Say that this is what the Sovereign LORD is telling the king of Egypt: I am your enemy, you monster crocodile, lying in the river. You say that the Nile is yours and that you made it.

So then, you must never think that you have made yourselves wealthy by your own power and strength.

Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors.

Rich people, however, imagine that their wealth protects them like high, strong walls around a city.

Be wise enough not to wear yourself out trying to get rich.

Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle.

I realized another thing, that in this world fast runners do not always win the races, and the brave do not always win the battles. The wise do not always earn a living, intelligent people do not always get rich, and capable people do not always rise to high positions. Bad luck happens to everyone.

They even worship their nets and offer sacrifices to them, because their nets provide them with the best of everything.

Hamath, which borders on Hadrach, also belongs to him, and so do the cities of Tyre and Sidon, with all their skill.

But the Lord will take away everything she has. He will throw her wealth into the sea, and the city will be burned to the ground.