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A Dirge for Egypt

17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 18 Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt and cast it down, her and the daughters of the powerful nations, to the nether parts of the earth, with those who go down into the pit. 19 “Whom do you surpass in beauty? Descend and make your bed with the uncircumcised.” 20 They shall fall in the midst of those who are slain by the sword. She is delivered to the sword. They have drawn her and all her multitudes away. 21 The strong among the mighty shall speak to him and those who help him out of the midst of Sheol: “They have gone down, they lie still, uncircumcised, slain by the sword.”

22 Assyria is there and all her company. Her graves are around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, 23 whose graves are set in the sides of the pit and her company is all around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, who cause terror in the land of the living.

24 There is Elam and all her multitude all around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who descended uncircumcised into the nether parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living and bore their shame with those who went down to the pit. 25 They have set a bed for her in the midst of the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are all around it. All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; though their terror was caused in the land of the living, yet they have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. They were put in the midst of those who are slain.

26 There is Meshek, Tubal, and all her multitude. Their graves are all around them. All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, though they caused their terror in the land of the living. 27 They shall not lie with the mighty who are fallen of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war and whose swords were laid under their heads. But the punishment for their iniquity rested upon their bones, though the terror of these mighty ones was once in the land of the living.

28 Indeed, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised and shall lie with those who are slain with the sword.

29 There is Edom also, its kings and all its officials, who for all their might are laid by those who were slain by the sword. They shall lie with the uncircumcised and with those who go down to the pit.

30 There are also the officials of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who in spite of the terror from their might have gone down in shame with the slain. So they lie down uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.

31 Pharaoh shall see them, and shall be comforted over all his multitude slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his army, says the Lord God. 32 Though I have caused a terror of him in the land of the living, yet he shall be laid in the midst of the uncircumcised with those who are slain with the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God.

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17 And then[a] in the twelfth[b] year, on the fifteenth[c] day of the month, the word of Yahweh came[d] to me, saying,[e] 18 “Son of man,[f] mourn over the hordes of Egypt, and make her go down, and with her the daughters of mighty nations, down to the deep underworld[g] with the people going down to the grave.[h] 19 You are more lovely than whom?[i] Go down and be laid in rest with the uncircumcised. 20 In the midst of the people slain by the sword it[j] is given they will fall to a sword; they carried her[k] off and all of her[l] hordes. 21 The chiefs of the warriors will speak to him from the middle of Sheol; with his helpers they have gone down; the uncircumcised lie still, those slain by the sword.[m]

22 Assyria is there and all of its assembly; all around it are its graves, all of them killed, those fallen by the sword, 23 who[n] will be given its graves in the remote areas of the pit, and its assembly will be all around its grave, all of them killed, fallen by the sword, those who spread terror in the land of the living.

24 Elam is there and all of its hordes, all around its grave, all of them dead who fell by the sword, those who went down uncircumcised to the depths of the underworld,[o] those who spread their terror to the land of the living, and now they bear their disgrace with the people going down to the grave.[p] 25 In the midst of the slain they made a bed for her with all of her hordes all around its graves, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, for their terror was spread in the land of the living, and they now bear their disgrace with the people going down to the grave;[q] in the midst of the slain it was placed.

26 Meshech and Tubal are there and all of its hordes, all around him its graves, all of them uncircumcised and killed by the sword, for they gave their terror in the land of the living. 27 And they do not lie with warriors fallen from long ago, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war,[r] and they placed their sword under their heads, and their shields[s] were on their bones, for the terror of the warriors was in the land of the living. 28 And you[t] too in the midst of uncircumcised people will be broken, and you will lie with those slain by the sword.

29 There is Edom, its kings and all of its leaders who are laid along with their might with those killed by the sword; they will lie with the uncircumcised and with the people going down to the grave.[u]

30 There are also the princes of the north, all of them, all of the Sidonians who have gone down, being ashamed to lie with the slain because[v] of their terror that they caused from their might, and they lie uncircumcised with those killed by the sword, and they bear their disgrace along with the people going down to the grave.[w]

31 Pharaoh will see them, and he will be comforted over all of his hordes killed by the sword, Pharaoh and all of his army,” declares[x] the Lord Yahweh. 32 “For[y] he spread[z] my terror in the land of the living, and so he will be laid down in the midst of the uncircumcised with those killed by the sword: Pharaoh and all of his hordes,”declares[aa] the Lord Yahweh.

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Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 32:17 Literally “and it happened/was”
  2. Ezekiel 32:17 Literally “two of ten”
  3. Ezekiel 32:17 Literally “in the five ten of”
  4. Ezekiel 32:17 Literally “was”
  5. Ezekiel 32:17 Literally “to say”
  6. Ezekiel 32:18 Or “mortal,” or “son of humankind”
  7. Ezekiel 32:18 Literally “to the world/earth deeps/depth”
  8. Ezekiel 32:18 Or “pit” or “netherworld”
  9. Ezekiel 32:19 Literally “from whom are you lovely”
  10. Ezekiel 32:20 Or “she”; that is, Egypt
  11. Ezekiel 32:20 Or “it”
  12. Ezekiel 32:20 Or “its”
  13. Ezekiel 32:21 Literally “the slain of the sword”
  14. Ezekiel 32:23 That is, Assyria
  15. Ezekiel 32:24 Literally “land/earth/world”
  16. Ezekiel 32:24 Or “pit” or “sheol”
  17. Ezekiel 32:25 Or “pit”
  18. Ezekiel 32:27 Literally “with the weapons of war their”
  19. Ezekiel 32:27 Reading “their shields” for “their guilt”
  20. Ezekiel 32:28 Evidently refers to Egypt
  21. Ezekiel 32:29 Or “pit”
  22. Ezekiel 32:30 Or “in spite of” (cf. NJPS, NIV)
  23. Ezekiel 32:30 Or “pit”
  24. Ezekiel 32:31 Literally “declaration of”
  25. Ezekiel 32:32 Or “although”
  26. Ezekiel 32:32 Hebrew “I gave”
  27. Ezekiel 32:32 Literally “declaration of”