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One-sentence summary: The Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy against the king of Tyre- which most believe to be a prophesy against Satan himself- and against Pharaoh and Egypt.
The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel, and He tells him to speak to the prince of Tyre. The Lord says he is proud and has said, "I am a god. I sit in the seat of gods in the midst of the seas." The Lord says he sets his heart as the heart of the god but is not a god. He does say he is wiser than Daniel and has gathered riches because of his great wisdom in trade. But because of his riches, his heart was lifted up. Therefore, the Lord says He will bring strangers against him, "the most terrible of the nations;" they will come against the beauty of his wisdom and defile his splendor. They will throw him down into the pit, and he will die in the midst of the seas. He will be a man and not a god in the hand of the one who slays him. The Lord tells Ezekiel to take up a lamentation against the king of Tyre also, saying he was "the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty," and had been placed "in Eden, the garden of God." He was covered with precious stones. He was the "anointed cherub" whom the Lord established. This was until iniquity was found in him, and he was filled with violence within. Therefore, the Lord cast him out of the mountain of God. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty, and he "corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor." Therefore, he has become a horror and "will be no more forever." The Lord tells Ezekiel to set his face toward Sidon and prophesy against her. He is against her and will be glorified in her midst. They will know He is the Lord when He "executes judgment in her and is hallowed in her." He will send blood and pestilence to her. There will no longer be "a prickly thorn for the house of Israel" from those who are around them who hate them. The Lord says when He has gathered Israel from the nations where they have been scattered and has been hallowed among them, He will bring them back, and they will dwell in their own land. They will dwell safely, build houses, and plant vineyards. The Lord will judge the nations around them, and they will know He is the Lord their God.
The word of the Lord comes again to Ezekiel, and He tells him to set his face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and all Egypt. The Lord is against him, "the great monster who lies in the midst of his river," who thinks it belongs to him. The Lord will bring him out from his river and leave him in the wilderness along with all the fish of his rivers. He will be food to the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and all Egypt will know He is the Lord. The Lord says He will cut off man and beast, and the land will become desolate. This is because Pharaoh said the river is his and that he has made it. Egypt's cities will be desolate for 40 years, and the Lord will scatter them among the nations. However, at the end of 40 years, He will gather them and bring back the captives and cause them to return to the land, but they will be "a lowly kingdom... the lowliest of kingdoms... it (Egypt) will never again exalt itself above the nations." The Lord says, "I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore." Then, they will know He is the Lord.
The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel, and He tells him that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon fought against Tyre but did not receive payment for the labor he expended on it. He says He will give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, and this will be the wages for his army. This is because He worked for the Lord in coming against Tyre. The Lord will cause "the horn of the house of Israel" to spring forth, and He will open Ezekiel's mouth to speak in their midst, and then they will know He is the Lord.
The word of the Lord comes to Ezekiel, and He tells him that the day of the Lord is near, "a day of clouds, a time of the Gentiles." The sword will come upon Egypt, and Ethiopia, Libya, and Lydia will fall with them by the sword. Those who uphold Egypt will fall, "and the pride of her power will come down." Then, they will know He is the Lord, when He has set a fire in Egypt and all her helpers are destroyed. The Lord says that Nebuchadnezzar and his people, "the most terrible of the nations," will be brought to destroy the land and will fill it with the slain. The Lord says He will also destroy the idols. The cities will go into captivity, and Egypt's "arrogant strength" will cease. A cloud will cover her, and her daughters will go away into captivity. Then, they will know He is the Lord. The Lord tells Ezekiel He has broken the arm of Pharaoh, and that it has not healed. The Lord is against him and will break both his arms, the strong and the weak, and the sword will fall out of his hand. He will scatter his people among the nations and put His sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will groan before him as a mortally wounded man. Then, they will know He is the Lord.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
Pride is still the original sin: it opens the door to all others. If there is any virtue we should seek, it is (true) humility, which opens the door to all the other virtues. God's kingdom is truly an upside-down one.