Pharaoh’s Arms Are Broken

²⁰ In the eleventh year, in the first month on the seventh day, the word of the Lord came to me:^{(A) 21} “Son of man, I have broken the arm^(B) of Pharaoh^(C) king of Egypt. It has not been bound up to be healed^(D) or put in a splint so that it may become strong enough to hold a sword. ²² Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt.^(E) I will break both his arms, the good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his hand.^{(F) 23} I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.^{(G) 24} I will strengthen^(H) the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword^(I) in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan^(J) before him like a mortally wounded man. ²⁵ I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword^(K) into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt.^{(L) 26} I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(M)”

Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon

31 In the eleventh year,^(A) in the third month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:^{(B) 2} “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes:

¹⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because the great cedar towered over the thick foliage, and because it was proud^(R) of its height, ¹¹ I gave it into the hands of the ruler of the nations, for him to deal with according to its wickedness. I cast it aside,^{(S) 12} and the most ruthless of foreign nations^(T) cut it down and left it. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in all the valleys;^(U) its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it.^{(V) 13} All the birds settled on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived among its branches.^{(W) 14} Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height; they are all destined^(X) for death,^(Y) for the earth below, among mortals who go down to the realm of the dead.^(Z)

¹⁵ “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day it was brought down to the realm of the dead I covered the deep springs with mourning for it; I held back its streams, and its abundant waters were restrained. Because of it I clothed Lebanon with gloom, and all the trees of the field withered away.^{(AA) 16} I made the nations tremble^(AB) at the sound of its fall when I brought it down to the realm of the dead to be with those who go down to the pit. Then all the trees^(AC) of Eden,^(AD) the choicest and best of Lebanon, the well-watered trees, were consoled^(AE) in the earth below.^{(AF) 17} They too, like the great cedar, had gone down to the realm of the dead, to those killed by the sword,^(AG) along with the armed men who lived in its shade among the nations.

¹⁸ “‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendor and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised,^(AH) with those killed by the sword.

“‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

² The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

³ By the ninth day of the fourth^[a] month the famine^(A) in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.

² And on the ninth day of the fourth^(A) month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall^(B) was broken through.^{(C) 3} Then all the officials^(D) of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon.

⁴ Then the city wall was broken through,^(A) and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians^[a] were surrounding^(B) the city. They fled toward the Arabah,^{[b] 5} but the Babylonian^[c] army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,^{(C) 6} and he was captured.^(D)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,^(E) where sentence was pronounced on him.

¹⁰ There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons^(A) of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. ¹¹ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.^(B)

¹² On the tenth day of the fifth^(C) month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan^(D) commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

¹⁷ The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars,^(A) the movable stands^(B) and the bronze Sea^(C) that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon.^{(D) 18} They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls,^(E) dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service.^{(F) 19} The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers,^(G) sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands,^(H) dishes^(I) and bowls used for drink offerings^(J)—all that were made of pure gold or silver.^(K)

²⁰ The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls^(L) under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed.^{(M) 21} Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference^[a]; each was four fingers thick, and hollow.^{(N) 22} The bronze capital^(O) on top of one pillar was five cubits^[b] high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates^(P) of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. ²³ There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates^(Q) above the surrounding network was a hundred.^(R)

¹³ He set fire^(A) to the temple^(B) of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses^(C) of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. ¹⁴ The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls^(D) around Jerusalem.

²⁴ The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah^(A) the chief priest, Zephaniah^(B) the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers.^{(C) 25} Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary^(D) who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. ²⁶ Nebuzaradan^(E) the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷ There at Riblah,^(F) in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.

So Judah went into captivity, away^(G) from her land.