Lament over Egypt

      1 The word of the LORD came again to me saying,
2 “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
          “Wail, ‘Alas for the day!’

3 “For the day is near,
          Even the day of the LORD is near;
          It will be a day of clouds,
          A time of doom for the nations.

4 “A sword will come upon Egypt,
          And anguish will be in Ethiopia;
          When the slain fall in Egypt,
          They take away her wealth,
          And her foundations are torn down.

5 “Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Libya and the people of the land that is in league will fall with them by the sword.”

6 ‘Thus says the LORD,
          “Indeed, those who support Egypt will fall
          And the pride of her power will come down;
          From Migdol to Syene
          They will fall within her by the sword,”
          Declares the Lord GOD.

7 “They will be desolate
          In the midst of the desolated lands;
          And her cities will be
          In the midst of the devastated cities.

8 “And they will know that I am the LORD,
          When I set a fire in Egypt
          And all her helpers are broken.

9 “On that day messengers will go forth from Me in ships to frighten secure Ethiopia; and anguish will be on them as on the day of Egypt; for behold, it comes!”

      10 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
          “I will also make the hordes of Egypt cease
          By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

11 “He and his people with him,
          The most ruthless of the nations,
          Will be brought in to destroy the land;
          And they will draw their swords against Egypt
          And fill the land with the slain.

12 “Moreover, I will make the Nile canals dry
          And sell the land into the hands of evil men.
          And I will make the land desolate
          And all that is in it,
          By the hand of strangers; I the LORD have spoken.”

      13 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
          “I will also destroy the idols
          And make the images cease from Memphis.
          And there will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt;
          And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

14 “I will make Pathros desolate,
          Set a fire in Zoan
          And execute judgments on Thebes.

15 “I will pour out My wrath on Sin,
          The stronghold of Egypt;
          I will also cut off the hordes of Thebes.

16 “I will set a fire in Egypt;
          Sin will writhe in anguish,
          Thebes will be breached
          And Memphis will have distresses daily.

17 “The young men of On and of Pi-beseth
          Will fall by the sword,
          And the women will go into captivity.

18 “In Tehaphnehes the day will be dark
          When I break there the yoke bars of Egypt.
          Then the pride of her power will cease in her;
          A cloud will cover her,
          And her daughters will go into captivity.

19 “Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt,
          And they will know that I am the LORD.”’”



Victory for Babylon

      20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, the word of the LORD came to me saying, 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage, that it may be strong to hold the sword. 22 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong and the broken; and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23 ‘I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands. 24 ‘For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, so that he will groan before him with the groanings of a wounded man. 25 ‘Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 ‘When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands, then they will know that I am the LORD.’”