Add parallel Print Page Options

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt; speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. And I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales; and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, with all the fish of thy rivers which stick unto thy scales. And I will cast thee forth into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the [a]open field; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered; I have given thee for food to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens. And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am Jehovah, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold of thee [b]by thy hand, thou didst break, and didst rend all their shoulders; and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to [c]be at a stand.

Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and will cut off from thee man and beast. And the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. Because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it; 10 therefore, behold, I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, [d]from the tower of Seveneh even unto the border of Ethiopia. 11 No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 12 And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

13 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the peoples whither they were scattered; 14 and I will [e]bring back the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their [f]birth; and they shall be there a [g]base kingdom. 15 It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations: and I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. 16 And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to remembrance, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

17 And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 18 Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn; yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served against it. 19 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt [h]as his recompense for which he served, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord Jehovah.

21 In that day will I cause a horn to bud forth unto the house of Israel, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

30 The word of Jehovah came again unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Wail ye, Alas for the day! For the day is near, even the day of Jehovah is near; it shall be a day of clouds, a time of the nations. And a sword shall come upon Egypt, and anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt; and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. [i]Ethiopia, and Put, and Lud, and all the mingled people, and Cub, and the children of [j]the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.

Thus saith Jehovah: They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: [k]from the tower of Seveneh shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord Jehovah. And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. And they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers are [l]destroyed. In that day shall messengers go forth from before me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid; and there shall be anguish upon them, as in the day of Egypt; for, lo, it cometh.

10 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease, by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. 11 He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought in to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. 12 And I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men; and I will make the land desolate, and [m]all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I, Jehovah, have spoken it.

13 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause the [n]images to cease from Memphis; and there shall be no more a prince from the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. 14 And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set a fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments upon No. 15 And I will pour my wrath upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. 16 And I will set a fire in Egypt: Sin shall be in great anguish, and No shall be broken up; and Memphis shall have adversaries [o]in the day-time. 17 The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword; and these cities shall go into captivity. 18 At Tehaphnehes also the day shall [p]withdraw itself, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt, and the pride of her power shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. 19 Thus will I execute judgments upon Egypt; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it hath not been bound up, to apply healing medicines, to put a bandage to bind it, that it be strong to hold the sword. 22 Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong arm, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 24 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. 25 And I will hold up the arms of the king of Babylon; and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

31 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude: Whom art thou like in thy greatness? Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the [q]thick boughs. The waters nourished it, the deep made it to grow: the rivers thereof ran round about its plantation; and it sent out its channels unto all the trees of the field. Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field; and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long by reason of [r]many waters, when it shot them forth. All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; and under its branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young; and under its shadow dwelt all great nations. Thus was it fair in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its root was by [s]many waters. The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; the fir-trees were not like its boughs, and the plane-trees were not as its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like unto it in its beauty. I made it fair by the multitude of its branches, so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied it. 10 Therefore thus [t]said the Lord Jehovah: Because thou art exalted in stature, and he hath set his top among the [u]thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height; 11 I will even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him; I have driven him out for his wickedness. 12 And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him. 13 Upon his ruin all the birds of the heavens shall dwell, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches; 14 to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, neither set their top among the thick boughs, nor that their mighty ones stand up in their height, even all that drink water: for they are all delivered unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.

15 Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: In the day when he went down to Sheol I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the rivers thereof; and the great waters were stayed; and I caused Lebanon [v]to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. 16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with them that descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the nether parts of the earth. 17 They also went down into Sheol with him unto them that are slain by the sword; yea, they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the nations.

18 To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord Jehovah.

32 And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou wast likened unto a young lion of the nations: yet art thou as a monster in the seas; and thou didst break forth [w]with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will spread out my net upon thee with a company of many peoples; and they shall bring thee up in my net. And I will leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle upon thee, and I will satisfy the beasts of the whole earth with thee. And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy [x]height. I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the watercourses shall be full of thee. And when I shall extinguish thee, I will cover the heavens, and make the stars thereof [y]dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make [z]dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord Jehovah. I will also vex the hearts of many peoples, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known. 10 Yea, I will make many peoples amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.

11 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee. 12 By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall; the terrible of the nations are they all: and they shall bring to nought the pride of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed. 13 I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside [aa]many waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them. 14 Then will I [ab]make their waters clear, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord Jehovah. 15 When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate and waste, a land destitute of [ac]that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am Jehovah. 16 This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament; the daughters of the nations shall lament therewith; over Egypt, and over all her multitude, shall they lament therewith, saith the Lord Jehovah.

17 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit. 19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised. 20 They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: [ad]she is delivered to the sword; draw her away and all her multitudes. 21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of Sheol with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie still, even the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.

22 Asshur is there and all her company; her graves are round about her; all of them slain, fallen by the sword; 23 whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit, and her company is round about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living.

24 There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with them that go down to the pit. 25 They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude; her graves are round about her; all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for their terror was caused in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that are slain.

26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitude; their graves are round about them; all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they caused their terror in the land of the living. 27 [ae]And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, that are gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war, and have laid their swords under their heads, and their iniquities are upon their bones; for they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. 28 But thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain by the sword.

29 There is Edom, her kings and all her princes, who [af]in their might are laid with them that are slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit. 30 There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who are gone down with the slain; [ag]in the terror which they caused by their might they are put to shame; and they lie uncircumcised with them that are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.

31 Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, [ah]even Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, saith the Lord Jehovah. 32 For I have put [ai]his terror in the land of the living; and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised, with them that are slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord Jehovah.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:5 Hebrew face of the field.
  2. Ezekiel 29:7 Or, by the handle Another reading is, with the hand.
  3. Ezekiel 29:7 Or as some read shake. See Ps. 69:23.
  4. Ezekiel 29:10 Or, from Migdol to Syene, and even etc.
  5. Ezekiel 29:14 Or, return to
  6. Ezekiel 29:14 Or, origin
  7. Ezekiel 29:14 Hebrew low.
  8. Ezekiel 29:20 Or, for his labor wherewith he served
  9. Ezekiel 30:5 Hebrew Cush.
  10. Ezekiel 30:5 Or, the land of the covenant
  11. Ezekiel 30:6 Or, from Migdol to Syene
  12. Ezekiel 30:8 Hebrew broken.
  13. Ezekiel 30:12 Hebrew the fulness thereof.
  14. Ezekiel 30:13 Or, things of nought. See Ps. 96:5.
  15. Ezekiel 30:16 Or, all the day
  16. Ezekiel 30:18 Another reading is, be dark
  17. Ezekiel 31:3 Or, clouds
  18. Ezekiel 31:5 Or, great
  19. Ezekiel 31:7 Or, great
  20. Ezekiel 31:10 Or, saith
  21. Ezekiel 31:10 Or, clouds
  22. Ezekiel 31:15 Hebrew to be black.
  23. Ezekiel 32:2 Or, in
  24. Ezekiel 32:5 Or, as otherwise read, worms
  25. Ezekiel 32:7 Or, to mourn
  26. Ezekiel 32:8 Or, to mourn
  27. Ezekiel 32:13 Or, great
  28. Ezekiel 32:14 Hebrew cause their waters to settle.
  29. Ezekiel 32:15 Hebrew the fulness thereof.
  30. Ezekiel 32:20 Or, the sword is appointed
  31. Ezekiel 32:27 Or, And shall they not lie etc.?
  32. Ezekiel 32:29 Or, for all their might
  33. Ezekiel 32:30 Or, for all the terror
  34. Ezekiel 32:31 Or, Pharaoh and all his army are slain etc.
  35. Ezekiel 32:32 Another reading is, my.

A Prophecy Against Egypt

Judgment on Pharaoh

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the Lord came to me:(A) “Son of man, set your face against(B) Pharaoh king of Egypt(C) and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.(D) Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘I am against you, Pharaoh(E) king of Egypt,
    you great monster(F) lying among your streams.
You say, “The Nile(G) belongs to me;
    I made it for myself.”
But I will put hooks(H) in your jaws
    and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
    with all the fish sticking to your scales.(I)
I will leave you in the desert,
    you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
    and not be gathered(J) or picked up.
I will give you as food
    to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky.(K)

Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.

“‘You have been a staff of reed(L) for the people of Israel. When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered(M) and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.[a](N)

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring a sword against you and kill both man and beast.(O) Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘Because you said, “The Nile(P) is mine; I made it,(Q) 10 therefore I am against you(R) and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt(S) a ruin and a desolate waste(T) from Migdol(U) to Aswan,(V) as far as the border of Cush.[b](W) 11 The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.(X) 12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate(Y) among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.(Z)

13 “‘Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. 14 I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt,(AA) the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly(AB) kingdom.(AC) 15 It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations.(AD) I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. 16 Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence(AE) for the people of Israel but will be a reminder(AF) of their sin in turning to her for help.(AG) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.(AH)’”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Reward

17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(AI) 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar(AJ) king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare(AK) and every shoulder made raw.(AL) Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king(AM) of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder(AN) the land as pay for his army.(AO) 20 I have given him Egypt(AP) as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AQ)

21 “On that day I will make a horn[c](AR) grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouth(AS) among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(AT)

A Lament Over Egypt

30 The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Wail(AU) and say,
    “Alas for that day!”
For the day is near,(AV)
    the day of the Lord(AW) is near—
a day of clouds,
    a time of doom for the nations.
A sword will come against Egypt,(AX)
    and anguish will come upon Cush.[d](AY)
When the slain fall in Egypt,
    her wealth will be carried away
    and her foundations torn down.(AZ)

Cush and Libya,(BA) Lydia and all Arabia,(BB) Kub and the people(BC) of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.(BD)

“‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘The allies of Egypt will fall
    and her proud strength will fail.
From Migdol to Aswan(BE)
    they will fall by the sword within her,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
“‘They will be desolate
    among desolate lands,
and their cities will lie
    among ruined cities.(BF)
Then they will know that I am the Lord,
    when I set fire(BG) to Egypt
    and all her helpers are crushed.(BH)

“‘On that day messengers will go out from me in ships to frighten Cush(BI) out of her complacency. Anguish(BJ) will take hold of them on the day of Egypt’s doom, for it is sure to come.(BK)

10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt
    by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar(BL) king of Babylon.(BM)
11 He and his army—the most ruthless of nations(BN)
    will be brought in to destroy the land.
They will draw their swords against Egypt
    and fill the land with the slain.(BO)
12 I will dry up(BP) the waters of the Nile(BQ)
    and sell the land to an evil nation;
by the hand of foreigners
    I will lay waste(BR) the land and everything in it.

I the Lord have spoken.

13 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘I will destroy the idols(BS)
    and put an end to the images in Memphis.(BT)
No longer will there be a prince in Egypt,(BU)
    and I will spread fear throughout the land.
14 I will lay(BV) waste Upper Egypt,
    set fire to Zoan(BW)
    and inflict punishment on Thebes.(BX)
15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,
    the stronghold of Egypt,
    and wipe out the hordes of Thebes.
16 I will set fire(BY) to Egypt;
    Pelusium will writhe in agony.
Thebes will be taken by storm;
    Memphis(BZ) will be in constant distress.
17 The young men of Heliopolis(CA) and Bubastis
    will fall by the sword,
    and the cities themselves will go into captivity.
18 Dark will be the day at Tahpanhes(CB)
    when I break the yoke of Egypt;(CC)
    there her proud strength will come to an end.
She will be covered with clouds,
    and her villages will go into captivity.(CD)
19 So I will inflict punishment(CE) on Egypt,
    and they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Pharaoh’s Arms Are Broken

20 In the eleventh year, in the first month on the seventh day, the word of the Lord came to me:(CF) 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm(CG) of Pharaoh(CH) king of Egypt. It has not been bound up to be healed(CI) or put in a splint so that it may become strong enough to hold a sword. 22 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt.(CJ) I will break both his arms, the good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his hand.(CK) 23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.(CL) 24 I will strengthen(CM) the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword(CN) in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan(CO) before him like a mortally wounded man. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword(CP) into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt.(CQ) 26 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(CR)

Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon

31 In the eleventh year,(CS) in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(CT) “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:

“‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?
Consider Assyria,(CU) once a cedar in Lebanon,(CV)
    with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest;
it towered on high,
    its top above the thick foliage.(CW)
The waters(CX) nourished it,
    deep springs made it grow tall;
their streams flowed
    all around its base
and sent their channels
    to all the trees of the field.(CY)
So it towered higher(CZ)
    than all the trees of the field;
its boughs increased
    and its branches grew long,
    spreading because of abundant waters.(DA)
All the birds of the sky
    nested in its boughs,
all the animals of the wild
    gave birth(DB) under its branches;
all the great nations
    lived in its shade.(DC)
It was majestic in beauty,
    with its spreading boughs,
for its roots went down
    to abundant waters.(DD)
The cedars(DE) in the garden of God
    could not rival it,
nor could the junipers
    equal its boughs,
nor could the plane trees(DF)
    compare with its branches—
no tree in the garden of God
    could match its beauty.(DG)
I made it beautiful
    with abundant branches,
the envy of all the trees of Eden(DH)
    in the garden of God.(DI)

10 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud(DJ) of its height, 11 I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,(DK) 12 and the most ruthless of foreign nations(DL) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;(DM) its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.(DN) 13 All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.(DO) 14 Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined(DP) for death,(DQ) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.(DR)

15 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away.(DS) 16 I made the nations tremble(DT) at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees(DU) of Eden,(DV) the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled(DW) in the earth below.(DX) 17 They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword,(DY) along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations.

18 “‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised,(DZ) with those killed by the sword.

“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

A Lament Over Pharaoh

32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(EA) “Son of man, take up a lament(EB) concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

“‘You are like a lion(EC) among the nations;
    you are like a monster(ED) in the seas(EE)
thrashing about in your streams,
    churning the water with your feet
    and muddying the streams.(EF)

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘With a great throng of people
    I will cast my net over you,
    and they will haul you up in my net.(EG)
I will throw you on the land
    and hurl you on the open field.
I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you
    and all the animals of the wild gorge themselves on you.(EH)
I will spread your flesh on the mountains
    and fill the valleys(EI) with your remains.
I will drench the land with your flowing blood(EJ)
    all the way to the mountains,
    and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.(EK)
When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens
    and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
    and the moon will not give its light.(EL)
All the shining lights in the heavens
    I will darken(EM) over you;
    I will bring darkness over your land,(EN)
declares the Sovereign Lord.
I will trouble the hearts of many peoples
    when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
    among[e] lands you have not known.
10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
    and their kings will shudder with horror because of you
    when I brandish my sword(EO) before them.
On the day(EP) of your downfall
    each of them will tremble
    every moment for his life.(EQ)

11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘The sword(ER) of the king of Babylon(ES)
    will come against you.(ET)
12 I will cause your hordes to fall
    by the swords of mighty men—
    the most ruthless of all nations.(EU)
They will shatter the pride of Egypt,
    and all her hordes will be overthrown.(EV)
13 I will destroy all her cattle
    from beside abundant waters
no longer to be stirred by the foot of man
    or muddied by the hooves of cattle.(EW)
14 Then I will let her waters settle
    and make her streams flow like oil,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 When I make Egypt desolate
    and strip the land of everything in it,
when I strike down all who live there,
    then they will know that I am the Lord.(EX)

16 “This is the lament(EY) they will chant for her. The daughters of the nations will chant it; for Egypt and all her hordes they will chant it, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Egypt’s Descent Into the Realm of the Dead

17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(EZ) 18 “Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and consign(FA) to the earth below both her and the daughters of mighty nations, along with those who go down to the pit.(FB) 19 Say to them, ‘Are you more favored than others? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised.’(FC) 20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; let her be dragged(FD) off with all her hordes.(FE) 21 From within the realm of the dead(FF) the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised,(FG) with those killed by the sword.’

22 “Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword. 23 Their graves are in the depths of the pit(FH) and her army lies around her grave.(FI) All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.

24 “Elam(FJ) is there, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.(FK) All who had spread terror in the land of the living(FL) went down uncircumcised to the earth below. They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(FM) 25 A bed is made for her among the slain, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised,(FN) killed by the sword. Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain.

26 “Meshek and Tubal(FO) are there, with all their hordes around their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old,[f](FP) who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields[g] resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.

28 “You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

29 “Edom(FQ) is there, her kings and all her princes; despite their power, they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.(FR)

30 “All the princes of the north(FS) and all the Sidonians(FT) are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power. They lie uncircumcised(FU) with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(FV)

31 “Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled(FW) for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord. 32 Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh(FX) and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(FY)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint and Vulgate); Hebrew and you caused their backs to stand
  2. Ezekiel 29:10 That is, the upper Nile region
  3. Ezekiel 29:21 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  4. Ezekiel 30:4 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verses 5 and 9
  5. Ezekiel 32:9 Hebrew; Septuagint bring you into captivity among the nations, / to
  6. Ezekiel 32:27 Septuagint; Hebrew warriors who were uncircumcised
  7. Ezekiel 32:27 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text punishment