Ezekiel 32
King James Version
32 And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.
3 Thus saith the Lord God; I will therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of many people; and they shall bring thee up in my net.
4 Then will I leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the beasts of the whole earth with thee.
5 And I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with thy height.
6 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall be full of thee.
7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God.
9 I will also vex the hearts of many people, when I shall bring thy destruction among the nations, into the countries which thou hast not known.
10 Yea, I will make many people amazed at thee, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of thy fall.
11 For thus saith the Lord God; The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.
12 By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall, the terrible of the nations, all of them: and they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed.
13 I will destroy also all the beasts thereof from beside the great waters; neither shall the foot of man trouble them any more, nor the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
14 Then will I make their waters deep, and cause their rivers to run like oil, saith the Lord God.
15 When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the Lord.
16 This is the lamentation wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters of the nations shall lament her: they shall lament for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, saith the Lord God.
17 It came to pass also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, unto the nether parts of the earth, with them that go down into the pit.
19 Whom dost thou pass in beauty? go down, and be thou laid with the uncircumcised.
20 They shall fall in the midst of them that are slain by the sword: she is delivered to the sword: draw her and all her multitudes.
21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.
22 Asshur is there and all her company: his graves are about him: all of them slain, fallen by the sword:
23 Whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and her company is round about her grave: all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused terror in the land of the living.
24 There is Elam and all her multitude round about her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, which are gone down uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which caused their terror in the land of the living; yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
25 They have set her a bed in the midst of the slain with all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain.
26 There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude: her graves are round about him: all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living.
27 And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war: and they have laid their swords under their heads, but their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.
28 Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that are slain with the sword.
29 There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, which with their might are laid by them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie with the uncircumcised, and with them that go down to the pit.
30 There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.
31 Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, saith the Lord God.
32 For I have caused my terror in the land of the living: and he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord God.
Ezekiel 32
Easy-to-Read Version
Pharaoh: a Lion or a Dragon?
32 On the first day of the twelfth month in the twelfth year of exile,[a] the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man,[b] sing this sad song about Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Say to him:
“‘You thought you were like a powerful young lion walking proud among the nations.
But really, you are like a dragon[c] in the lakes.
You push your way through the streams.
You make the water muddy with your feet
and stir up the rivers of Egypt.’”
3 This is what the Lord God says:
“I have gathered many people together.
Now I will throw my net over you.
Then those people will pull you in.
4 Then I will drop you on the dry ground.
I will throw you down in the field.
I will let all the birds come and eat you.
I will let wild animals from every place come and eat you until they are full.
5 I will scatter your body on the mountains.
I will fill the valleys with your dead body.
6 I will pour your blood on the mountains,
and it will soak down into the ground.
The rivers will be full of you.
7 I will make you disappear.
I will cover the sky and make the stars dark.
I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not shine.
8 I will darken the lights in the sky over you.
I will make your whole country dark.”
This is what the Lord God said.
9 “I will make many people sad and upset when I bring an enemy to destroy you. Nations you don’t even know will be upset. 10 I will make many people shocked about you. Their kings will be terrified of you, when I swing my sword before them. They will shake with fear on the day you fall. Each king will be afraid for his own life.”
11 That will happen because of what the Lord God said: “The sword of the king of Babylon will come to fight against you. 12 I will use those soldiers to kill your people in battle. They come from the most terrible of the nations. They will destroy the things Egypt is proud of. The people of Egypt will be destroyed. 13 There are many animals by the rivers in Egypt. I will also destroy all those animals. People will not make the waters muddy with their feet anymore. The hoofs of cattle will not make the water muddy anymore. 14 So I will make the water in Egypt calm. I will cause their rivers to run slowly—they will be slick like oil.” This is what the Lord God said. 15 “I will make the land of Egypt empty. That land will lose everything. I will punish all the people living in Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord!
16 “This is a sad song that people will sing for Egypt. The daughters in other nations will sing this sad song. They will sing it as a sad song about Egypt and all its people.” This is what the Lord God said.
Egypt to Be Destroyed
17 On the fifteenth day of that month in the twelfth year of exile, the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 18 “Son of man, cry for the people of Egypt. Lead Egypt and the daughters from powerful nations to the grave. Lead them to the world below where they will be with the other people who went down into that deep hole.
19 “Egypt, you are no better than anyone else! Go down to the place of death. Go lie down with those foreigners.[d]
20 “Egypt will go to be with all the other men who were killed in battle. The enemy has pulled her and all her people away.
21 “Strong and powerful men were killed in battle. Those foreigners went down to the place of death. And from that place, those who were killed will speak to Egypt and his helpers.
22-23 “Assyria and all its army are there in the place of death. Their graves are deep down in that deep hole. All the Assyrian soldiers were killed in battle, and their graves are all around his grave. When they were alive, they made people afraid, but they were all killed in battle.
24 “Elam is there and all its army is around her grave. All of them were killed in battle. Those foreigners went deep down into the ground. When they were alive, they made people afraid. But they carried their shame with them down to that deep hole. 25 They have made a bed for Elam and all its soldiers who were killed in battle. Elam’s army is all around its grave. All those foreigners were killed in battle. When they were alive, they scared people. But they carried their shame with them down into that deep hole. They were put with all the other people who were killed.
26 “Meshech, Tubal, and all their armies are there. Their graves are around it. All those foreigners were killed in battle. When they were alive, they made people afraid. 27 But now they are lying down by the powerful men who died long, long ago! They were buried with their weapons of war. Their swords will be laid under their heads. But their sins are on their bones, because when they were alive, they scared people.
28 “Egypt, you also will be destroyed, and you will lie down by those foreigners. You will lie with the other soldiers who were killed in battle.
29 “Edom is there also. His kings and other leaders are there with him. They were powerful soldiers, but now they lie with the other men who were killed in battle. They are lying there with those foreigners. They are there with the other people who went down into that deep hole.
30 “The rulers from the north are there, all of them, and there are all the soldiers from Sidon. Their strength scared people, but they are embarrassed. Those foreigners lie there with the other men who were killed in battle. They carried their shame with them down into that deep hole.
31 “Yes, Pharaoh and all his army will be killed in battle. Pharaoh will be comforted when he sees his many men and all the others who went down into the place of death.” This is what the Lord God said.
32 “People were afraid of Pharaoh when he was alive, but he will lie down next to those foreigners. Pharaoh and his army will lie down with all the other soldiers who were killed in battle.” This is what the Lord God said.
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 32:1 twelfth year of exile This was early spring, 585 B.C. Also in verse 17.
- Ezekiel 32:2 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 32:2 dragon This might be a crocodile or a giant sea creature. The giant sea creature represented the power of the sea, and the Nile River made Egypt a powerful nation.
- Ezekiel 32:19 foreigners Literally, “uncircumcised.” This means people who did not share in the agreement God made with Israel. See “circumcise, circumcision” in the Word List.
Ezekiel 32
English Standard Version
A Lament over Pharaoh and Egypt
32 (A)In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 (B)“Son of man, (C)raise a lamentation over (D)Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:
“You consider yourself (E)a lion of the nations,
but you are like (F)a dragon (G)in the seas;
(H)you burst forth in your rivers,
trouble the waters with your feet,
and foul their rivers.
3 Thus says the Lord God:
(I)I will throw my net over you
with a host of (J)many peoples,
and (K)they will haul you up in my dragnet.
4 And (L)I will cast you on the ground;
on the open field I will fling you,
and will cause all the birds of the heavens to settle on you,
and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you.
5 I will strew your flesh (M)upon the mountains
and fill the valleys with your carcass.[a]
6 I will drench the land even to the mountains
with your flowing blood,
and the ravines will be full of you.
7 (N)When I blot you out, (O)I will cover the heavens
and make their stars dark;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon shall not give its light.
8 All the bright lights of heaven
will I make dark over you,
and (P)put darkness on your land,
declares the Lord God.
9 “I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries that you have not known. 10 (Q)I will make many peoples appalled at you, and the hair of their kings shall bristle with horror because of you, when (R)I brandish my sword before them. (S)They shall tremble every moment, every one for his own life, on the day of your downfall.
11 “For thus says the Lord God: (T)The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. 12 I will cause (U)your multitude to fall by the swords of mighty ones, all of them (V)most ruthless of nations.
(W)“They shall bring to ruin the pride of Egypt,
and all its multitude[b] shall perish.
13 I will destroy all its beasts
from beside many waters;
(X)and no foot of man shall trouble them anymore,
nor shall the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
14 Then (Y)I will make their waters clear,
and cause their rivers to run like oil,
declares the Lord God.
15 When I make the land of Egypt desolate,
and when the land (Z)is desolate of all that fills it,
when I strike down all who dwell in it,
then (AA)they will know that I am the Lord.
16 (AB)This is a lamentation that shall be chanted; the daughters of the nations shall chant it; over Egypt, and over (AC)all her multitude, shall they chant it, declares the Lord God.”
17 (AD)In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month,[c] on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 (AE)“Son of man, (AF)wail over (AG)the multitude of Egypt, and (AH)send them down, her and the daughters of majestic nations, (AI)to the world below, to those who have gone down to the pit:
20 They shall fall amid those (AL)who are slain by the sword. Egypt[d] is delivered to the sword; drag her away, and (AM)all her multitudes. 21 The mighty chiefs (AN)shall speak of them, (AO)with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, (AP)the uncircumcised, (AQ)slain by the sword.’
22 (AR)“Assyria is there, and all her company, (AS)its graves all around it, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, 23 whose graves are set in (AT)the uttermost parts of the pit; and her company is all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, (AU)who spread terror (AV)in the land of the living.
24 (AW)“Elam is (AX)there, and all her multitude around her grave; all of them (AY)slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into (AZ)the world below, who spread their terror in the land of the living; and (BA)they bear their shame (BB)with those who go down to the pit. 25 (BC)They have made her a bed among the slain with all her multitude, (BD)her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for terror of them was spread in the land of the living, and they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are placed among the slain.
26 (BE)“Meshech-Tubal is (BF)there, and all her multitude, (BG)her graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 And (BH)they do not lie with the mighty, the fallen from among the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose iniquities are upon their bones; for the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living. 28 But as for you, you shall be broken (BI)and lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.
29 (BJ)“Edom is (BK)there, her kings and all her princes, who for all their might are laid with those who are killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.
30 “The princes (BL)of the north are there, all of them, and all the (BM)Sidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, (BN)for all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and (BO)bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.
31 “When Pharaoh sees them, he (BP)will be comforted for (BQ)all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, declares the Lord God. 32 (BR)For I spread terror (BS)in the land of the living; and he shall be laid to rest among (BT)the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”
Footnotes
- Ezekiel 32:5 Hebrew your height
- Ezekiel 32:12 Or wealth
- Ezekiel 32:17 Hebrew lacks in the twelfth month
- Ezekiel 32:20 Hebrew She
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
