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Grief over Egypt

30 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord [a]God says:

(A)Wail, ‘Woe for the day!’
For the day is near,
Indeed, (B)the day of the Lord is near;
It will be a day of (C)clouds,
A time of doom for the nations.
A sword will come upon Egypt,
And there will be trembling in [b]Cush;
When the slain fall in Egypt,
They will (D)take away her [c]wealth,
And her foundations will be torn down.

[d]Cush, Put, Lud, all [e](E)Arabia, [f]Libya and the [g]people of the land [h]that is in league will fall with them by the sword.”

‘This is what the Lord says:
“Indeed, those who support (F)Egypt will fall
And the pride of her power will come down;
From Migdol to Syene
They will fall within her by the sword,”
Declares the Lord God.
“They will be desolate
In the (G)midst of the desolated lands;
And her cities will be
In the midst of the devastated cities.
And they will (H)know that I am the Lord,
When I set a (I)fire in Egypt
And all her helpers are broken.

On that day (J)messengers will go out from Me in ships to frighten (K)carefree [i]Cush; and (L)trembling will come on them as on the day of Egypt; for behold, it is coming!”

10 ‘This is what the Lord God says:

(M)I will also make the [j]hordes of Egypt cease
By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him,
(N)The most ruthless of the nations,
Will be brought in to destroy the land;
And they will draw their swords against Egypt
And fill the land with the slain.
12 Moreover, I will make the (O)Nile canals dry
And (P)sell the land into the hands of evil men.
And I will make the land desolate
And [k]all that is in it,
By the hand of strangers; I the Lord have spoken.”

13 ‘This is what the Lord God says:

“I will also (Q)destroy the idols
And make the [l]images cease from [m](R)Memphis.
And there will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt;
And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
14 I will make (S)Pathros desolate,
Set a fire in (T)Zoan
And execute judgments on [n](U)Thebes.
15 I will pour out My wrath on [o]Sin,
The stronghold of Egypt;
I will also eliminate the hordes of [p]Thebes.
16 I will set a fire in Egypt;
[q]Sin will writhe in anguish,
[r]Thebes will be breached
And [s]Memphis will have [t]distresses daily.
17 The young men of [u](V)On and of Pi-beseth
Will fall by the sword,
And [v]the women will go into captivity.
18 In (W)Tehaphnehes the day will [w]be (X)dark
When I (Y)break there the yoke bars of Egypt.
Then the pride of her power will cease in her;
A cloud will cover her,
And her daughters will go into captivity.
19 So I will (Z)execute judgments on Egypt,
And they will know that I am the Lord.”’”

Victory for Babylon

20 In the (AA)eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21 “Son of man, I have (AB)broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been (AC)bound up [x]for healing [y]or wrapped with a bandage, so that it may be strong to wield the sword. 22 Therefore this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold, I am (AD)against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, both the strong and the (AE)broken; and I will make the sword (AF)fall from his hand. 23 And I will (AG)scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands. 24 For I will (AH)strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put (AI)My sword in his hand; and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, so that he will groan before him with the groans of a wounded man. 25 So I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fail. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he (AJ)reaches out with it against the land of Egypt. 26 When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands, then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 30:2 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  2. Ezekiel 30:4 Or Ethiopia
  3. Ezekiel 30:4 Or multitude
  4. Ezekiel 30:5 Or Ethiopia
  5. Ezekiel 30:5 Or the mixed people
  6. Ezekiel 30:5 Or Cub
  7. Ezekiel 30:5 Lit sons
  8. Ezekiel 30:5 Lit of the covenant
  9. Ezekiel 30:9 Or Ethiopia
  10. Ezekiel 30:10 Or people; lit crowd, and so throughout the ch
  11. Ezekiel 30:12 Lit her fullness
  12. Ezekiel 30:13 Or futile ones
  13. Ezekiel 30:13 Or Noph
  14. Ezekiel 30:14 Or No
  15. Ezekiel 30:15 Or Pelusium
  16. Ezekiel 30:15 Or No
  17. Ezekiel 30:16 Or Pelusium
  18. Ezekiel 30:16 Or No
  19. Ezekiel 30:16 Or Noph
  20. Ezekiel 30:16 Or adversaries
  21. Ezekiel 30:17 Or Aven
  22. Ezekiel 30:17 Lit they
  23. Ezekiel 30:18 As in many mss and ancient versions; MT restrain
  24. Ezekiel 30:21 Lit to give healing
  25. Ezekiel 30:21 Lit to wrap it

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(A) and say,
    “Alas for that day!”
For the day is near,(B)
    the day of the Lord(C) is near—
a day of clouds,
    a time of doom for the nations.
A sword will come against Egypt,(D)
    and anguish will come upon Cush.[a](E)
When the slain fall in Egypt,
    her wealth will be carried away
    and her foundations torn down.(F)

Cush and Libya,(G) Lydia and all Arabia,(H) Kub and the people(I) of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt.(J)

“‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘The allies of Egypt will fall
    and her proud strength will fail.
From Migdol to Aswan(K)
    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.(L)
Then they will know that I am the Lord,
    when I set fire(M) to Egypt
    and all her helpers are crushed.(N)

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

10 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

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

I the Lord have spoken.

13 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘I will destroy the idols(Y)
    and put an end to the images in Memphis.(Z)
No longer will there be a prince in Egypt,(AA)
    and I will spread fear throughout the land.
14 I will lay(AB) waste Upper Egypt,
    set fire to Zoan(AC)
    and inflict punishment on Thebes.(AD)
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(AE) to Egypt;
    Pelusium will writhe in agony.
Thebes will be taken by storm;
    Memphis(AF) will be in constant distress.
17 The young men of Heliopolis(AG) and Bubastis
    will fall by the sword,
    and the cities themselves will go into captivity.
18 Dark will be the day at Tahpanhes(AH)
    when I break the yoke of Egypt;(AI)
    there her proud strength will come to an end.
She will be covered with clouds,
    and her villages will go into captivity.(AJ)
19 So I will inflict punishment(AK) 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:(AL) 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm(AM) of Pharaoh(AN) king of Egypt. It has not been bound up to be healed(AO) 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.(AP) I will break both his arms, the good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his hand.(AQ) 23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.(AR) 24 I will strengthen(AS) the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword(AT) in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan(AU) 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(AV) into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt.(AW) 26 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 30:4 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verses 5 and 9

A Lament for Egypt

30 The word of the Lord came to me: (A)“Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord God:

(B)“Wail, ‘Alas for the day!’
    (C)For the day is near,
    (D)the day of the Lord is near;
it will be (E)a day of clouds,
    a time of doom for[a] the nations.
(F)A sword shall come upon Egypt,
    (G)and anguish shall be in (H)Cush,
when the slain fall in Egypt,
    and (I)her wealth[b] is carried away,
    and (J)her foundations are torn down.

(K)Cush, and (L)Put, and Lud, and (M)all Arabia, and Libya,[c] and the people of the land that is in league,[d] shall fall with them by the sword.

“Thus says the Lord:
(N)Those who support Egypt shall fall,
    and (O)her proud might shall come down;
(P)from Migdol to Syene
    they shall fall within her by the sword,
declares the Lord God.
(Q)And they shall be desolated in the midst of desolated countries,
    and their cities shall be in the midst of cities that are laid waste.
(R)Then they will know that I am the Lord,
    when (S)I have set fire to Egypt,
    and (T)all her helpers are broken.

“On that day (U)messengers shall go out from me in ships to terrify the unsuspecting (V)people of Cush, and (W)anguish shall come upon them on the day of Egypt's doom;[e] for, behold, it comes!

10 “Thus says the Lord God:

(X)“I will put an end to the wealth of Egypt,
    by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him, (Y)the most ruthless of nations,
    shall be brought in to destroy the land,
(Z)and they shall draw their swords against Egypt
    and fill the land with the slain.
12 And (AA)I will (AB)dry up the Nile
    and will sell the land into the hand of (AC)evildoers;
(AD)I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it,
    by the hand of (AE)foreigners;
(AF)I am the Lord; I have spoken.

13 “Thus says the Lord God:

(AG)“I will destroy the idols
    and put an end to the images in (AH)Memphis;
(AI)there shall no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt;
    so (AJ)I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
14 I will make (AK)Pathros a desolation
    and will set fire to (AL)Zoan
    (AM)and will execute judgments on (AN)Thebes.
15 And I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,
    the stronghold of Egypt,
    and cut off the multitude[f] of Thebes.
16 And I will set fire to Egypt;
    Pelusium shall be in great agony;
Thebes shall be breached,
    and (AO)Memphis shall face enemies[g] by day.
17 The young men of On and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword,
    and the women[h] shall go into captivity.
18 At (AP)Tehaphnehes (AQ)the day shall be dark,
    when I break there the yoke bars of Egypt,
and (AR)her proud might shall come to an end in her;
    she shall be covered by a cloud,
    and her daughters shall go into captivity.
19 Thus (AS)I will execute judgments on Egypt.
    (AT)Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Egypt Shall Fall to Babylon

20 (AU)In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 21 (AV)“Son of man, (AW)I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, (AX)it has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and (AY)will break his arms, both the strong arm and the one that was broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 (AZ)I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. 24 And (BA)I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put (BB)my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before him (BC)like a man mortally wounded. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall. (BD)Then they shall know that I am the Lord, (BE)when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 30:3 Hebrew lacks doom for
  2. Ezekiel 30:4 Or multitude; also verse 10
  3. Ezekiel 30:5 With Septuagint; Hebrew Cub
  4. Ezekiel 30:5 Hebrew and the sons of the land of the covenant
  5. Ezekiel 30:9 Hebrew the day of Egypt
  6. Ezekiel 30:15 Or wealth
  7. Ezekiel 30:16 Or distress
  8. Ezekiel 30:17 Or the cities; Hebrew they

Egypt Will Be a Barren Desert

30 The Lord said:

Ezekiel, son of man, tell the people of Egypt that I am saying:

Cry out in despair,
because you will soon
    be punished!
That will be a time
of darkness and doom
    for all nations.
Your own nation of Egypt
will be attacked,
    and Ethiopia[a] will suffer.
You will be killed in battle,
and your land will be robbed
    and left in ruins.

Soldiers hired from Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, Arabia, Kub, as well as from Israel,[b] will die in that battle. All of your allies will be killed, and your proud strength will crumble. People will die from Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south. I, the Lord, have spoken.

Your nation of Egypt will be the most deserted place on earth, and its cities will lie in complete ruin. I will set fire to your land, and anyone who defended your nation will die. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

On the same day I destroy Egypt, I will send messengers to the Ethiopians to announce their coming destruction. They think they are safe, but they will be terrified.

10 Your Egyptian army is very strong, but I will send King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to completely defeat that army. 11 He and his cruel troops will invade and destroy your land and leave your dead bodies piled everywhere.

12 I will dry up the Nile River, then sell the land to evil buyers. I will send foreigners to turn your entire nation into a barren desert. I, the Lord, have spoken.

Egypt's Proud Cities Will Lie in Ruins

The Lord said to the people of Egypt:

13 All the idols and images you Egyptians worship in the city of Memphis[c] will be smashed. No one will be left to rule your nation, and terror will fill the land. 14 The city of Pathros will be left in ruins, and Zoan will be burned to the ground. Thebes,[d] your capital city, will also be destroyed! 15 The fortress city of Pelusium will feel my fierce anger, and all the troops stationed at Thebes will be slaughtered.

16 I will set fire to your nation of Egypt! The city of Pelusium will be in anguish. Thebes will fall, and the people of Memphis will live in constant fear.[e] 17 The young soldiers in the cities of Heliopolis and Bubastis[f] will die in battle, and the rest of the people will be taken prisoner. 18 You were so proud of your nation's power, but when I crush that power and kill that pride, darkness will fall over the city of Tahpanhes. A dark, gloomy cloud will cover the land as you are being led away into captivity. 19 When I'm through punishing Egypt, you will know that I am the Lord.

Egypt's King Is Powerless

20 Eleven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the seventh day of the first month.[g] He said:

21 Ezekiel, son of man, I, the Lord, have defeated the king of Egypt! I broke his arm, and no one has wrapped it or put it in a sling, so that it could heal and get strong enough to hold a sword. 22 So tell him that I am now his worst enemy. I will break both his arms—the good one and the broken one! His sword will drop from his hand forever, 23 and I will scatter the Egyptians all over the world.

24-25 I will strengthen the power of Babylonia's king and give him my sword to use against Egypt. I will also make the wounded king of Egypt powerless, and he will moan in pain and die in front of the Babylonian king. Then everyone on earth will know that I am the Lord. 26 I will force the Egyptians to live as prisoners in foreign nations, and they will know that I, the Lord, have punished them.

Footnotes

  1. 30.4 Ethiopia: See the note at 29.10.
  2. 30.5 as well as from Israel: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 30.13 Memphis: Hebrew “Noph.”
  4. 30.14 Thebes: Hebrew “No.”
  5. 30.16 the people of Memphis … constant fear: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  6. 30.17 Heliopolis and Bubastis: Hebrew “On and Pi-Beseth.”
  7. 30.20 Eleven years … first month: Probably March of 587 b.c.

A Sad Day for Egypt

30 This is another message that came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, prophesy and give this message from the Sovereign Lord:

“Weep and wail
    for that day,
for the terrible day is almost here—
    the day of the Lord!
It is a day of clouds and gloom,
    a day of despair for the nations.
A sword will come against Egypt,
    and those who are slaughtered will cover the ground.
Its wealth will be carried away
    and its foundations destroyed.
The land of Ethiopia[a] will be ravished.
    Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, all Arabia,[b]
and all their other allies
    will be destroyed in that war.

“For this is what the Lord says:
All of Egypt’s allies will fall,
    and the pride of her power will end.
From Migdol to Aswan[c]
    they will be slaughtered by the sword,
    says the Sovereign Lord.
Egypt will be desolate,
    surrounded by desolate nations,
and its cities will be in ruins,
    surrounded by other ruined cities.
And the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord
    when I have set Egypt on fire
    and destroyed all their allies.
At that time I will send swift messengers in ships
    to terrify the complacent Ethiopians.
Great panic will come upon them
    on that day of Egypt’s certain destruction.
Watch for it!
    It is sure to come!

10 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
By the power of King Nebuchadnezzar[d] of Babylon,
    I will destroy the hordes of Egypt.
11 He and his armies—the most ruthless of all—
    will be sent to demolish the land.
They will make war against Egypt
    until slaughtered Egyptians cover the ground.
12 I will dry up the Nile River
    and sell the land to wicked men.
I will destroy the land of Egypt and everything in it
    by the hands of foreigners.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!

13 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
I will smash the idols[e] of Egypt
    and the images at Memphis.[f]
There will be no rulers left in Egypt;
    terror will sweep the land.
14 I will destroy southern Egypt,[g]
    set fire to Zoan,
    and bring judgment against Thebes.[h]
15 I will pour out my fury on Pelusium,[i]
    the strongest fortress of Egypt,
and I will stamp out
    the hordes of Thebes.
16 Yes, I will set fire to all Egypt!
    Pelusium will be racked with pain;
Thebes will be torn apart;
    Memphis will live in constant terror.
17 The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis[j] will die in battle,
    and the women[k] will be taken away as slaves.
18 When I come to break the proud strength of Egypt,
    it will be a dark day for Tahpanhes, too.
A dark cloud will cover Tahpanhes,
    and its daughters will be led away as captives.
19 And so I will greatly punish Egypt,
    and they will know that I am the Lord.”

The Broken Arms of Pharaoh

20 On April 29,[l] during the eleventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the Lord: 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. His arm has not been put in a cast so that it may heal. Neither has it been bound up with a splint to make it strong enough to hold a sword. 22 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am the enemy of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt! I will break both of his arms—the good arm along with the broken one—and I will make his sword clatter to the ground. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians to many lands throughout the world. 24 I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he will lie there mortally wounded, groaning in pain. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, while the arms of Pharaoh fall useless to his sides. And when I put my sword in the hand of Babylon’s king and he brings it against the land of Egypt, Egypt will know that I am the Lord. 26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, dispersing them throughout the earth. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. 30:4 Hebrew Cush; similarly in 30:9.
  2. 30:5 Hebrew Cush, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Cub. Cub is otherwise unknown and may be another spelling for Lub (Libya).
  3. 30:6 Hebrew to Syene.
  4. 30:10 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar.
  5. 30:13a The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung.
  6. 30:13b Hebrew Noph; also in 30:16.
  7. 30:14a Hebrew Pathros.
  8. 30:14b Hebrew No; also in 30:15, 16.
  9. 30:15 Hebrew Sin; also in 30:16.
  10. 30:17a Hebrew of Awen and Pi-beseth.
  11. 30:17b Or and her cities.
  12. 30:20 Hebrew On the seventh day of the first month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on April 29, 587 B.c.; also see note on 1:1.