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29 I tionde året, på tolfte dagen i tionde månaden, kom HERRENS ord till mig; han sade:

Du människobarn, vänd ditt ansikte mot Farao, konungen i Egypten, och profetera mot honom och mot hela Egypten.

Tala och säg: Så säger Herren, HERREN: Se, jag skall komma över dig, Farao, du Egyptens konung, du stora drake, som ligger där i dina strömmar och säger: »Min Nilflod är min; själv har jag gjort mig.»

Jag skall sätta krokar i dina käftar och låta fiskarna i dina strömmar fastna vid dina fjäll, och så skall jag draga dig upp ur dina strömmar med alla de fiskar i dina strömmar, som hänga fast vid dina fjäll.

Och jag skall kasta dig ut i öknen med alla fiskarna ifrån dina strömmar; du skall falla på marken och ej tagas bort därifrån eller upphämtas, ty åt markens djur och himmelens fåglar vill jag giva dig till mat;

och alla Egyptens inbyggare skola förnimma att jag är HERREN. Ty de äro en rörstav för Israels barn;

ja, när dessa fatta i dig med handen, går du sönder och sårar envar av dem i sidan; och när de stödja sig på dig, brytes du av och lämnar dem alla med vacklande länder.

Därför säger Herren, HERREN så: Se, jag vill låta svärd komma över dig, och jag skall utrota ur dig både människor och djur.

Och Egyptens land skall bliva förött och ödelagt, och man skall förnimma att jag är HERREN. Detta därför att han sade: »Nilfloden är min; själv har jag gjort den.

10 Ja, därför skall jag komma över dig och dina strömmar, och göra Egyptens land till en ödemark, ett ödelagt land, från Migdol till Sevene, fram till Etiopiens gräns.

11 Ingen människofot skall gå där fram, och ingen fot av något boskapsdjur skall gå där fram; och det skall ligga obebott i fyrtio år.

12 Och jag skall göra Egyptens land till en ödemark bland ödelagda länder, och dess städer skola ligga öde bland förhärjade städer i fyrtio år; och jag skall förskingra egyptierna bland folken och förströ dem i länderna.

13 Ty så säger Herren, HERREN: När fyrtio år äro förlidna, skall jag församla egyptierna från de folk bland vilka de äro förskingrade.

14 Och jag skall åter upprätta Egypten och låta egyptierna komma tillbaka till Patros' land, varifrån de stamma. Där skola de bliva ett oansenligt rike,

15 ja, ett rike oansenligare än andra riken, så att det icke mer skall kunna upphäva sig över folken; jag skall låta dem bliva så få att de icke kunna råda över folken.

16 Och Israels barn skola icke mer sätta sitt hopp till dem som allenast uppväcka minnet av deras missgärning, när de vända sig till dem; och de skola förnimma att jag är Herren, HERREN.

17 I tjugusjunde året, på första dagen i första månaden, kom HERRENS ord till mig; han sade:

18 Du människobarn, Nebukadressar konungen i Babel, har låtit sin här förrätta ett svårt arbete mot Tyrus; alla huvuden hava blivit skalliga och alla skuldror sönderskavda. Men han och hans här hava icke fått någon lön från Tyrus för det arbete som han har förrättat mot det.

19 Därför säger Herren, HERREN så: Se, jag vill giva Egyptens land åt Nebukadressar, konungen i Babel; och han skall föra bort dess rikedomar och taga rov därifrån och göra byte där, och detta skall hans här få till lön.

20 Såsom en vedergällning för hans arbete giver jag honom Egyptens land; ty för min räkning hava de utfört sitt verk, säger Herren, HERREN.

21 På den tiden skall jag låta ett horn växa upp åt Israels hus, och du skall få upplåta din mun mitt ibland dem; och de skola förnimma att jag är HERREN.

A Prophecy Against Egypt

Judgment on Pharaoh

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the Lord came to me:(A) “Son of man, set your face against(B) Pharaoh king of Egypt(C) and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.(D) Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘I am against you, Pharaoh(E) king of Egypt,
    you great monster(F) lying among your streams.
You say, “The Nile(G) belongs to me;
    I made it for myself.”
But I will put hooks(H) in your jaws
    and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
    with all the fish sticking to your scales.(I)
I will leave you in the desert,
    you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
    and not be gathered(J) or picked up.
I will give you as food
    to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky.(K)

Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.

“‘You have been a staff of reed(L) for the people of Israel. When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered(M) and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched.[a](N)

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring a sword against you and kill both man and beast.(O) Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘Because you said, “The Nile(P) is mine; I made it,(Q) 10 therefore I am against you(R) and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt(S) a ruin and a desolate waste(T) from Migdol(U) to Aswan,(V) as far as the border of Cush.[b](W) 11 The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.(X) 12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate(Y) among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries.(Z)

13 “‘Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. 14 I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt,(AA) the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly(AB) kingdom.(AC) 15 It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations.(AD) I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. 16 Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence(AE) for the people of Israel but will be a reminder(AF) of their sin in turning to her for help.(AG) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.(AH)’”

Nebuchadnezzar’s Reward

17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(AI) 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar(AJ) king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare(AK) and every shoulder made raw.(AL) Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king(AM) of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder(AN) the land as pay for his army.(AO) 20 I have given him Egypt(AP) as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord.(AQ)

21 “On that day I will make a horn[c](AR) grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouth(AS) among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.(AT)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint and Vulgate); Hebrew and you caused their backs to stand
  2. Ezekiel 29:10 That is, the upper Nile region
  3. Ezekiel 29:21 Horn here symbolizes strength.

A Prophecy Against Egypt

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month,[a] the Lord’s message came to me: “Son of man, turn toward[b] Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. Tell them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘Look, I am against[c] you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monster[d] lying in the midst of its waterways,
who has said, “My Nile is my own, I made it for myself.”[e]
I will put hooks in your jaws
and stick the fish of your waterways to your scales.
I will haul you up from the midst of your waterways,
and all the fish of your waterways will stick to your scales.
I will leave you in the wilderness,
you and all the fish of your waterways;
you will fall in the open field and will not be gathered up or collected.[f]
I have given you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the skies.
Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am the Lord
because they were a reed staff[g] for the house of Israel;
when they grasped you with their hand,[h] you broke and tore[i] their shoulders,
and when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady.[j]

“‘Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will kill[k] every person and every animal. The land of Egypt will become a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

“‘Because he said, “The Nile is mine and I made it,” 10 I am against[l] you and your waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an utter desolate ruin from Migdol[m] to Syene,[n] as far as the border with Ethiopia. 11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal’s foot will pass through it; it will be uninhabited for forty years. 12 I will turn the land of Egypt into a desolation in the midst of desolate lands; for forty years her cities will lie desolate in the midst of ruined cities. I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among foreign countries.

13 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years[o] I will gather Egypt from the peoples where they were scattered. 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and will bring them back[p] to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin; there they will be an insignificant kingdom. 15 It will be the most insignificant of the kingdoms; it will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations. 16 It will never again be Israel’s source of confidence, but a reminder of how they sinned by turning to Egypt for help.[q] Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.’”

17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month,[r] the Lord’s message came to me: 18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadrezzar[s] of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre.[t] Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed bare; yet he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the work he carried out against it. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be his army’s wages. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as his compensation for attacking Tyre,[u] because they did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord. 21 On that day I will make Israel powerful,[v] and I will give you the right to be heard[w] among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:1 tn January 7, 587 b.c.
  2. Ezekiel 29:2 tn Heb “set your face against.”
  3. Ezekiel 29:3 tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘hinnenî ’êlékâ’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.
  4. Ezekiel 29:3 tn Heb “jackals,” but many medieval Hebrew mss read correctly “the serpent.” The Hebrew term appears to refer to a serpent in Exod 7:9-10, 12; Deut 32:33; Ps 91:13. It also refers to large creatures that inhabit the sea (Gen 1:21; Ps 148:7). In several passages it is associated with the sea or with the multiheaded sea monster Leviathan (Job 7:12; Ps 74:13; Isa 27:1; 51:9). Because of the Egyptian setting of this prophecy and the reference to the creature’s scales (v. 4), many understand a crocodile to be the referent here (e.g., NCV “a great crocodile”; TEV “you monster crocodile”; CEV “a giant crocodile”).
  5. Ezekiel 29:3 sn In Egyptian theology Pharaoh owned and controlled the Nile. See J. D. Currid, Ancient Egypt and the Old Testament, 240-44.
  6. Ezekiel 29:5 tc Some Hebrew mss, the Targum, and the LXX read “buried.”
  7. Ezekiel 29:6 sn Cf. Isa 36:6.
  8. Ezekiel 29:7 tc The Hebrew consonantal text (Kethib) implies בְכַפְּךָ (vekappeka, “by your hand”) but the marginal reading (Qere) has simply בַכַּף (vakkaf, “by the hand”). The LXX reads: “with their hand,” implying בְכַפָּם (vekappam).
  9. Ezekiel 29:7 tn Or perhaps “dislocated.”
  10. Ezekiel 29:7 tn Heb “you caused to stand for them all their hips.” An emendation that switches two letters but is supported by the LXX yields the reading: “you caused all their hips to shake.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:103. In 2 Kgs 18:21 and Isa 36:6 trusting in the Pharaoh is compared to leaning on a staff. The oracle may reflect Hophra’s attempt to aid Jerusalem (Jer 37:5-8).
  11. Ezekiel 29:8 tn Heb “I will cut off from you.”
  12. Ezekiel 29:10 tn Or “I challenge you.” The phrase “I am against you” may be a formula for challenging someone to combat or a duel. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:201-2, and P. Humbert, “Die Herausforderungsformel ‘hinnenî ’êlékâ’” ZAW 45 (1933): 101-8.
  13. Ezekiel 29:10 sn This may refer to a site in the Egyptian Delta that served as a refuge for Jews (Jer 44:1; 46:14).
  14. Ezekiel 29:10 sn Syene is known today as Aswan.
  15. Ezekiel 29:13 sn In Ezek 4:4-8 it was said that the house of Judah would suffer forty years.
  16. Ezekiel 29:14 tc Thus the MT, which reads וַהֲשִׁבֹתִי (vahashivoti, “I will cause to return”), a Hiphil of the verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”). The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate translate as though the Hebrew had the vocalization וְהֹשַׁבְתִּי (vehoshavti, “I will cause to inhabit”), a Hiphil from יָשַׁב (yashav “to dwell”).
  17. Ezekiel 29:16 tn Heb “reminding of iniquity when they turned after them.”
  18. Ezekiel 29:17 sn April 26, 571 b.c.
  19. Ezekiel 29:18 tn Heb “Nebuchadrezzar” is a variant and more exact spelling of Nebuchadnezzar, as the Babylonian name Nabu-kudurri-uṣur has an “r” rather than an “n” (so also in v. 19).
  20. Ezekiel 29:18 sn Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre from 585 to 571 b.c.
  21. Ezekiel 29:20 tn Heb “for which he worked,” referring to the assault on Tyre (v. 18).
  22. Ezekiel 29:21 tn Heb “I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel.” The horn is used as a figure for military power in the OT (Ps 92:10). A similar expression is made about the Davidic dynasty in Ps 132:17.
  23. Ezekiel 29:21 tn Heb “I will grant you an open mouth.”

Proclamation Against Egypt

29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, (A)set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and (B)against all Egypt. Speak, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

(C)“Behold, I am against you,
O Pharaoh king of Egypt,
O great (D)monster who lies in the midst of his rivers,
(E)Who has said, ‘My [a]River is my own;
I have made it for myself.’
But (F)I will put hooks in your jaws,
And cause the fish of your rivers to stick to your scales;
I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers,
And all the fish in your rivers will stick to your scales.
I will leave you in the wilderness,
You and all the fish of your rivers;
You shall fall on the [b]open (G)field;
(H)You shall not be picked up or [c]gathered.
(I)I have given you as food
To the beasts of the field
And to the birds of the heavens.

“Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
Shall know that I am the Lord,
Because they have been a (J)staff of reed to the house of Israel.
(K)When they took hold of you with the hand,
You broke and tore all their [d]shoulders;
When they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their backs quiver.”

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will bring (L)a sword upon you and cut off from you man and beast. And the land of Egypt shall become (M)desolate and waste; then they will know that I am the Lord, because he said, ‘The River is mine, and I have made it. 10 Indeed, therefore, I am against you and against your rivers, (N)and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, (O)from [e]Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Ethiopia. 11 (P)Neither foot of man shall pass through it nor foot of beast pass through it, and it shall be uninhabited forty years. 12 (Q)I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and among the cities that are laid waste, her cities shall be desolate forty years; and I will (R)scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.”

13 ‘Yet, thus says the Lord God: “At the (S)end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered. 14 I will bring back the captives of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they shall be a (T)lowly kingdom. 15 It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore. 16 No longer shall it be (U)the confidence of the house of Israel, but will remind them of their iniquity when they turned to follow them. Then they shall know that I am the Lord God.” ’ ”

Babylonia Will Plunder Egypt

17 And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, (V)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made (W)bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to (X)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they (Y)worked for Me,’ says the Lord God.

21 ‘In that day (Z)I will cause the [f]horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will (AA)open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:3 The Nile
  2. Ezekiel 29:5 Lit. face of the field
  3. Ezekiel 29:5 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; some Heb. mss., Tg. buried
  4. Ezekiel 29:7 So with MT, Vg.; LXX, Syr. hand
  5. Ezekiel 29:10 Or the tower
  6. Ezekiel 29:21 Strength