Old/New Testament

Wail: “Alas the day!”
³ Yes, a day approaches,
    a day of the Lord approaches:
A day of dark cloud,
    a time appointed for the nations.^(A)
4 A sword will come against Egypt,
    there will be anguish in Ethiopia,
When the slain fall in Egypt
    when its hordes are seized,
    its foundations razed.^(B)
5 Ethiopia, Put, and Lud,
    all the mixed rabble^[a] and Kub,
and the people of allied lands
    shall fall by the sword with them.
⁶ Thus says the Lord:
The pillars of Egypt shall fall,
    and its proud strength sink;
From Migdol to Syene,
    its people will fall by the sword—
    oracle of the Lord God.^(C)
7 It shall be the most desolate
    among desolate lands,
Its cities the most ruined
    among ruined cities.
⁸ They shall know that I am the Lord,
    when I set fire to Egypt,
    and all its allies are shattered.^(D)
9 On that day, messengers from me
    will go forth in ships
    to terrorize confident Ethiopia.
Anguish will be among them
    on Egypt’s day—it is certainly coming!^[b]
10 Thus says the Lord God:
I will put an end to Egypt’s hordes
    by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon:
¹¹ He and his army with him,
    the most ruthless of nations,
    will be brought in to devastate the land.
They will draw their swords against Egypt
    and fill the land with the slain.
¹² Then I will dry up the streams of the Nile,
    and sell the land into evil hands;
By the hand of foreigners I will devastate
    the land and everything in it.
    I, the Lord, have spoken.^(E)
13 [c]Thus says the Lord God:
I will destroy idols,
    and put an end to images in Memphis.
There will never again be a prince
    over the land of Egypt.
Instead, I will spread fear
    throughout the land of Egypt.^(F)
14 I will devastate Pathros,
    set fire to Zoan,
    and execute judgment against Thebes.^(G)
15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,
    the fortress of Egypt,
    and cut off the troops of Thebes.
¹⁶ I will set fire to Egypt;
    Pelusium will writhe in anguish,
Thebes will be breached,
    and Memphis besieged in daylight.
¹⁷ The warriors of On and Pi-beseth
    will fall by the sword,
    the cities taken captive.
¹⁸ In Tahpanhes, the day will turn dark
    when I break the scepter of Egypt there
    and put an end to its proud strength.
Dark clouds will cover it,
    and its women will go into captivity.^(H)
19 I will execute judgment against Egypt
    that they may know that I am the Lord.

³ Assyria! It is Assyria!^[g]
    A cedar of Lebanon—
Beautiful branches,
    thick shade,
Towering heights,
    its crown in the clouds!^(K)
4 The waters made it grow,
    the deep made it tall,
Letting its currents flow
    around the place it was planted,
Then sending its channels
    to all the other trees of the field.^(L)
5 Thereupon it towered in height
    above all the trees in the field;
Its branches were numerous
    and its boughs long,
Because of the many waters
    sent to its shoots.
⁶ In its branches nested
    all the birds of the sky;
Under its boughs all the wild animals
    gave birth,
And in its shade^[h] dwelt
    all the mighty nations.^(M)
7 It was magnificent in size
    and in the length of its branches,
For its roots reached down
    to the many waters.
⁸ In the garden of God,
    no cedars could rival it,
No juniper could equal its branches,
    no plane tree match its boughs.
No tree in the garden of God
    could match its beauty.^(N)
9 I made it beautiful
    with abundant foliage,
So that all the trees in Eden
    were envious of it.^[i]
10 Therefore, thus says the Lord God:
Because it was arrogant about its height,
    lifting its crown among the clouds
    and exalting itself because of its size,^(O)
11 I handed it over to a ruler of nations
    to deal with it according to its evil.
I have cast it off,
¹²     and foreigners have cut it down,
The most ruthless nations,
    have hurled it on the mountains.
Its boughs fell into every valley
    and its branches lay broken
    in every ravine in the land.
All the peoples of the earth
    departed from its shade
    when it was hurled down.^(P)
13 On its fallen trunk
    sit all the birds of the sky;
Beside its fallen branches,
    are found all the beasts of the field.
¹⁴ This has happened so no well-watered tree
    will gain such lofty height,
    or lift its crown to the clouds.
Not one of those fed by water
    will tower in height over the rest.
For all of them are destined for death,
    for the underworld, among mere mortals,
    with those who go down to the pit.
¹⁵ Thus says the Lord God:
On the day it went down to Sheol,
    I made the deep close up
    in mourning for it.
I restrained the currents of the deep,
    and held back the many waters.
I darkened Lebanon because of it,
    and all the trees of the field
    languished because of it.
¹⁶ At the sound of its fall,
    I made nations shudder,
When I cast it down to Sheol
    with those who go down to the pit.
In the underworld
    all the trees of Eden took comfort:
Lebanon’s choicest and best,
    all that were fed by the waters.^(Q)
17 They too will go down to Sheol,
    to those slain by the sword,
Its allies^[j] who dwelt
    in its shade among the nations.
¹⁸ To whom among the trees of Eden
    do you compare in glory and greatness?
You will be brought down
    with the trees of Eden to the underworld,
And lie among the uncircumcised,
    with those slain by the sword.
Such is Pharaoh and all his hordes—
    oracle of the Lord God.

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.^(R)
3 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.
⁴ 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.
⁵ I will strew your flesh on the mountains,
    and fill the valleys with your corpse.^(S)
6 I will drench the land,
    pouring out your blood on the mountain;
    filling up the ravines with you.
⁷ 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.^(T)
8 All the shining lights in the heavens
    I will darken over you;
I will spread darkness over your land—
    oracle of the Lord God.
⁹ 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.^(U)
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.^(V)
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.

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.^(W)
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!^(X)
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.^(Y)
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^[m] 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.^(Z)
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.^(AA)
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.^(AB)
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.

¹⁸ “And if the righteous one is barely saved,
    where will the godless and the sinner appear?”^(K)