A Lament for Pharaoh

32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, lament(A) for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him,

‘You compare yourself to a lion of the nations,
but[a] you are like a monster[b](B) in the seas.
You thrash about in your rivers,
churn up the waters with your feet,
and muddy the[c] rivers.

“‘This is what the Lord God says:

I will spread my net over you(C)
with an assembly of many peoples,
and they[d] will haul you up in my net.
I will abandon you on the land
and throw you onto the open field.
I will cause all the birds of the sky
to settle on you
and let the wild creatures of the entire earth
eat their fill of you.(D)
I will put your flesh on the mountains(E)
and fill the valleys with your carcass.
I will drench the land
with the flow of your blood,
even to the mountains;
the ravines will be filled with your gore.
“‘When I snuff you out,
I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,(F)
and the moon will not give its light.
I will darken all the shining lights
in the heavens over you,
and will bring darkness on your land.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
“‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,
when I bring about your destruction
among the nations,
in countries you have not known.
10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
and their kings will shudder with fear because of you(G)
when I brandish my sword in front of them.
On the day of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment(H) for his life.

11 “‘For this is what the Lord God says:

The sword of Babylon’s king
will come against you!
12 I will make your hordes fall
by the swords of warriors,
all of them ruthless men from the nations.(I)
They will ravage Egypt’s pride,
and all its hordes will be destroyed.
13 I will slaughter all its cattle
that are beside many waters.
No human foot will churn them again,
and no cattle hooves will disturb them.(J)
14 Then I will let their waters settle
and will make their rivers flow like oil.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
15 When I make the land of Egypt a desolation,
so that it is emptied of everything in it,
when I strike down all who live there,
then they will know that I am the Lord.(K)

16 “‘The daughters of the nations will chant that lament.(L) They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

Egypt in Sheol

17 In the twelfth year,[e] on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld,[f] to be with those who descend to the Pit:(M)

19 Who do you surpass in loveliness?
Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!
20 They will fall among those slain by the sword.
A sword is appointed!(N)
They drag her and all her hordes away.
21 Warrior leaders will speak
from the middle of Sheol
about him[g] and his allies:
‘They have come down;
the uncircumcised lie
slain by the sword.’(O)

22 “Assyria is there with her whole assembly;
her graves are all around her.
All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.
23 Her graves are set in the deepest regions of the Pit,
and her assembly is all around her burial place.
All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—
those who once spread terror
in the land of the living.

24 “Elam(P) is there
with all her hordes around her grave.
All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—
those who went down to the underworld uncircumcised,
who once spread their terror
in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.
25 Among the slain
they prepare a bed for Elam
with all her hordes.
Her graves are all around her.
All of them are uncircumcised,
slain by the sword,
although their terror was once spread
in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.
They are placed among the slain.

26 “Meshech and Tubal[h](Q) are there,
with all their hordes.
Their graves are all around them.
All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword,
although their terror was once spread
in the land of the living.
27 They do not lie down
with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised,[i]
who went down to Sheol
with their weapons of war,
whose swords were placed under their heads[j]
and their shields[k]
rested on their bones,
although the terror of these warriors
was once in the land of the living.
28 But you will be shattered
and will lie down among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.(R)

29 “Edom(S) is there, her kings and all her princes,
who, despite their strength, have been placed
among those slain by the sword.
They lie down with the uncircumcised,
with those who descend to the Pit.
30 All the leaders of the north(T)
and all the Sidonians(U) are there.
They went down in shame with the slain,
despite the terror their strength inspired.
They lie down uncircumcised
with those slain by the sword.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.

31 “Pharaoh will see them
and be comforted(V) over all his hordes—
Pharaoh and his whole army,
slain by the sword.”

This is the declaration of the Lord God.

32 “For I will spread my[l] terror
in the land of the living,
so Pharaoh and all his hordes
will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.”

This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Footnotes

  1. 32:2 Or ‘Lion of the nations, you are destroyed;
  2. 32:2 Or crocodile
  3. 32:2 Lit their
  4. 32:3 LXX, Vg read I
  5. 32:17 LXX reads year, in the first month,
  6. 32:18 Lit the lower parts of the earth, also in v. 24
  7. 32:21 Either Pharaoh or Egypt
  8. 32:26 Lit Meshech-tubal
  9. 32:27 LXX reads of antiquity
  10. 32:27 Or Do they not... heads?
  11. 32:27 Emended; MT reads iniquities
  12. 32:32 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Syr read his

Lamentation over Pharaoh and Egypt

32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month,[a] the Lord’s message came to me: “Son of man, sing a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

“‘You were like a lion[b] among the nations,
but you are a monster in the seas;
you thrash about in your streams,
stir up the water with your feet,
and muddy your[c] streams.

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘I will throw my net over you[d] in the assembly of many peoples;
and they will haul you up in my dragnet.
I will leave you on the ground,
I will fling you on the open field,
I will allow[e] all the birds of the sky to settle[f] on you,
and I will permit[g] all the wild animals[h] to gorge themselves on you.
I will put your flesh on the mountains,
and fill the valleys with your maggot-infested carcass.[i]
I will drench the land with the flow
of your blood up to the mountains,
and the ravines will be full of your blood.[j]
When I extinguish you, I will cover the sky;
I will darken its stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not shine.[k]
I will darken all the lights in the sky over you,
and I will darken your land,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
I will disturb[l] many peoples,
when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
among countries you do not know.
10 I will shock many peoples with you,
and their kings will shiver with horror because of you.
When I brandish my sword before them,
every moment each one will tremble for his life, on the day of your fall.

11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘The sword of the king of Babylon[m] will attack[n] you.
12 By the swords of the mighty warriors I will cause your hordes to fall—
all of them are the most terrifying among the nations.
They will devastate the pride of Egypt,
and all its hordes will be destroyed.
13 I will destroy all its cattle beside the plentiful waters;
and no human foot will disturb[o] the waters[p] again,
nor will the hooves of cattle disturb them.
14 Then I will make their waters calm,[q]
and will make their streams flow like olive oil, declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 When I turn the land of Egypt into desolation
and the land is destitute of everything that fills it,
when I strike all those who live in it,
then they will know that I am the Lord.’
16 This is a lament; they will chant it.
The daughters of the nations will chant it.
They will chant it over Egypt and over all her hordes,
declares the Sovereign Lord.”

17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month,[r] the Lord’s message came to me: 18 “Son of man, wail[s] over the horde of Egypt. Bring it down;[t] bring[u] her[v] and the daughters of powerful nations down to the lower parts of the earth, along with those who descend to the Pit. 19 Say to them,[w] ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?[x] Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!’ 20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; they carry her and all her hordes away. 21 The bravest of the warriors will speak to him from the midst of Sheol along with his allies, saying: ‘The uncircumcised have come down; they lie still, killed by the sword.’

22 “Assyria is there with all her assembly around her grave,[y] all of them struck down by the sword.[z] 23 Their[aa] graves are located in the remote slopes of the Pit.[ab] Her assembly is around her grave, all of them struck down by the sword, those who spread terror in the land of the living.

24 “Elam is there with all her hordes around her grave; all of them struck down by the sword. They went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, those who spread terror in the land of the living. Now they will bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit. 25 Among the dead they have made a bed for her, along with all her hordes around her grave.[ac] All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for their terror had spread in the land of the living. They bear their shame along with those who descend to the Pit; they are placed among the dead.

26 “Meshech Tubal is there, along with all her hordes around her grave.[ad] All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 They do not lie with the fallen warriors of ancient times,[ae] who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, having their swords placed under their heads and their shields on their bones,[af] when the terror of these warriors was in the land of the living.

28 “But as for you, in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken, and you will lie with those killed by the sword.

29 “Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the Pit.

30 “All the leaders of the north are there, along with all the Sidonians; despite their might they have gone down in shameful terror with the dead. They lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, and bear their shame with those who descend to the Pit.

31 “Pharaoh will see them and be consoled over all his hordes who were killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his army, declares the Sovereign Lord. 32 Indeed, I terrified him in the land of the living, yet he will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 32:1 sn This would be March 3, 585 b.c.
  2. Ezekiel 32:2 tn The lion was a figure of royalty (Ezek 19:1-9).
  3. Ezekiel 32:2 tc The Hebrew reads, “their streams”; the LXX reads, “your streams.”
  4. Ezekiel 32:3 tn The expression “throw my net” is common in Ezekiel (12:13; 17:20; 19:8).
  5. Ezekiel 32:4 tn Or “cause.”
  6. Ezekiel 32:4 tn Heb “live.”
  7. Ezekiel 32:4 tn Or “cause.”
  8. Ezekiel 32:4 tn Heb “the beasts of the field,” referring to wild as opposed to domesticated animals.
  9. Ezekiel 32:5 tc The Hebrew text is difficult here, apparently meaning “your height.” Following Symmachus and the Syriac, it is preferable to emend the text to read “your maggots.” See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:203.
  10. Ezekiel 32:6 tn Heb “from you.”
  11. Ezekiel 32:7 tn Heb “will not shine its light.” For similar features of cosmic eschatology, see Joel 2:10; 3:15; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph 1:5.
  12. Ezekiel 32:9 tn Heb “I will provoke the heart of.”
  13. Ezekiel 32:11 sn The king of Babylon referred to here was Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek 21:19).
  14. Ezekiel 32:11 tn Heb “approach.”
  15. Ezekiel 32:13 tn Heb “muddy.”
  16. Ezekiel 32:13 tn Heb “them,” that is, the waters mentioned in the previous line. The translation clarifies the referent.
  17. Ezekiel 32:14 tn Heb “sink,” that is, to settle and become clear, not muddied.
  18. Ezekiel 32:17 tn March 17, 585 b.c. The LXX adds “first month.”
  19. Ezekiel 32:18 tn The Hebrew verb is used as a response to death (Jer 9:17-19; Amos 5:16).
  20. Ezekiel 32:18 sn Through this prophetic lament given by God himself, the prophet activates the judgment described therein. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:217, and L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:136-37.
  21. Ezekiel 32:18 tn Heb “Bring him down, her and the daughters of the powerful nations, to the earth below.” The verb “bring down” appears in the Hebrew text only once. Because the verb takes several objects here, the repetition of the verb in the translation improves the English style.
  22. Ezekiel 32:18 tn This apparently refers to personified Egypt.
  23. Ezekiel 32:19 tc The LXX places this verse after v. 21.tn The words “say to them” are added in the translation for clarity to indicate the shift in addressee from the prophet to Egypt.
  24. Ezekiel 32:19 tn Heb “pleasantness.”
  25. Ezekiel 32:22 tn Heb “around him his graves.” The masculine pronominal suffixes are problematic; the expression is best emended to correspond to the phrase “around her grave” in v. 23. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:219.
  26. Ezekiel 32:22 tn Heb “all of them slain, the ones felled by the sword.” See as well vv. 23-24.
  27. Ezekiel 32:23 tn Heb “whose.”
  28. Ezekiel 32:23 tn The only other occurrence of the phrase “remote slopes of the Pit” is in Isa 14:15.
  29. Ezekiel 32:25 tn Heb “around him her graves,” but the expression is best emended to read “around her grave” (see vv. 23-24).
  30. Ezekiel 32:26 tn Heb “around him her graves,” but the expression is best emended to read “around her grave” (see vv. 23-24).
  31. Ezekiel 32:27 tc Heb “of the uncircumcised.” The LXX reads, probably correctly, “from of old” rather than “of the uncircumcised.” The phrases are very similar in spelling. The warriors of Meshech Tubal are described as uncircumcised, so it would be odd for them to not be buried with the uncircumcised. Verse 28 specifically says that they would lie with the uncircumcised.
  32. Ezekiel 32:27 tc Heb “and their iniquities were over their bones.” The meaning of this statement is unclear. In light of the parallelism (see “swords”) it is preferable to emend עֲוֹנֹתָם (ʿavonotam; “their iniquities”) to צִנּוֹתָם or צִנָּתָם (tsinnotam or tsinnatam; “their shields” or “their shield”) See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:135.