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The land of Egypt will become a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘Because he said, “The Nile is mine and I made it,” 10 I am against[a] you and your waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an utter desolate ruin from Migdol[b] to Syene,[c] as far as the border with Ethiopia. 11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal’s foot will pass through it; it will be uninhabited for forty years. 12 I will turn the land of Egypt into a desolation in the midst of desolate lands; for forty years her cities will lie desolate in the midst of ruined cities. I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among foreign countries.

13 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years[d] I will gather Egypt from the peoples where they were scattered. 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and will bring them back[e] to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin; there they will be an insignificant kingdom. 15 It will be the most insignificant of the kingdoms; it will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations. 16 It will never again be Israel’s source of confidence, but a reminder of how they sinned by turning to Egypt for help.[f] Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:10 tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘hinnenî ’êlékâ’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.
  2. Ezekiel 29:10 sn This may refer to a site in the Egyptian Delta that served as a refuge for Jews (Jer 44:1; 46:14).
  3. Ezekiel 29:10 sn Syene is known today as Aswan.
  4. Ezekiel 29:13 sn In Ezek 4:4-8 it was said that the house of Judah would suffer forty years.
  5. Ezekiel 29:14 tc Thus the MT, which reads וַהֲשִׁבֹתִי (vahashivoti, “I will cause to return”), a Hiphil of the verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”). The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate translate as though the Hebrew had the vocalization וְהֹשַׁבְתִּי (vehoshavti, “I will cause to inhabit”), a Hiphil from יָשַׁב (yashav “to dwell”).
  6. Ezekiel 29:16 tn Heb “reminding of iniquity when they turned after them.”

Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘Because you said, “The Nile(A) is mine; I made it,(B) 10 therefore I am against you(C) and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt(D) a ruin and a desolate waste(E) from Migdol(F) to Aswan,(G) as far as the border of Cush.[a](H) 11 The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.(I) 12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate(J) 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.(K)

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,(L) the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly(M) kingdom.(N) 15 It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations.(O) 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(P) for the people of Israel but will be a reminder(Q) of their sin in turning to her for help.(R) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.(S)’”

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:10 That is, the upper Nile region

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.

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