Ezek. 31

31:1 In the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, the Lord’s message came to me: 2“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his hordes:

“‘Who are you like in your greatness?

3Consider Assyria, a cedar in Lebanon,

with beautiful branches, like a forest giving shade,

and extremely tall;

its top reached into the clouds.

4The water made it grow;

underground springs made it grow tall.

Rivers flowed all around the place it was planted,

while smaller channels watered all the trees of the field.

5Therefore it grew taller than all the trees of the field;

its boughs grew large and its branches grew long,

because of the plentiful water in its shoots.

6All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs;

under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth;

in its shade all the great nations lived.

7It was beautiful in its loftiness, in the length of its branches;

for its roots went down deep to plentiful waters.

8The cedars in the garden of God could not eclipse it,

nor could the fir trees match its boughs;

the plane trees were as nothing compared to its branches;

no tree in the garden of God could rival its beauty.

9I made it beautiful with its many branches;

all the trees of Eden, in the garden of God, envied it.

10“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because it was tall in stature, and its top reached into the clouds, and it was proud of its height, 11I gave it over to the leader of the nations. He has judged it thoroughly, as its sinfulness deserves. I have thrown it out. 12Foreigners from the most terrifying nations have cut it down and left it to lie there on the mountains. In all the valleys its branches have fallen, and its boughs lie broken in the ravines of the land. All the peoples of the land have departed from its shade and left it. 13On its ruins all the birds of the sky will live, and all the wild animals will walk on its branches. 14For this reason no watered trees will grow so tall; their tops will not reach into the clouds, nor will the well-watered ones grow that high. For all of them have been appointed to die in the lower parts of the earth; they will be among mere mortals, with those who descend to the Pit.

15“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it went down to Sheol I caused observers to lament. I covered it with the deep and held back its rivers; its plentiful water was restrained. I clothed Lebanon in black for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. 16I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below. 17Those who lived in its shade, its allies among the nations, also went down with it to Sheol, to those killed by the sword. 18Which of the trees of Eden was like you in majesty and loftiness? You will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the lower parts of the earth; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword! This is what will happen to Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Ps. 92

92:1 A psalm; a song for the Sabbath day.

It is fitting to thank the Lord,

and to sing praises to your name, O Most High.

2It is fitting to proclaim your loyal love in the morning

and your faithfulness during the night,

3to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre,

to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.

4For you, O Lord, have made me happy by your work.

I will sing for joy because of what you have done.

5How great are your works, O Lord!

Your plans are very intricate!

6The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;

the fool does not understand this.

7When the wicked sprout up like grass,

and all the evildoers glisten,

it is so that they may be annihilated.

8But you, O Lord, reign forever.

9Indeed, look at your enemies, O Lord.

Indeed, look at how your enemies perish.

All the evildoers are scattered.

10You exalt my horn like that of a wild ox.

I am covered with fresh oil.

11I gloat in triumph over those who tried to ambush me;

I hear the defeated cries of the evil foes who attacked me.

12The godly grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.

13Planted in the Lord’s house,

they grow in the courts of our God.

14They bear fruit even when they are old;

they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.

15So they proclaim that the Lord, my Protector,

is just and never unfair.

Heb. 4:14–5:10

4:14 Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. 16Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.

5:1 For every high priest is taken from among the people and appointed to represent them before God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal compassionately with those who are ignorant and erring, since he also is subject to weakness, 3and for this reason he is obligated to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. 4And no one assumes this honor on his own initiative, but only when called to it by God, as in fact Aaron was. 5So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming high priest, but the one who glorified him was God, who said to him, “You are my Son! Today I have fathered you,” 6as also in another place God says, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” 7During his earthly life Christ offered both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his devotion. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience through the things he suffered. 9And by being perfected in this way, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10and he was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.