Ezekiel 29
New Living Translation
A Message for Egypt
29 On January 7,[a] during the tenth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, turn and face Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh the king and all the people of Egypt. 3 Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord:
“I am your enemy, O Pharaoh, king of Egypt—
you great monster, lurking in the streams of the Nile.
For you have said, ‘The Nile River is mine;
I made it for myself.’
4 I will put hooks in your jaws
and drag you out on the land
with fish sticking to your scales.
5 I will leave you and all your fish
stranded in the wilderness to die.
You will lie unburied on the open ground,
for I have given you as food to the wild animals and birds.
6 All the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord,
for to Israel you were just a staff made of reeds.
7 When Israel leaned on you,
you splintered and broke
and stabbed her in the armpit.
When she put her weight on you,
you collapsed, and her legs gave way.
8 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring an army against you, O Egypt, and destroy both people and animals. 9 The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.
“Because you said, ‘The Nile River is mine; I made it,’ 10 I am now the enemy of both you and your river. I will make the land of Egypt a totally desolate wasteland, from Migdol to Aswan, as far south as the border of Ethiopia.[b] 11 For forty years not a soul will pass that way, neither people nor animals. It will be completely uninhabited. 12 I will make Egypt desolate, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. Its cities will be empty and desolate for forty years, surrounded by other ruined cities. I will scatter the Egyptians to distant lands.
13 “But this is what the Sovereign Lord also says: At the end of the forty years I will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which they have been scattered. 14 I will restore the prosperity of Egypt and bring its people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt from which they came. But Egypt will remain an unimportant, minor kingdom. 15 It will be the lowliest of all the nations, never again great enough to rise above its neighbors.
16 “Then Israel will no longer be tempted to trust in Egypt for help. Egypt’s shattered condition will remind Israel of how sinful she was to trust Egypt in earlier days. Then Israel will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”
Nebuchadnezzar to Conquer Egypt
17 On April 26, the first day of the new year,[c] during the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, this message came to me from the Lord: 18 “Son of man, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar[d] of Babylon fought so hard against Tyre that the warriors’ heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders were raw and blistered. Yet Nebuchadnezzar and his army won no plunder to compensate them for all their work. 19 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth, plundering everything it has so he can pay his army. 20 Yes, I have given him the land of Egypt as a reward for his work, says the Sovereign Lord, because he was working for me when he destroyed Tyre.
21 “And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive,[e] and then, Ezekiel, your words will be respected. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- 29:1 Hebrew On the twelfth day of the tenth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on January 7, 587 B.c.; also see note on 1:1.
- 29:10 Hebrew from Migdol to Syene as far as the border of Cush.
- 29:17 Hebrew On the first day of the first month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This event occurred on April 26, 571 B.c.; also see note on 1:1.
- 29:18 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar; also in 29:19.
- 29:21 Hebrew I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel.
Ezekiel 29
New American Standard Bible
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, 2 “Son of man, set your face against (B)Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all (C)Egypt. 3 Speak and say, ‘This is what the Lord [a]God says:
“Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
The great [b](D)monster that lies in the midst of his [c]canals,
That (E)has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’
4 I will put (F)hooks in your jaws
And make the fish of your [d]canals cling to your scales.
And I will bring you up out of the midst of your [e]canals,
And all the fish of your [f]canals will cling to your scales.
5 I will (G)abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your [g]canals;
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 animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky.
6 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.
7 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 hips [k]shake.”
8 ‘Therefore the Lord God says this: “Behold, I am going to (L)bring upon you a sword, and I will cut off from you human and animal life. 9 The (M)land of Egypt will become a desolation and place of ruins. 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]canals, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and as far as the border of [n]Cush. 11 A human foot will (P)not pass through it, nor will the foot of an animal 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 deserted lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate for forty years; and I will (R)scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.”
13 ‘For this is what the Lord God says: “At the end of forty years I will (S)gather the Egyptians from the peoples [o]among whom they were scattered. 14 And I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back 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 not raise itself above the nations again. And I will make them small so that they will not (V)rule over the nations. 16 And it will no longer be a kingdom on which (W)the house of Israel relies, [p](X)bringing to mind the guilt 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 [s]had a (AA)bald spot and every shoulder was rubbed raw. But he and his army acquired no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had [t]performed against it.” 19 Therefore this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to (AB)give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her (AC)wealth and capture her spoils 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 among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 29:3 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord, and so throughout the ch
- Ezekiel 29:3 Heb tannim
- Ezekiel 29:3 Or Nile
- Ezekiel 29:4 Or Nile
- Ezekiel 29:4 Or Nile
- Ezekiel 29:4 Or Nile
- Ezekiel 29:5 Or Nile
- Ezekiel 29:5 Lit faces of the field
- Ezekiel 29:5 Or with several mss and Targum, buried
- Ezekiel 29:7 As in some ancient versions; MT shoulders
- Ezekiel 29:7 Cf. ancient versions; MT stand
- Ezekiel 29:9 As in ancient versions; MT he
- Ezekiel 29:10 Or Nile
- Ezekiel 29:10 Or Ethiopia
- Ezekiel 29:13 Lit where
- Ezekiel 29:16 Lit causing to remember
- Ezekiel 29:16 Lit after them
- Ezekiel 29:18 Lit a great labor
- Ezekiel 29:18 I.e., injuries from the labor
- Ezekiel 29:18 Lit labored
- Ezekiel 29:20 Lit labored
- Ezekiel 29:21 Lit give you an opening of the mouth
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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