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32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, “Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him,

“You were likened to a young lion of the nations;
    yet you are as a monster in the seas.
You broke out with your rivers,
    and troubled the waters with your feet,
    and fouled their rivers.”
The Lord Yahweh says:
    “I will spread out my net on you with a company of many peoples;
    and they will bring you up in my net.
I will leave you on the land.
    I will cast you out on the open field,
and will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you.
    I will satisfy the animals of the whole earth with you.
I will lay your flesh on the mountains,
    and fill the valleys with your height.
I will also water the land in which you swim with your blood,
    even to the mountains.
    The watercourses will be full of you.
When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens
    and make its stars dark.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
    and the moon won’t give its light.
I will make all the bright lights of the sky dark over you,
    and set darkness on your land,” says the Lord Yahweh.
“I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples,
    when I bring your destruction among the nations,
    into the countries which you have not known.
10 Yes, I will make many peoples amazed at you,
    and their kings will be horribly afraid for you,
when I brandish my sword before them.
    They will tremble at every moment,
every man for his own life,
    in the day of your fall.”
11 For the Lord Yahweh says:
    “The sword of the king of Babylon will come on you.
12 I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of the mighty.
    They are all the ruthless of the nations.
They will bring the pride of Egypt to nothing,
    and all its multitude will be destroyed.
13 I will destroy also all its animals from beside many waters.
    The foot of man won’t trouble them any more,
    nor will the hoofs of animals trouble them.
14 Then I will make their waters clear,
    and cause their rivers to run like oil,”
    says the Lord Yahweh.
15 “When I make the land of Egypt desolate and waste,
    a land destitute of that of which it was full,
when I strike all those who dwell therein,
    then they will know that I am Yahweh.

16 “‘“This is the lamentation with which they will lament. The daughters of the nations will lament with this. They will lament with it over Egypt, and over all her multitude,” says the Lord Yahweh.’”

17 Also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, Yahweh’s word came to 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, to the lower parts of the earth, with those who go down into the pit. 19 Whom do you pass in beauty? Go down, and be laid with the uncircumcised. 20 They will fall among those who are slain by the sword. She is delivered to the sword. Draw her away with all her multitudes. 21 The strong among the mighty will speak to him out of the middle of Sheol[a] with those who help him. They have gone down. The uncircumcised lie still, slain by the sword.

22 “Asshur is there with all her company. Her graves are all around her. All of them slain, fallen by the sword; 23 whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit, and her company is around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living.

24 “There is Elam and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised into the lower parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. 25 They have set her a bed among the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are around her; all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for their terror was caused in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. He is put among those who are slain.

26 “There is Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitude. Their graves are around them, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they caused their terror in the land of the living. 27 They will not lie with the mighty who are fallen of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war, and have laid their swords under their heads, and their iniquities are on their bones; for they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

28 “But you will be broken among the uncircumcised, and will lie with those who are slain by the sword.

29 “There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, who in their might are laid with those who are slain by the sword. They will lie with the uncircumcised, and with those who go down to the pit.

30 “There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down with the slain. They are put to shame in the terror which they caused by their might. They lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.

31 “Pharaoh will see them, and will be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword,” says the Lord Yahweh. 32 “For I have put his terror in the land of the living. He will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says the Lord Yahweh.

Footnotes

  1. 32:21 Sheol is the place of the dead.

A Lament Over Pharaoh

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

“‘You are like a lion(C) among the nations;
    you are like a monster(D) in the seas(E)
thrashing about in your streams,
    churning the water with your feet
    and muddying the streams.(F)

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘With a great throng of people
    I will cast my net over you,
    and they will haul you up in my net.(G)
I will throw you on the land
    and hurl you on the open field.
I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you
    and all the animals of the wild gorge themselves on you.(H)
I will spread your flesh on the mountains
    and fill the valleys(I) with your remains.
I will drench the land with your flowing blood(J)
    all the way to the mountains,
    and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.(K)
When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens
    and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
    and the moon will not give its light.(L)
All the shining lights in the heavens
    I will darken(M) over you;
    I will bring darkness over your land,(N)
declares the Sovereign Lord.
I will trouble the hearts of many peoples
    when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
    among[a] lands you have not known.
10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
    and their kings will shudder with horror because of you
    when I brandish my sword(O) before them.
On the day(P) of your downfall
    each of them will tremble
    every moment for his life.(Q)

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

“‘The sword(R) of the king of Babylon(S)
    will come against you.(T)
12 I will cause your hordes to fall
    by the swords of mighty men—
    the most ruthless of all nations.(U)
They will shatter the pride of Egypt,
    and all her hordes will be overthrown.(V)
13 I will destroy all her cattle
    from beside abundant waters
no longer to be stirred by the foot of man
    or muddied by the hooves of cattle.(W)
14 Then I will let her waters settle
    and make her streams flow like oil,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 When I make Egypt desolate
    and strip the land of everything in it,
when I strike down all who live there,
    then they will know that I am the Lord.(X)

16 “This is the lament(Y) they will chant for her. The daughters of the nations will chant it; for Egypt and all her hordes they will chant it, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Egypt’s Descent Into the Realm of the Dead

17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(Z) 18 “Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and consign(AA) to the earth below both her and the daughters of mighty nations, along with those who go down to the pit.(AB) 19 Say to them, ‘Are you more favored than others? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised.’(AC) 20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; let her be dragged(AD) off with all her hordes.(AE) 21 From within the realm of the dead(AF) the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised,(AG) with those killed by the sword.’

22 “Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword. 23 Their graves are in the depths of the pit(AH) and her army lies around her grave.(AI) All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.

24 “Elam(AJ) is there, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.(AK) All who had spread terror in the land of the living(AL) went down uncircumcised to the earth below. They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(AM) 25 A bed is made for her among the slain, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised,(AN) killed by the sword. Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain.

26 “Meshek and Tubal(AO) are there, with all their hordes around their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old,[b](AP) who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields[c] resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.

28 “You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

29 “Edom(AQ) is there, her kings and all her princes; despite their power, they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.(AR)

30 “All the princes of the north(AS) and all the Sidonians(AT) are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power. They lie uncircumcised(AU) with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(AV)

31 “Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled(AW) for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord. 32 Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh(AX) and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(AY)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 32:9 Hebrew; Septuagint bring you into captivity among the nations, / to
  2. Ezekiel 32:27 Septuagint; Hebrew warriors who were uncircumcised
  3. Ezekiel 32:27 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text punishment

Chapter 32

Lament over Pharaoh. On the first day of the twelfth month in the twelfth year,[a] the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, utter a lament over Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and say to him:

You liken yourself to a lion among nations,
    but you are like the monster in the sea!
Thrashing about in your streams,
    churning the water with your feet,
    polluting the streams.(A)
Thus says the Lord God:
I will cast my net over you
    by assembling many armies,
    and I will hoist you up in my mesh.
I will hurl you onto the land,
    cast you into an open field.
I will make all the birds of the sky
    roost upon you,
The beasts of the whole earth
    gorge themselves on you.
I will strew your flesh on the mountains,
    and fill the valleys with your corpse.(B)
I will drench the land,
    pouring out your blood on the mountain;
    filling up the ravines with you.
When I extinguish you,
    I will cover the heavens
    and darken all its stars.
The sun I will cover with clouds;
    the moon will not give light.(C)
All the shining lights in the heavens
    I will darken over you;
I will spread darkness over your land—
    oracle of the Lord God.
I will trouble the hearts
    of many peoples,
When I bring you captive
    among the nations,
    to lands you do not know.
10 I will fill many nations with horror;
    their kings will shudder at you,
    when I brandish my sword in their faces.
They will tremble violently
    fearing for their lives on the day of your fall.(D)
11 For thus says the Lord God:
The sword of the king of Babylon
    will come against you.
12 I will cut down your hordes
    with the swords of warriors,
    all of them, ruthless nations;
They will lay waste the glory of Egypt,
    and all its hordes will be destroyed.(E)
13 I will wipe out all the livestock
    from the banks of its many waters;
No human foot will disturb them again,
    no animal hoof stir them up.
14 Then I will make their waters clear
    and their streams flow like oil—
    oracle of the Lord God.
15 When I make Egypt a wasteland
    and the land destitute of everything,
When I strike down all its inhabitants
    they shall know that I am the Lord.
16 This is the lamentation
    women of all nations will chant;
They will raise it over Egypt;
    over all its hordes they will chant it—
    oracle of the Lord God.

Another Lament over Egypt. 17 [b]On the fifteenth day of that month in the twelfth year, the word of the Lord came to me:

18 Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt—
    you and the women of mighty nations—
Send them down to the underworld,
    with those who go down into the pit.
19 Whom do you excel in beauty? Go down!
    Be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!
20 Among those slain by the sword they will fall,
    for the sword has been appointed!
Seize Egypt and all its hordes.(F)
21 Out of Sheol the mighty warriors
    will speak to him and his allies:
Let them descend and lie down among the uncircumcised,
    those slain by the sword!(G)
22 There is Assyria and all its company,
    around it are its graves,
    all of them slain, fallen by the sword.
23 The graves are set
    in the recesses of the pit;
Its company is assembled
    around its grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword,
    those who spread terror in the land of the living.(H)
24 There is Elam and all its horde
    around its grave,
All of them slain, fallen by the sword;
    they descended uncircumcised
    into the underworld,
Those who spread their terror
    in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
    with those who go down into the pit.
25 Among the slain is set its bed,
    with all its horde around its grave;
All of them uncircumcised,
    slain by the sword
Because of the terror they spread
    in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
    with those who go down into the pit.
    Among the slain it is set!
26 There is Meshech and Tubal[c] and all the hordes
    surrounding it with their graves.
All of them uncircumcised,
    slain by the sword
Because they spread their terror
    in the land of the living.(I)
27 They do not rest with the warriors
    who fell in ancient times,
    who went down to Sheol fully armed.
Their swords were placed under their heads
    and their shields laid over their bones;
For there was terror of these warriors
    in the land of the living.
28 But as for you, among the uncircumcised
    you will be broken and laid to rest
    with those slain by the sword.
29 There is Edom, all its kings and princes,
    who, despite their might,
    are put with those slain by the sword.
They lie among the uncircumcised,
    with those who go down into the pit.(J)
30 There are the generals of the north
    and all the Sidonians
Who have gone down with the slain,
    because of the terror their might inspired.
They lie uncircumcised
    with those slain by the sword,
And bear their shame with those
    who have gone down into the pit.(K)
31 When Pharaoh sees them,
    he will be consoled on behalf of all his hordes,
    slain by the sword—
Pharaoh and all his army—
    oracle of the Lord God.
32 I spread terror of him
    in the land of the living;
Now he is laid among the uncircumcised,
    with those slain by the sword—
Pharaoh and all his horde—
    oracle of the Lord God.

Footnotes

  1. 32:1 The first day of the twelfth month in the twelfth year: March 3, 585 B.C.
  2. 32:17–32 The description of Pharaoh in Sheol shifts rapidly between the single individual and the collective body, between corpses speaking and corpses lying inert, between singular (his, hers, its) and plural (them, theirs) pronouns to emphasize that all the enemies of Israel come to the same end.
  3. 32:26 Meshech and Tubal: see note on 38:2.

Lamentation over Pharaoh and Egypt

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, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

“You consider yourself a lion among the nations,
    but you are like a dragon in the seas;
you burst forth in your rivers,
    trouble the waters with your feet,
    and foul their rivers.
Thus says the Lord God:
    I will throw my net over you
    with a host of many peoples;
    and I[a] will haul you up in my dragnet.
And I will cast you on the ground,
    on the open field I will fling you,
and will cause all the birds of the air to settle on you,
    and I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you.
I will strew your flesh upon the mountains,
    and fill the valleys with your carcass.[b]
I will drench the land even to the mountains
    with your flowing blood;
    and the watercourses will be full of you.
When I blot you out, 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.
All the bright lights of heaven
    will I make dark over you,
    and put darkness upon your land,
                says the Lord God.

“I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I carry you captive[c] among the nations, into the countries which you have not known. 10 I will make many peoples appalled at you, and their kings shall shudder because of you, when I brandish my sword before them; they shall tremble every moment, every one for his own life, on the day of your downfall. 11 For thus says the Lord God: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you. 12 I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of mighty ones, all of them most terrible among the nations.

“They shall bring to nought the pride of Egypt,
    and all its multitude shall perish.
13 I will destroy all its beasts
    from beside many waters;
and no foot of man shall trouble them any more,
    nor shall the hoofs of beasts trouble them.
14 Then I will make their waters clear,
    and cause their rivers to run like oil,
                says the Lord God.
15 When I make the land of Egypt desolate
    and when the land is stripped of all that fills it,
when I smite all who dwell in it,
    then they will know that I am the Lord.

16 This is a lamentation which shall be chanted; the daughters of the nations shall chant it; over Egypt, and over all her multitude, shall they chant it, says the Lord God.”

Dirge over Egypt

17 In the twelfth year, in the first month,[d] on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, and send them down, her and the daughters of majestic nations, to the nether world, to those who have gone down to the Pit:

19 ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
    Go down, and be laid with the uncircumcised.’

20 They shall fall amid those who are slain by the sword,[e] and with her shall lie all her multitudes.[f] 21 The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’

22 “Assyria is there, and all her company, their graves round about her, all of them slain, fallen by the sword; 23 whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the Pit, and her company is round about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living.

24 “Elam is there, and all her multitude about her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into the nether world, who spread terror in the land of the living, and they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit. 25 They have made her a bed among the slain with all her multitude, their graves round about her, 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 “Meshech and Tubal are there, and all their multitude, their graves round about them, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they spread terror in the land of the living. 27 And they do not lie with the fallen mighty men of old[g] who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose shields[h] are upon their bones; for the terror of the mighty men was in the land of the living. 28 So you shall be broken and lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.

29 “Edom is there, her kings and all her princes, who for all their might are laid with those who are slain by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the Pit.

30 “The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sido′nians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, for all the terror which they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

31 “When Pharaoh sees them, he will comfort himself for all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword, says the Lord God. 32 For he[i] spread terror in the land of the living; therefore he shall be laid among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 32:3 Gk Vg: Heb they
  2. Ezekiel 32:5 Symmachus Syr Vg: Heb your height
  3. Ezekiel 32:9 Gk: Heb bring your destruction
  4. Ezekiel 32:17 Gk: Heb lacks in the first month
  5. Ezekiel 32:20 Gk Syr: Heb sword, the sword is delivered
  6. Ezekiel 32:20 Gk: Heb they have drawn her away and all her multitudes
  7. Ezekiel 32:27 Gk Old Latin: Heb of the uncircumcised
  8. Ezekiel 32:27 Cn: Heb iniquities
  9. Ezekiel 32:32 Cn: Heb I