Pride Precedes Captivity

[15] Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken. [16] Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. [17] But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive. [18] Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory. [19] The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive. [20] Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock? [21] What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail? [22] And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare. [23] Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. [24] Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness. [25] This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood. [26] Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear. [27] I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?

But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive.

• War

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.

• Truth

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon is come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and led them with him to Babylon;

He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; he placed it by great waters, and set it as a willow tree.

In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's captivity,

And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them.

Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

• Heart

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.

Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?