God Will Punish Egypt

19 ^(A)This is a message about Egypt.

The Lord is coming to Egypt, riding swiftly on a cloud. The Egyptian idols tremble before him, and the people of Egypt lose their courage. ² The Lord says, “I will stir up civil war in Egypt and turn brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor. Rival cities will fight each other, and rival kings will struggle for power. ³ I am going to frustrate the plans of the Egyptians and destroy their morale. They will ask their idols to help them, and they will go and consult mediums and ask the spirits of the dead for advice. ⁴ I will hand the Egyptians over to a tyrant, to a cruel king who will rule them. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.”

⁵ The water will be low in the Nile, and the river will gradually dry up. ⁶ The channels of the river will stink as they slowly go dry. Reeds and rushes will wither, ⁷ and all the crops planted along the banks of the Nile will dry up and be blown away. ⁸ Everyone who earns a living by fishing in the Nile will groan and cry; their hooks and their nets will be useless. ⁹ Those who make linen cloth will be in despair; ¹⁰ weavers and skilled workers will be broken and depressed.

¹¹ The leaders of the city of Zoan are fools! Egypt's wisest people give stupid advice! How do they dare to tell the king that they are successors to the ancient scholars and kings? ¹² King of Egypt, where are those clever advisers of yours? Perhaps they can tell you what plans the Lord Almighty has for Egypt. ¹³ The leaders of Zoan and Memphis are fools. They were supposed to lead the nation, but they have misled it. ¹⁴ The Lord has made them give confusing advice. As a result, Egypt does everything wrong and staggers like a drunk slipping on his own vomit. ¹⁵ No one in Egypt, rich or poor, important or unknown, can offer help.

Egypt Will Worship the Lord

¹⁶ A time is coming when the people of Egypt will be as timid as women. They will tremble in terror when they see that the Lord Almighty has stretched out his hand to punish them. ¹⁷ The people of Egypt will be terrified of Judah every time they are reminded of the fate that the Lord Almighty has prepared for them.

¹⁸ When that time comes, the Hebrew language will be spoken in five Egyptian cities. The people there will take their oaths in the name of the Lord Almighty. One of the cities will be called, “City of the Sun.”

¹⁹ When that time comes, there will be an altar to the Lord in the land of Egypt and a stone pillar dedicated to him at the Egyptian border. ²⁰ They will be symbols of the Lord Almighty's presence in Egypt. When the people there are oppressed and call out to the Lord for help, he will send someone to rescue them. ²¹ The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptian people, and then they will acknowledge and worship him, and bring him sacrifices and offerings. They will make solemn promises to him and do what they promise. ²² The Lord will punish the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will turn to him, and he will hear their prayers and heal them.

²³ When that time comes, there will be a highway between Egypt and Assyria. The people of these two countries will travel back and forth between them, and the two nations will worship together. ²⁴ When that time comes, Israel will rank with Egypt and Assyria, and these three nations will be a blessing to all the world. ²⁵ The Lord Almighty will bless them and say, “I will bless you, Egypt, my people; you, Assyria, whom I created; and you, Israel, my chosen people.”

Prophecy against Egypt

29 ^(A)On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “denounce the king of Egypt. Tell him how he and all the land of Egypt will be punished. ³ Say that this is what the Sovereign Lord is telling the king of Egypt: I am your enemy, you monster crocodile, lying in the river. You say that the Nile is yours and that you made it.^{[a] 4} I am going to put a hook through your jaw and make the fish in your river stick fast to you. Then I will pull you up out of the Nile, with all the fish sticking to you. ⁵ I will throw you and all those fish into the desert. Your body will fall on the ground and be left unburied. I will give it to the birds and animals for food. ^6 (B)Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord.”

The Lord says, “The Israelites relied on you Egyptians for support, but you were no better than a weak stick. ⁷ When they leaned on you, you broke, pierced their armpits, and made them wrench their backs.^{[b] 8} Now then, I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling you that I will have troops attack you with swords, and they will kill your people and your animals. ⁹ Egypt will become an empty wasteland. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“Because you said that the Nile is yours and you made it, ¹⁰ I am your enemy and the enemy of your Nile. I will make all of Egypt an empty wasteland, from the city of Migdol in the north to the city of Aswan in the south, all the way to the Ethiopian^[c] border. ¹¹ No human being or animal will walk through it. For forty years nothing will live there. ¹² I will make Egypt the most desolate country in the world. For forty years the cities of Egypt will lie in ruins, ruins worse than those of any other city. I will make the Egyptians refugees. They will flee to every country and live among other peoples.”

¹³ The Sovereign Lord says, “After forty years I will bring the Egyptians back from the nations where I have scattered them, ¹⁴ and I will let them live in southern Egypt, their original home. There they will be a weak kingdom, ¹⁵ the weakest kingdom of all, and they will never again rule other nations. I will make them so unimportant that they will not be able to bend any other nation to their will. ¹⁶ Israel will never again depend on them for help. Egypt's fate will remind Israel how wrong it was to rely on them. Then Israel will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

King Nebuchadnezzar Will Conquer Egypt

¹⁷ On the first day of the first month of the twenty-seventh year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me. ¹⁸ “Mortal man,” he said, “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia launched an attack on Tyre. He made his soldiers carry such heavy loads that their heads were rubbed bald and their shoulders were worn raw, but neither the king nor his army got anything for all their trouble. ¹⁹ So now this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: I am giving the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar. He will loot and plunder it and carry off all the wealth of Egypt as his army's pay. ²⁰ I am giving him Egypt in payment for his services, because his army was working for me. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

²¹ “When that happens, I will make the people of Israel strong and let you, Ezekiel, speak out where everyone can hear you, so that they will know that I am the Lord.”

The Lord Will Punish Egypt

30 The Lord spoke to me again. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “prophesy and announce what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying. You are to shout these words:

⁵ “That war will also kill the soldiers hired from Ethiopia,^[e] Libya, Lydia, Arabia, Kub, and even from among my own people.”

⁶ The Lord says, “From Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south, all Egypt's defenders will be killed in battle. Egypt's proud army will be destroyed. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. ⁷ The land will be the most desolate in the world, and its cities will be left totally in ruins. ⁸ When I set fire to Egypt and all her defenders are killed, then they will know that I am the Lord.

⁹ “When that day comes and Egypt is destroyed, I will send messengers in ships to arouse the unsuspecting people of Ethiopia,^[f] and they will be terrified. That day is coming!”

¹⁰ The Sovereign Lord says, “I will use King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia to put an end to Egypt's wealth. ¹¹ He and his ruthless army will come to devastate the land. They will attack Egypt with swords, and the land will be full of corpses. ¹² I will dry up the Nile and put Egypt under the power of evil people. Foreigners will devastate the whole country. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

¹³ The Sovereign Lord says, “I will destroy the idols and the false gods in Memphis. There will be no one to rule Egypt, and I will terrify all the people. ¹⁴ I will make southern Egypt desolate and set fire to the city of Zoan in the north. I will punish the capital city of Thebes. ¹⁵ I will let the city of Pelusium, Egypt's great fortress, feel my fury. I will destroy the wealth of Thebes. ¹⁶ I will set fire to Egypt, and Pelusium will be in agony. The walls of Thebes will be broken down, and the city will be flooded.^{[g] 17} The young men of the cities of Heliopolis and Bubastis will die in the war, and the other people will be taken prisoner. ¹⁸ Darkness will fall on Tahpanhes when I break the power of Egypt and put an end to the strength they were so proud of. A cloud will cover Egypt, and the people of all her cities will be taken prisoner. ¹⁹ When I punish Egypt in this way, they will know that I am the Lord.”

The Broken Power of the King of Egypt

²⁰ On the seventh day of the first month of the eleventh year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me. ²¹ “Mortal man,” he said, “I have broken the arm of the king of Egypt. No one has bandaged it or put it in a sling so that it could heal and be strong enough to hold a sword again. ²² Now then, this is what I, the Sovereign Lord, say: I am the enemy of the king of Egypt. I am going to break both his arms—the good one and the one already broken—and the sword will fall from his hand. ²³ I am going to scatter the Egyptians throughout the world. ²⁴ Then I will make the arms of the king of Babylonia strong and put my sword in his hands. But I will break the arms of the king of Egypt, and he will groan and die in front of his enemy. ²⁵ Yes, I will weaken him and strengthen the king of Babylonia. When I give him my sword and he points it toward Egypt, everyone will know that I am the Lord. ²⁶ I will scatter the Egyptians throughout the world. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”

Egypt Is Compared to a Cedar Tree

31 On the first day of the third month of the eleventh year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “say to the king of Egypt and all his people:

¹⁰ “Now then, I, the Sovereign Lord, will tell you what is going to happen to that tree that grew until it reached the clouds.^[j] As it grew taller it grew proud; ¹¹ so I have rejected it and will let a foreign ruler have it. He will give that tree what it deserves for its wickedness. ¹² Ruthless foreigners will cut it down and leave it. Its branches and broken limbs will fall on every mountain and valley in the country. All the nations that have been living in its shade will go away. ¹³ The birds will come and perch on the fallen tree, and the wild animals will walk over its branches. ¹⁴ And so from now on, no tree, no matter how well-watered it is, will grow that tall again or push its top through the clouds^[k] and reach such a height. All of them are doomed to die like mortals, doomed to join those who go down to the world of the dead.”

¹⁵ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “On the day when the tree goes to the world of the dead, I will make the underground waters cover it as a sign of mourning. I will hold back the rivers and not let the many streams flow out. Because the tree has died, I will bring darkness over the Lebanon Mountains and make all the trees of the forest wither. ¹⁶ When I send it down to the world of the dead, the noise of its downfall will shake the nations. All the trees of Eden and all the choice, well-watered trees of Lebanon who have gone to the world below will be pleased at its downfall. ¹⁷ They will go with it to the world of the dead to join those that have already fallen. And all who live under its shadow will be scattered among the nations.^[l]

¹⁸ “The tree is the king of Egypt and all his people. Not even the trees in Eden were so tall and impressive. But now, like the trees of Eden, it will go down to the world of the dead and join the ungodly and those killed in battle. I have spoken,” says the Sovereign Lord.

The King of Egypt Is Compared to a Crocodile

32 On the first day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me. ² “Mortal man,” he said, “give a solemn warning to the king of Egypt. Give him this message from me: You act like a lion among the nations, but you are more like a crocodile splashing through a river. You muddy the water with your feet and pollute the rivers. ³ When many nations gather, I will catch you in my net and let them drag the net ashore. ⁴ I will throw you out on the ground and bring all the birds and animals of the world to feed on you. ⁵ I will cover mountains and valleys with your rotting corpse. ⁶ I will pour out your blood until it spreads over the mountains and fills the streams. ^7 (D)When I destroy you, I will cover the sky and blot out the stars. The sun will hide behind the clouds, and the moon will give no light. ⁸ I will put out all the lights of heaven and plunge your world into darkness. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.

⁹ “Many nations will be troubled when I spread the news of your destruction through countries you never heard of. ¹⁰ What I do to you will shock many nations. When I swing my sword, kings will shudder with fright. On the day you fall, all of them will tremble in fear for their own lives.”

¹¹ The Sovereign Lord says to the king of Egypt, “You will face the sword of the king of Babylonia. ¹² I will let soldiers from cruel nations draw their swords and kill all your people. All your people and everything else that you are proud of will be destroyed. ¹³ I will slaughter your cattle at every water hole. There will be no people or cattle to muddy the water any more. ¹⁴ I will let your waters settle and become clear and let your rivers run calm. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. ¹⁵ When I make Egypt a desolate wasteland and destroy all who live there, they will know that I am the Lord. ¹⁶ This solemn warning will become a funeral song. The women of the nations will sing it to mourn for Egypt and all its people. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken.”

The World of the Dead

¹⁷ On the fifteenth day of the first month^[m] of the twelfth year of our exile, the Lord spoke to me. ¹⁸ “Mortal man,” he said, “mourn for all the many people of Egypt. Send them down with the other powerful nations to the world of the dead. ¹⁹ Say to them:

²⁰ “The people of Egypt will fall with those who are killed in battle. A sword is ready to kill them all.^{[n] 21} The greatest heroes and those who fought on the Egyptian side welcome the Egyptians to the world of the dead. They shout: ‘The ungodly who were killed in battle have come down here, and here they lie!’

²² “Assyria is there, with the graves of her soldiers all around. They were all killed in battle, ²³ and their graves are in the deepest parts of the world of the dead. All her soldiers fell in battle, and their graves surround her tomb. Yet once they terrified the land of the living.

²⁴ “Elam is there, with the graves of her soldiers all around. They were all killed in battle, and they went down, uncircumcised, to the world of the dead. In life they spread terror, but now they lie dead and disgraced. ²⁵ Elam lies down among those killed in battle, and the graves of her soldiers are all around her. They are all uncircumcised, all killed in battle. In life they spread terror, but now they lie dead and disgraced, sharing the fate of those killed in battle.

²⁶ “Meshech and Tubal are there, with the graves of their soldiers all around. They are all uncircumcised, all killed in battle. Yet once they terrified the living. ²⁷ They were not given honorable burial like the heroes of ancient times,^[o] who went fully armed to the world of the dead, their swords placed under their heads and their shields^[p] over their bodies. These heroes were once powerful enough to terrify the living.

²⁸ “That is how the Egyptians will lie crushed among the uncircumcised who were killed in battle.

²⁹ “Edom is there with her kings and rulers. They were powerful soldiers, but now they lie in the world of the dead with the uncircumcised who were killed in battle.

³⁰ “All the princes of the north are there, and so are the Sidonians. Their power once spread terror, but now they go down in disgrace with those killed in battle and are laid to rest, uncircumcised. They share the disgrace of those who go down to the world of the dead.

³¹ “The sight of all these who were killed in battle will be a comfort to the king of Egypt and his army,” says the Sovereign Lord.

³² “I caused the king of Egypt to terrorize the living, but he and all his army will be killed and laid to rest with all the uncircumcised who die in battle.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.