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.
Ezekiel 29
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh’s Judgment upon Egypt
29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth[a] day of the month, the word of Yahweh came[b] to me, saying,[c] 2 “Son of man,[d] set your face against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against Egypt, all of it. 3 Speak, and you must say, ‘thus says the Lord Yahweh:
“Look! I am against you,
Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
the great sea monster,
the one lying down
in the midst of his Nile streams,
who says to me, “It is my Nile, and I made it for myself.”[e]
4 And so I will put hooks in your jawbones,
and I will make the fish of your Nile streams stick to your scales,
and I will bring you up from the midst of your Nile streams,
and all of the fish of your Nile streams which cling to your scales.
5 And I will fling you to the desert,
you and all the fish of your Nile streams.
On the surface of the field you will fall;
you will not be gathered,
and you will not be assembled.
To the animals[f] of the field
and to the birds[g] of the heavens
I will give you as food.
6 And all of the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh,
because of their[h] being a staff of reed for the house of Israel.
7 When they took hold of you with the hand, you snapped,
and you split their every shoulder.
And when they leaned on you, you broke,
and you caused all of their loins to wobble.”
8 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am bringing on you a sword, and I will cut off from you human and animal. 9 And the land of Egypt will become[i] a desolation and ruins, and they will know that I am Yahweh because he[j] said, ‘The Nile is mine![k] And I, I made it!’ 10 Therefore look! I am against you and against your Nile streams, and I will make the land of Egypt into ruins, a pile of rubble, a desolation from Migdol to Syene and up to the boundary of Cush. 11 A foot of a human will not pass over it, and a foot of an animal will not pass over it, and so it will not be inhabited for forty years.[l] 12 And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and its cities to be in the midst of ruined cities. They will be a desolation for forty years, and I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them among the countries.”
13 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples among whom they were scattered. 14 And I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and I will bring them back to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and they will be a lowly kingdom there. 15 Of all the kingdoms it will be the most lowly, and it will not exalt itself again over the nations, and I will make them small so as not to rule over the nations. 16 And it will not be again for the house of Israel an object of trust, bringing to remembrance their guilt when they turned back to them,[m] and they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.”
17 And then[n] in the twenty-seventh year,[o] in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of Yahweh came[p] to me, saying,[q] 18 “Son of man,[r] Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, he made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was rubbed bare, and every shoulder was rubbed raw, but[s] a wage was not paid for him and for his army from Tyre for the labor that he did against it.” 19 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am giving to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon the land of Egypt, and he will carry its wealth away, and he will plunder its plunder, and he will loot its loot, and it will be a wage for his army. 20 As his wages that he worked for, I will give to him the land of Egypt, because they worked for me,” declares[t] the Lord Yahweh.
21 “On that day I will cause power[u] to grow up for the house of Israel, and for you I will give an opening of your mouth in the midst of them, and they will know that I am Yahweh.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 29:1 Literally “two ten”
- Ezekiel 29:1 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 29:1 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 29:2 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 29:3 Hebrew “me”
- Ezekiel 29:5 Hebrew “animal”
- Ezekiel 29:5 Hebrew “bird”
- Ezekiel 29:6 LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate: “you”
- Ezekiel 29:9 Hebrew “be”
- Ezekiel 29:9 That is, Pharaoh
- Ezekiel 29:9 Literally “to me”
- Ezekiel 29:11 Hebrew “year”
- Ezekiel 29:16 Literally “at their turning”
- Ezekiel 29:17 Literally “and it happened”
- Ezekiel 29:17 Literally “twenty and seven year”
- Ezekiel 29:17 Literally “was”
- Ezekiel 29:17 Literally “to say”
- Ezekiel 29:18 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
- Ezekiel 29:18 Or “and”
- Ezekiel 29:20 Literally “declaration of”
- Ezekiel 29:21 Literally “a horn”
Ezekiel 29
King James Version
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,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.
9 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.
Ezequiel 29
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Profecía contra Egipto
29 En el año décimo, el mes décimo, a los doce días del mes, vino a mí la palabra del Señor(A): 2 «Hijo de hombre, pon tu rostro contra Faraón, rey de Egipto(B), y profetiza contra él y contra todo Egipto(C). 3 Habla y di: “Así dice el Señor Dios:
‘Yo estoy contra ti, Faraón, rey de Egipto,
El gran monstruo que yace en medio de sus ríos(D),
Que ha dicho: “Mío es el Nilo, Yo mismo me lo hice(E)”.
4 -’Pondré garfios en tus quijadas(F),
Y haré que los peces de tus ríos se peguen a tus escamas;
Te sacaré de en medio de tus ríos,
Con todos los peces de tus ríos pegados a tus escamas.
5 -’Y te abandonaré en el desierto,
A ti y a todos los peces de tus ríos.
Caerás en campo abierto(G),
No serás juntado ni recogido.
A las fieras de la tierra y a las aves del cielo(H)
Te he dado por alimento.
6 -’Entonces sabrán todos los habitantes de Egipto que Yo soy el Señor,
Porque han sido solo vara de caña(I) para la casa de Israel.
7 -’Cuando te tomaron en la mano,
Te quebraste, y desgarraste todas sus manos;
Y cuando se apoyaron en ti,
Te quebraste e hiciste que se estremecieran todos sus lomos(J)’.
8 Por tanto, así dice el Señor Dios: ‘Voy a traer contra ti la espada, y exterminaré de ti hombres y animales(K). 9 Y la tierra de Egipto se convertirá en desolación y ruina. Entonces sabrán que Yo soy el Señor(L).
Porque dijiste: “El Nilo es mío y yo lo he hecho(M)”, 10 por tanto, estoy contra ti y contra tus ríos(N), y haré de la tierra de Egipto una ruina completa, una desolación, desde Migdol hasta Sevene y hasta la frontera de Etiopía. 11 No pasará por ella pie de hombre, ni pie de animal pasará por ella(O), ni será habitada por cuarenta años. 12 Y haré de la tierra de Egipto una desolación en medio de tierras desoladas; y sus ciudades, en medio de ciudades devastadas(P), estarán desoladas por cuarenta años. Dispersaré a los egipcios entre las naciones y los esparciré por las tierras(Q)’.
13 ”Porque así dice el Señor Dios: ‘Después de cuarenta años recogeré a los egipcios de entre los pueblos donde estaban dispersos(R); 14 y cambiaré la suerte de Egipto y los haré volver a la tierra de Patros(S), a la tierra de su origen; y allí serán un reino humilde. 15 Será el más humilde de los reinos y jamás se levantará sobre las naciones(T). Los empequeñeceré(U) para que no dominen a las naciones. 16 Y nunca más será la confianza de la casa de Israel, al recordar la iniquidad de haber vuelto a Egipto(V). Entonces sabrán que Yo soy el Señor Dios(W)’”».
17 En el año veintisiete, el mes primero, el día primero del mes, vino a mí la palabra del Señor(X): 18 «Hijo de hombre, Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, hizo que su ejército realizara una gran campaña contra Tiro(Y); toda cabeza ha quedado calva(Z) y toda espalda desollada. Pero él y su ejército no recibieron pago de Tiro por la campaña que había realizado contra ella». 19 Por tanto, así dice el Señor Dios: «Voy a dar la tierra de Egipto a Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia. Se llevará sus riquezas(AA), capturará su botín y tomará su despojo; y esto será la paga para su ejército(AB). 20 Le he dado la tierra de Egipto por la obra que realizó contra Tiro, porque trabajaron para mí», declara el Señor Dios(AC).
21 «En aquel día haré brotar el poderío(AD) de la casa de Israel, y abriré tu boca en medio de ellos. Entonces sabrán que Yo soy el Señor(AE)».
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