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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.’”

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A Lament for Pharaoh

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, lament(A) for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him,

‘You compare yourself to a lion of the nations,
but[a] you are like a monster[b](B) in the seas.
You thrash about in your rivers,
churn up the waters with your feet,
and muddy the[c] rivers.

“‘This is what the Lord God says:

I will spread my net over you(C)
with an assembly of many peoples,
and they[d] will haul you up in my net.
I will abandon you on the land
and throw you onto the open field.
I will cause all the birds of the sky
to settle on you
and let the wild creatures of the entire earth
eat their fill of you.(D)
I will put your flesh on the mountains(E)
and fill the valleys with your carcass.
I will drench the land
with the flow of your blood,
even to the mountains;
the ravines will be filled with your gore.
“‘When I snuff you out,
I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,(F)
and the moon will not give its light.
I will darken all the shining lights
in the heavens over you,
and will bring darkness on your land.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
“‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,
when I bring about your destruction
among the nations,
in countries you have not known.
10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
and their kings will shudder with fear because of you(G)
when I brandish my sword in front of them.
On the day of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment(H) for his life.

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

The sword of Babylon’s king
will come against you!
12 I will make your hordes fall
by the swords of warriors,
all of them ruthless men from the nations.(I)
They will ravage Egypt’s pride,
and all its hordes will be destroyed.
13 I will slaughter all its cattle
that are beside many waters.
No human foot will churn them again,
and no cattle hooves will disturb them.(J)
14 Then I will let their waters settle
and will make their rivers flow like oil.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
15 When I make the land of Egypt a desolation,
so that it is emptied of everything in it,
when I strike down all who live there,
then they will know that I am the Lord.(K)

16 “‘The daughters of the nations will chant that lament.(L) They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

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Footnotes

  1. 32:2 Or ‘Lion of the nations, you are destroyed;
  2. 32:2 Or crocodile
  3. 32:2 Lit their
  4. 32:3 LXX, Vg read I