Ezekiel 30

1The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,

2Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day!

3For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.

4And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.footnote a

5Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.footnote bfootnote c

6Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD.footnote d

7And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.

8And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.footnote e

9In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.

10Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.

11He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.

12And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked: and I will make the land waste, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I the LORD have spoken it.footnote ffootnote g

13Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause their images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.

14And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No.footnote h

15And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.footnote i

16And I will set fire in Egypt: Sin shall have great pain, and No shall be rent asunder, and Noph shall have distresses daily.

17The young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword: and these cities shall go into captivity.footnote jfootnote k

18At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.footnote l

19Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD.

20And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

21Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.

22Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.

23And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

24And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

25But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.

26And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

A Lament for Egypt

1Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, prophesy and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says:Wail, ‘Alasfor that day!’ 3For the day is near,the Day of the LORD is near.It will be a day of clouds,a time of doom for the nations.footnote a

4A sword will come against Egypt,and there will be anguish in Cushfootnote bwhen the slain fall in Egypt,its wealth is taken away,and its foundations are torn down. 5Cush, Put, and Lud,footnote cand all the various peoples,as well as Libya and the men of the covenant land,will fall with Egypt by the sword.

6For this is what the LORD says:The allies of Egypt will fall,and her proud strength will collapse.From Migdol to Syenefootnote dthey will fall by the sword within her,declares the Lord GOD. 7They will be desolate among desolate lands,and their cities will lie among ruined cities.

8Then they will know that I am the LORDwhen I set fire to Egyptand all her helpers are shattered.

9On that day messengers will go out from Me in ships to frighten Cush out of complacency. Anguish will come upon them on the day of Egypt’s doom.footnote e For it is indeed coming.

10This is what the Lord GOD says:I will put an end to the hordes of Egyptby the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 11He and his people with him,the most ruthless of the nations,will be brought in to destroy the land.They will draw their swords against Egyptand fill the land with the slain. 12I will make the streams dry upand sell the land to the wicked.By the hands of foreigners I will bring desolationupon the land and everything in it.I, the LORD, have spoken.

13This is what the Lord GOD says:I will destroy the idolsand put an end to the images in Memphis.footnote fThere will no longer be a prince in Egypt,and I will instill fear in that land.

14I will lay waste Pathros,set fire to Zoan,and execute judgment on Thebes.footnote g 15I will pour out My wrath on Pelusium,footnote hthe stronghold of Egypt,and cut off the crowds of Thebes. 16I will set fire to Egypt,Pelusium will writhe in anguish,Thebes will be split open,and Memphis will face daily distress.

17The young men of On and Pi-besethfootnote iwill fall by the sword,and those cities will go into captivity. 18The day will be darkened in Tahpanheswhen I break the yoke of Egyptand her proud strength comes to an end.A cloud will cover her,and her daughters will go into captivity.

19So I will execute judgment on Egypt,and they will know that I am the LORD.”

Pharaoh’s Power Broken

20In the eleventh year, on the seventh day of the first month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 21“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. See, it has not been bound up for healing, or splinted for strength to hold the sword.

22Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one already broken, and will make the sword fall from his hand. 23I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.

24I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king and place My sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, who will groan before him like a mortally wounded man. 25I will strengthen the arms of Babylon’s king, but Pharaoh’s arms will fall limp.
Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I place My sword in the hand of Babylon’s king, and he wields it against the land of Egypt. 26I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”