New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Ezekiel 25
1
A message came to me from the Lord. He said,
2
"Son of man, turn your attention to the Ammonites. Prophesy against them.
Reference
Prophecy
Ezekiel 6:2
3
Tell them, 'Listen to the message of the Lord and King. He says, "You laughed when my temple was polluted. You also laughed when the land of Israel was completely destroyed. You made fun of the people of Judah when they were taken away as prisoners.
Reference
4
So I am going to hand you over to the people of the east. They will set up their tents in your land. They will camp among you. They will eat your fruit. They will drink your milk.
Reference
5
I will turn the city of Rabbah into grasslands for camels. Ammon will become a resting place for sheep. Then you will know that I am the Lord." ' "
Reference
6
The Lord and King says, "You clapped your hands. You stamped your feet. You hated the land of Israel deep down inside you. You were glad because of what happened to it.
Reference
Parallel theme
Zephaniah 2:8
Obadiah 1:12
Job 27:23
Nahum 3:19
References God
Ezekiel 25:15
Ezekiel 6:11
Ezekiel 36:5
References Lord
Zephaniah 2:10
7
So I will reach out my powerful hand against you. I will give you and everything you have to the nations. I will cut you off from them. I will wipe you out. I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord."
Reference
8
The Lord and King says, "Moab and Edom said, 'Look! The people of Judah have become like all of the other nations.'
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 25:21
9
So I will let Moab's enemies attack its lower hills. They will begin at the border towns. Those towns include Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon and Kiriathaim. They are the glory of that land.
Reference
10
I will hand Moab over to the people of the east. I will also give the Ammonites to them. And the Ammonites will no longer be remembered among the nations.
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 21:32
11
I will punish Moab. Then they will know that I am the Lord."
12
The Lord and King says, "Edom got even with the people of Judah. That made them very guilty."
Reference
13
He continues, "I will reach out my hand against Edom. I will kill its people and their animals. I will completely destroy it. They will be killed with swords from Teman all the way to Dedan.
Reference
14
I will use my people Israel to pay Edom back. They will punish Edom because my anger burns against it. They will know how I pay my enemies back," announces the Lord and King.
Reference
15
The Lord and King says, "The Philistines hated Judah deep down inside them. So they tried to get even with them. They had been Judah's enemies for many years. So they tried to destroy them."
Reference
16
He continues, "I am about to reach out my hand against the Philistines. I will cut off the Kerethites. I will destroy those who remain along the coast.
Reference
Parallel theme
1 Samuel 30:14
2 Samuel 15:18
References God
Ezekiel 25:13
References Lord
Ezekiel 25:7
Summary of Ezekiel 25
Ezekiel 25 begins a new section of the book in which God's attention moves beyond Judah and Jerusalem toward the surrounding nations, demonstrating that while Judah is being judged for its own rebellion, the neighboring peoples are not free to celebrate, exploit, or participate in Judah's suffering without eventually being held accountable themselves.
The first nation addressed is Ammon, located east of the Jordan River.
Ammon is condemned because it celebrated the destruction of God's sanctuary, the devastation of Israel, and the exile of Judah.
Its reaction to Jerusalem's suffering is important because the prophecy distinguishes between simply witnessing another nation's defeat and rejoicing maliciously over that nation's destruction.
Ammon's celebration reveals hostility toward Judah, and God announces that the nation will lose its security and territory.
Its capital, Rabbah, will eventually become a place associated with animals rather than a flourishing political center, symbolizing the reversal of Ammon's fortunes.
The prophecy then turns toward Moab, another nation east of Judah.
Moab is condemned for treating Judah as though it were simply another ordinary nation and failing to recognize the significance of Israel's relationship with God.
The judgment against Moab includes the destruction of important border settlements and strongholds, demonstrating that the nation's geographical defenses and political security will not protect it from the consequences of its actions.
The prophecy next addresses Edom, which receives particular condemnation because of its desire for revenge against Judah.
Edom's hostility was not simply passive resentment; the prophecy portrays it as an active desire to take advantage of Judah's suffering.
God therefore promises to stretch out His hand against Edom and destroy its population and territory.
The prophecy contains an important reversal when God says that Israel itself will eventually be involved in Edom's judgment, demonstrating that the nations surrounding Judah cannot assume that their temporary advantage will last forever.
The final nation addressed is Philistia, an ancient rival of Israel that had a long history of hostility toward God's people.
The Philistines are condemned for their desire for revenge and their continuing hatred toward Judah.
God announces judgment against their coastal territories and remaining communities, showing that their longstanding hostility will not escape divine accountability.
Together, these four judgments reveal an important principle in Ezekiel's message: God's judgment is not limited to Judah.
Judah is not being punished because God has abandoned justice or because Babylon can do whatever it wants without accountability.
Instead, God remains sovereign over the nations and judges them according to their own behavior.
The surrounding nations are therefore accountable for how they respond to Judah's suffering.
Their celebration, revenge, contempt, and hostility become reasons for their own judgment.
Historically, these prophecies belong to the period surrounding the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, when the political order of the ancient Near East was being dramatically reshaped by the expansion of Babylon.
The nations surrounding Judah had their own political interests and long histories of conflict with Israel, but Babylon's rise eventually brought many of these kingdoms under pressure or domination.
The chapter therefore presents the fall of Judah within a much larger regional picture in which God remains sovereign over Israel, its enemies, and the imperial powers that reshape the region.
The central message is that Ezekiel 25 demonstrates that God's judgment extends beyond Judah to the surrounding nations, including Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia, because although these nations were not being judged for exactly the same sins as Jerusalem, they were held accountable for their hatred, revenge, contempt, exploitation, and especially their malicious celebration of Judah's suffering, with Ammon rejoicing over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, Moab treating Judah with contempt, Edom pursuing revenge, and Philistia continuing its ancient hostility, so God announces that the political security, fortified cities, territories, and national identities of these peoples will also be overturned, demonstrating that temporary military success does not place a nation beyond divine accountability and that those who take pleasure in another people's destruction may eventually experience the consequences of their own actions, while the chapter as a whole establishes the wider prophetic principle that God is sovereign not only over Judah but over all nations and can use the changing political powers of the ancient Near East to accomplish His purposes while still holding every nation responsible for how it treats others.
The first nation addressed is Ammon, located east of the Jordan River.
Ammon is condemned because it celebrated the destruction of God's sanctuary, the devastation of Israel, and the exile of Judah.
Its reaction to Jerusalem's suffering is important because the prophecy distinguishes between simply witnessing another nation's defeat and rejoicing maliciously over that nation's destruction.
Ammon's celebration reveals hostility toward Judah, and God announces that the nation will lose its security and territory.
Its capital, Rabbah, will eventually become a place associated with animals rather than a flourishing political center, symbolizing the reversal of Ammon's fortunes.
The prophecy then turns toward Moab, another nation east of Judah.
Moab is condemned for treating Judah as though it were simply another ordinary nation and failing to recognize the significance of Israel's relationship with God.
The judgment against Moab includes the destruction of important border settlements and strongholds, demonstrating that the nation's geographical defenses and political security will not protect it from the consequences of its actions.
The prophecy next addresses Edom, which receives particular condemnation because of its desire for revenge against Judah.
Edom's hostility was not simply passive resentment; the prophecy portrays it as an active desire to take advantage of Judah's suffering.
God therefore promises to stretch out His hand against Edom and destroy its population and territory.
The prophecy contains an important reversal when God says that Israel itself will eventually be involved in Edom's judgment, demonstrating that the nations surrounding Judah cannot assume that their temporary advantage will last forever.
The final nation addressed is Philistia, an ancient rival of Israel that had a long history of hostility toward God's people.
The Philistines are condemned for their desire for revenge and their continuing hatred toward Judah.
God announces judgment against their coastal territories and remaining communities, showing that their longstanding hostility will not escape divine accountability.
Together, these four judgments reveal an important principle in Ezekiel's message: God's judgment is not limited to Judah.
Judah is not being punished because God has abandoned justice or because Babylon can do whatever it wants without accountability.
Instead, God remains sovereign over the nations and judges them according to their own behavior.
The surrounding nations are therefore accountable for how they respond to Judah's suffering.
Their celebration, revenge, contempt, and hostility become reasons for their own judgment.
Historically, these prophecies belong to the period surrounding the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, when the political order of the ancient Near East was being dramatically reshaped by the expansion of Babylon.
The nations surrounding Judah had their own political interests and long histories of conflict with Israel, but Babylon's rise eventually brought many of these kingdoms under pressure or domination.
The chapter therefore presents the fall of Judah within a much larger regional picture in which God remains sovereign over Israel, its enemies, and the imperial powers that reshape the region.
The central message is that Ezekiel 25 demonstrates that God's judgment extends beyond Judah to the surrounding nations, including Ammon, Moab, Edom, and Philistia, because although these nations were not being judged for exactly the same sins as Jerusalem, they were held accountable for their hatred, revenge, contempt, exploitation, and especially their malicious celebration of Judah's suffering, with Ammon rejoicing over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, Moab treating Judah with contempt, Edom pursuing revenge, and Philistia continuing its ancient hostility, so God announces that the political security, fortified cities, territories, and national identities of these peoples will also be overturned, demonstrating that temporary military success does not place a nation beyond divine accountability and that those who take pleasure in another people's destruction may eventually experience the consequences of their own actions, while the chapter as a whole establishes the wider prophetic principle that God is sovereign not only over Judah but over all nations and can use the changing political powers of the ancient Near East to accomplish His purposes while still holding every nation responsible for how it treats others.