
"Lord, I believe," he said. And he worshiped Jesus.
Then Jesus declared, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind."
Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him, "Are we blind too?"
"If you were blind," Jesus replied, "you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, your guilt remains."