Print Page Options Listen to Ezekiel 29

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord 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 God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

But 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, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.

And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.

And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.

10 Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene 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 desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

13 Yet thus saith the Lord God; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:

14 And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.

15 It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for 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, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord God.

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 the Lord came unto me, saying,

18 Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:

19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take 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 for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord God.

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

Read full chapter

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)

Read full chapter

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.

Prophecy Against Egypt

29 (A)In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: (B)“Son of man, (C)set your face against (D)Pharaoh king of Egypt, (E)and prophesy against him and (F)against all Egypt; speak, and say, Thus says the Lord God:

(G)“Behold, I am against you,
    Pharaoh king of Egypt,
(H)the great dragon that lies
    in the midst of his streams,
(I)that says, ‘My Nile is my own;
    I made it for myself.’
I will (J)put hooks in your jaws,
    and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales;
and I will draw you up out of the midst of your streams,
    with all the fish of your streams
    that stick to your scales.
(K)And I will cast you out into the wilderness,
    you and all the fish of your streams;
you shall fall (L)on the open field,
    and (M)not be brought together or gathered.
To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens
    (N)I give you as food.

Then all the inhabitants of Egypt (O)shall know that I am the Lord.

“Because you[a] have been (P)a staff of reed to the house of Israel, (Q)when they grasped you with the hand, you broke and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke and made all their loins to shake.[b] Therefore thus says the Lord God: (R)Behold, I will bring a sword upon you, and will cut off from you man and beast, and the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste. (S)Then they will know that I am the Lord.

(T)“Because you[c] said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I made it,’ 10 therefore, (U)behold, I am against you and (V)against your streams, and (W)I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, (X)from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. 11 (Y)No foot of man shall pass through it, and no foot of beast shall pass through it; it shall be uninhabited forty years. 12 (Z)And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste. (AA)I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries.

13 “For thus says the Lord God: At the end of forty years (AB)I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered, 14 and (AC)I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to (AD)the land of Pathros, the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. 15 It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, (AE)and never again exalt itself above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will never again rule over the nations. 16 And it shall never again be (AF)the reliance of the house of Israel, recalling their iniquity, when they turn to them for aid. (AG)Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”

17 (AH)In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 (AI)“Son of man, (AJ)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder was rubbed bare, yet neither he nor his army got anything from Tyre to pay for the labor that he had performed against her. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: (AK)Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; (AL)and he shall carry off its wealth[d] (AM)and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army. 20 (AN)I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he labored, because they worked for me, declares the Lord God.

21 “On that day (AO)I will cause a horn to spring up for the house of Israel, and (AP)I will open your lips among them. (AQ)Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:6 Hebrew they
  2. Ezekiel 29:7 Syriac (compare Psalm 69:23); Hebrew to stand
  3. Ezekiel 29:9 Hebrew he
  4. Ezekiel 29:19 Or multitude

A Prophecy of Egypt’s Ruin

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

Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monster[a](B) lying in the middle of his Nile,
who says, “My Nile is my own;
I made it for myself.”
I will put hooks in your jaws(C)
and make the fish of your streams
cling to your scales.
I will haul you up
from the middle of your Nile,
and all the fish of your streams
will cling to your scales.
I will leave you in the desert,(D)
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open ground
and will not be taken away
or gathered for burial.(E)
I have given you
to the wild creatures of the earth
and the birds of the sky as food.(F)

“‘Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
will know that I am the Lord,
for they[b] have been a staff made of reed
to the house of Israel.

When Israel grasped you by the hand,
you splintered,(G) tearing all their shoulders;
when they leaned on you,
you shattered and made all their hips unsteady.[c]

“‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword(H) against you and cut off both people and animals from you. The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin.(I) Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you[d] said, “The Nile is my own; I made it,” 10 therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. 11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it.(J) It will be uninhabited for forty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among[e] desolate lands, and its cities will be a desolation among[f] ruined cities(K) for forty years. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.(L)

13 “‘For this is what the Lord God says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were dispersed.(M) 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations. 16 It will never again be an object of trust(N) for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their iniquity of turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.’”

Babylon Receives Egypt as Compensation

17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army labor strenuously against Tyre.(O) Every head was made bald and every shoulder chafed, but he and his army received no compensation from Tyre for the labor he expended against it. 19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am going to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,(P) and he will carry off its wealth, seizing its spoil and taking its plunder. This will be his army’s compensation. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the pay he labored for, since they worked for me.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. 21 “In that day I will cause a horn to sprout(Q) for the house of Israel, and I will enable you to speak out(R) among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 29:3 Or crocodile
  2. 29:6 LXX, Syr, Vg read you
  3. 29:7 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads and you caused their hips to stand
  4. 29:9 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads he
  5. 29:12 Or Egypt the most desolate of
  6. 29:12 Or be the most desolate of

Judgment of Egypt

29 In the (A)tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Son of man, set your face against (B)Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all (C)Egypt. Speak and say, ‘Thus says the Lord [a]God,

“Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
The great [b](D)monster that lies in the midst of his [c]rivers,
That (E)has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’
“I will put (F)hooks in your jaws
And make the fish of your [d]rivers cling to your scales.
And I will bring you up out of the midst of your [e]rivers,
And all the fish of your [f]rivers will cling to your scales.
“I will (G)abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your [g]rivers;
You will fall on the [h]open field; you will not be brought together or [i](H)gathered.
I have given you for (I)food to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the sky.
“Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord,
Because they have been only a (J)staff made of reed to the house of Israel.
“When they took hold of you with the hand,
You (K)broke and tore all their [j]hands;
And when they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their loins [k]quake.”

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will (L)bring upon you a sword and I will cut off from you man and beast. The (M)land of Egypt will become a desolation and waste. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Because [l]you (N)said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it,’ 10 therefore, behold, I am (O)against you and against your [m]rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and even to the border of [n]Ethiopia. 11 A man’s foot will (P)not pass through it, and the foot of a beast will not pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years. 12 So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the (Q)midst of desolated lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate forty years; and I will (R)scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.”

13 ‘For thus says the Lord God, “At the end of forty years I will (S)gather the Egyptians from the peoples [o]among whom they were scattered. 14 I will turn the fortunes of Egypt and make them return to the land of (T)Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 It will be the (U)lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again lift itself up above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will not (V)rule over the nations. 16 And it will never again be the (W)confidence of the house of Israel, [p](X)bringing to mind the iniquity of their having turned [q]to Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”’”

17 Now in the (Y)twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 18 “Son of man, (Z)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor [r]hard against Tyre; every head was made (AA)bald and every shoulder was rubbed bare. But he and his army had no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had [s]performed against it.” 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I (AB)will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her [t](AC)wealth and capture her spoil and seize her plunder; and it will be wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor which he [u](AD)performed, because they acted for Me,” declares the Lord God.

21 “On that day I will make a (AE)horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will [v](AF)open your mouth in their midst. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
  2. Ezekiel 29:3 Lit tannim
  3. Ezekiel 29:3 Or Nile
  4. Ezekiel 29:4 Or Nile
  5. Ezekiel 29:4 Or Nile
  6. Ezekiel 29:4 Or Nile
  7. Ezekiel 29:5 Or Nile
  8. Ezekiel 29:5 Lit faces of the field
  9. Ezekiel 29:5 Or with several mss and Targum, buried
  10. Ezekiel 29:7 So with some ancient versions; M.T. shoulders
  11. Ezekiel 29:7 Lit stand
  12. Ezekiel 29:9 Lit he
  13. Ezekiel 29:10 Or Nile
  14. Ezekiel 29:10 Lit Cush
  15. Ezekiel 29:13 Lit where
  16. Ezekiel 29:16 Lit causing to remember
  17. Ezekiel 29:16 Lit after them
  18. Ezekiel 29:18 Lit a great labor
  19. Ezekiel 29:18 Lit labored
  20. Ezekiel 29:19 Or multitude
  21. Ezekiel 29:20 Lit labored
  22. Ezekiel 29:21 Lit give you an opening of the mouth