Ezekiel 29
Living Bible
29 Late in December of the tenth year (of the imprisonment of King Jehoiachin), this message came to me from the Lord:
2 “Son of dust, face toward Egypt and prophesy against Pharaoh her king and all her people. 3 Tell them that the Lord God says: ‘I am your enemy, Pharaoh, king of Egypt—mighty dragon lying in the middle of your rivers. For you have said, “The Nile is mine; I have made it for myself!” 4 I will put hooks into your jaws and drag you out onto the land with fish sticking to your scales. 5 And I will leave you and all the fish stranded in the desert to die, and you won’t be buried, for I have given you as food to the wild animals and birds.
6 “‘Because of the way your might collapsed when Israel called on you for aid instead of trusting me,[a] all of you shall know I am the Lord. 7 Israel leaned on you but, like a cracked staff, you snapped beneath her hand and wrenched her shoulder out of joint and made her stagger with the pain. 8 Therefore the Lord God says: I will bring an army against you, O Egypt, and destroy both men and herds. 9 The land of Egypt shall become a desolate wasteland, and the Egyptians will know that I, the Lord, have done it.
10 “‘Because you said: “The Nile is mine! I made it!” therefore I am against you and your river, and I will utterly destroy the land of Egypt, from Migdol to Syene, as far south as the border of Ethiopia. 11 For forty years not a soul will pass that way, neither men nor animals. It will be completely uninhabited. 12 I will make Egypt desolate, surrounded by desolate nations, and her cities will lie as wastelands for forty years. I will exile the Egyptians to other lands.
13 “‘But the Lord God says that at the end of the forty years he will bring the Egyptians home again from the nations to which they will be banished. 14 And I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring her people back to the land of Pathros in southern Egypt where they were born, but she will be an unimportant, minor kingdom. 15 She will be the lowliest of all the nations; never again will she raise herself above the other nations; never again will Egypt be great enough for that.
16 “‘Israel will no longer expect any help from Egypt. Whenever she thinks of asking for it, then she will remember her sin in seeking it before. Then Israel will know that I alone am God.’”
17 In the twenty-seventh year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity,[b] around the middle of March, this message came to me from the Lord:
18 “Son of dust, the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought hard against Tyre. The soldiers’ heads were bald from carrying heavy basketfuls of earth; their shoulders were raw and blistered from burdens of stones for the siege. And Nebuchadnezzar received no compensation and could not pay the army for all this work.”[c] 19 Therefore, the Lord God says, “I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he will carry off her wealth, plundering everything she has, for his army. 20 Yes, I have given him the land of Egypt for his salary because he was working for me during those thirteen years at Tyre,” says the Lord. 21 “And the day will come when I will cause the ancient glory of Israel to revive, and then at last her words will be respected, and Egypt shall know I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 29:6 instead of trusting me, implied.
- Ezekiel 29:17 King Jehoiachin’s captivity, implied.
- Ezekiel 29:18 and could not pay the army for all this work. Tyre capitulated to Nebuchadnezzar at the end of a thirteen-year siege (587–574 B.C.) There was little left to pay the “salary” of Nebuchadnezzar, so the Lord was giving Egypt to him to make up for what he was “shortchanged” at Tyre.
Ezekiel 29
Easy-to-Read Version
The Message Against Egypt
29 On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of exile,[a] the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man,[b] look toward Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Speak for me against him and Egypt. 3 Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“‘I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
You are the great monster[c] lying beside the Nile River.
You say, “This is my river!
I made this river!”
4-5 “‘But I will put hooks in your jaws.
The fish in the Nile River will stick to your scales.
I will pull you and your fish up
out of your rivers and onto the dry land.
You will fall on the ground,
and no one will pick you up or bury you.
I will give you to the wild animals and birds.
You will be their food.
6 Then all the people living in Egypt
will know that I am the Lord!
“‘Why will I do these things?
Because the people of Israel leaned on Egypt for support,
but Egypt was only a weak blade of grass.
7 The people of Israel leaned on Egypt for support,
but Egypt only pierced their hands and shoulder.
They leaned on you for support,
but you broke and twisted their back.’”
8 So this is what the Lord God says:
“I will bring a sword against you.
I will destroy all your people and animals.
9 Egypt will be empty and destroyed.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
God said, “Why will I do these things? Because you said, ‘This is my river. I made this river.’ 10 So I am against you. I am against the many branches of your Nile River. I will destroy Egypt completely. The cities will be empty from Migdol to Aswan and as far as the border of Ethiopia. 11 No person or animal will pass through Egypt. Nothing will pass through or settle there for 40 years. 12 I will destroy Egypt. The cities will be in ruins for 40 years! I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. I will make them strangers[d] in foreign lands.”
13 This is what the Lord God says: “I will scatter the people of Egypt among many nations. But at the end of 40 years, I will gather those people together again. 14 I will bring back the Egyptian captives. I will bring back the Egyptians to the land of Pathros, to the land where they were born. But their kingdom will not be important. 15 It will be the least important kingdom. It will never again lift itself above the other nations. I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations. 16 And the family of Israel will never again depend on Egypt. The Israelites will remember their sin—they will remember that they turned to Egypt for help and not to God, and they will know that I am the Lord God.”
Babylon Will Get Egypt
17 On the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year of exile,[e] the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army fight hard against Tyre. They shaved every soldier’s head. Every shoulder was rubbed bare from carrying heavy loads. Nebuchadnezzar and his army worked hard to defeat Tyre, but they got nothing from all that hard work.” 19 So this is what the Lord God says: “I will give Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will carry away the people. He will take the many valuable things in Egypt to pay his army. 20 I will give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as a reward for the hard work he did for me.” This is what the Lord God said!
21 “On that day I will make the family of Israel strong. So Ezekiel, I will let you speak to them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 29:1 tenth year of exile This was the winter of 587 B.C.
- Ezekiel 29:2 Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person” or “a human being.” Here, it is a way of addressing Ezekiel. Also in verse 18.
- Ezekiel 29:3 great monster There were ancient stories about a sea monster that fought against God. The prophets called Egypt that sea monster many times. But here, this might mean the crocodiles that rest on the banks of the Nile River.
- Ezekiel 29:12 I will … strangers Or “I will scatter them ….”
- Ezekiel 29:17 twenty-seventh year of exile This was in the spring of 571 B.C.
Ezekiel 29
Names of God Bible
Judgment on Egypt
29 On the twelfth day of the tenth month in the tenth year, Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, turn to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3 Tell him, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says:
I’m against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
You are like a monster crocodile lying in the Nile River.
You say, “The Nile River is mine. I made it for myself.”
4 “‘I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish in the Nile River stick to your scales.
I will pull you out of your river
with all the fish in the Nile sticking to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish from the Nile.
You will fall in an open field.
No one will pick you up or bury you.
I will feed you to wild animals and birds.
6 Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am Yahweh.
Egypt, you have become like a broken walking stick
to the nation of Israel.
7 When Israel grabbed you, you splintered and tore up their shoulders.
When they leaned on you, you broke, and they wrenched their backs.
8 “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I am going to attack you with a sword. I will kill people and animals. 9 Egypt will become a wasteland and a pile of rubble. Then you will know that I am Yahweh. You said, “The Nile River is mine. I made it.” 10 That is why I’m against you and the Nile River. I will turn Egypt into a pile of rubble. It will become a wasteland, from Migdol to Syene, all the way to the border of Sudan. 11 No human or animal will walk through it, and no one will live there for 40 years. 12 I will make Egypt the most desolate country in the world. For 40 years Egypt’s cities will lie in ruins. They will be ruined more than any other city. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and force them into other countries.
13 “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: After 40 years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they have been scattered. 14 I will bring back the Egyptian captives and return them to Pathros,[a] the land they came from. There they will be a weak kingdom. 15 They will be the weakest kingdom, and they will never rule the nations again. I will make them so weak that they will never rule the nations again. 16 The nation of Israel will never trust Egypt again. The people of Israel will remember how wrong they were whenever they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am Adonay Yahweh.’”
17 On the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year, Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, 18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army fight hard against Tyre. Every soldier’s head was worn bald, and every soldier’s shoulder was rubbed raw. Yet, he and his army got no reward for their hard-fought battle against Tyre. 19 This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I’m going to give Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth, take its prized possessions, and loot it. That will be the pay for his army. 20 I have given him Egypt as pay for what he has done. Nebuchadnezzar and his army worked for me, declares Adonay Yahweh.
21 “On that day I will make the people of Israel strong again, and I will give you, Ezekiel, something to say among them. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 29:14 Or “southern Egypt.”
Ezekiel 29
New King James Version
Proclamation Against Egypt
29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, (A)set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and (B)against all Egypt. 3 Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:
(C)“Behold, I am against you,
O Pharaoh king of Egypt,
O great (D)monster who lies in the midst of his rivers,
(E)Who has said, ‘My [a]River is my own;
I have made it for myself.’
4 But (F)I will put hooks in your jaws,
And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales;
I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers,
And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the wilderness,
You and all the fish of your rivers;
You shall fall on the [b]open (G)field;
(H)You shall not be picked up or [c]gathered.
(I)I have given you as food
To the beasts of the field
And to the birds of the heavens.
6 “Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
Shall know that I am the Lord,
Because they have been a (J)staff of reed to the house of Israel.
7 (K)When they took hold of you with the hand,
You broke and tore all their [d]shoulders;
When they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their backs quiver.”
8 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will bring (L)a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast. 9 And the land of Egypt shall become (M)desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the Lord, because he said, ‘The River is mine, and I have made it.’ 10 Indeed, therefore, I am against you and against your rivers, (N)and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, (O)from [e]Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia. 11 (P)Neither foot of man shall pass through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty years. 12 (Q)I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will (R)scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.”
13 ‘Yet, thus says the Lord God: “At the (S)end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered. 14 I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they shall be a (T)lowly kingdom. 15 It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore. 16 No longer shall it be (U)the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord God.” ’ ”
Babylonia Will Plunder Egypt
17 And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, (V)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made (W)bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to (X)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they (Y)worked for Me,’ says the Lord God.
21 ‘In that day (Z)I will cause the [f]horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will (AA)open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 29:3 The Nile
- Ezekiel 29:5 Lit. face of the field
- Ezekiel 29:5 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; some Heb. mss., Tg. buried
- Ezekiel 29:7 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr. hand
- Ezekiel 29:10 Or the tower
- Ezekiel 29:21 Strength
Ezekiel 29
Contemporary English Version
Judgment on the King of Egypt
29 (A) Ten years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the twelfth day of the tenth month.[a] He said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the king of Egypt. Tell him and his people 3 that I am saying:
King of Egypt, you were like a giant crocodile lying in a river. You acted as though you owned the Nile and made it for yourself. But now I, the Lord God, am your enemy! 4 I will put a hook in your jaw and pull you out of the water, and all the fish in your river will stick to your scaly body.[b] 5 I'll throw you and the fish into the desert, and your body will fall on the hard ground. You will be left unburied,[c] and wild animals and birds will eat your flesh. 6 (B) Then everyone in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.
You and your nation refused to help the people of Israel and were nothing more than a broken stick. 7 When they reached out to you for support, you broke in half, cutting their arms and making them fall.[d]
8 So I, the Lord God, will send troops to attack you, king of Egypt. They will kill your people and livestock, 9 until your land is a barren desert. Then you will know that I have done these things.
You claimed that you made the Nile River and control it. 10 Now I am turning against you and your river. Your nation will be nothing but an empty wasteland all the way from the town of Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south, and as far as the border of Ethiopia.[e] 11 No human or animal will even dare travel through Egypt, because no sign of life will be found there for 40 years. 12 It will be the most barren place on earth. Every city in Egypt will lie in ruins during those 40 years, and I will scatter your people throughout the nations of the world.
13 Then after those 40 years have passed, I will bring your people back from the places where I scattered them. 14 They will once again live in their homeland in southern Egypt. But they will be a weak kingdom 15 and won't ever be strong enough to rule nations, as they did in the past. 16 My own people Israel will never again depend on your nation. In fact, when the Israelites remember what happened to you Egyptians, they will realize how wrong they were to turn to you for help. Then the Israelites will know that I, the Lord God, did these things.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia Will Conquer Egypt
17 Twenty-seven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the first day of the first month.[f] He said:
18 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia has attacked the city of Tyre. He forced his soldiers to carry so many heavy loads that their heads were rubbed bald, and their shoulders were red and sore. Nebuchadnezzar and his army still could not capture the city. 19 So now I will hand over the nation of Egypt to him. He will take Egypt's valuable treasures and give them to his own troops. 20 Egypt will be his reward, because he and his army have been following my orders. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
21 Ezekiel, when Egypt is defeated, I will make the people of Israel strong, and I will give you the power to speak to them. Then they will know that I, the Lord, have done these things.
Footnotes
- 29.1 Ten years … tenth month: Probably January of 587 b.c.
- 29.4 all the fish in your river will stick to your scaly body: All the king's officials will be removed from power and destroyed along with the king himself.
- 29.5 You will be left unburied: A proper burial in a royal tomb was extremely important to Egyptian kings, because they often thought of themselves as gods.
- 29.7 making them fall: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 29.10 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has “Cush,” which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan.
- 29.17 Twenty-seven … first month: Probably March of 571 b.c.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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