29 The Lord gave this message to me on the 12th day of the 10th month of the 10th year: 2 ‘Son of man, turn and look towards Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. You must speak my message to warn him and all Egypt's people. 3 Tell them, “The Almighty Lord says this:
Listen, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, I have become your enemy.
You are like the great monster that lies in Egypt's streams.
You say, ‘The Nile river belongs to me! I made it for myself.’
4 But I will put hooks into your mouth and catch you.
I will cause the fish in your streams to hang on your scales. [ a ]
I will pull you out from the streams with all those fish on you.
5 I will leave you in the wilderness with all your fish.
You will lie on the ground in the open fields.
Nobody will pick you up or take care of you.
I will give you to the wild animals and birds to be their food.
6 Then all the people who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord . Israel's people thought that you would help them. But you were only like a weak stick for them. 7 When they wanted you to hold them up, you broke into pieces. Your sharp pieces tore their shoulders. When they held on to you, you caused their legs to shake.
8 So this is what the Almighty Lord says: I will bring am army to attack you. I will use them to kill all your men and your animals. 9 The land of Egypt will become an empty place. Then they will know that I am the Lord .
You said, ‘The Nile river belongs to me. I made it for myself.’ 10 Because of that, I have become the enemy of you and your streams. I will destroy the land of Egypt. It will be an empty place, and its buildings will become heaps of stones. I will do that everywhere, from Migdol to Aswan and as far as Ethiopia's border. 11 No men or animals will walk through that land. Nobody will live there for 40 years. 12 Egypt will become like a desert among empty lands. Its cities will be empty for 40 years, among cities that have become heaps of stones. I will cause the Egyptians to go and live among other nations in places far away.
13 But this is what the Almighty Lord says: After 40 years, I will bring the Egyptians back from the places where I sent them. 14 I will bring them back home to live in peace. I will bring them to Pathros, the land of their ancestors. There they will be a weak kingdom. 15 Egypt will be the least important of all kingdoms. It will never again have power over other nations. I will make it too weak to rule over other nations. 16 Israel will never again hope that Egypt has the power to help them. Instead, Egypt will cause Israel's people to remember their sin. Their sin was to ask Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Almighty Lord .” ’
17 The Lord gave this message to me on the first day of the first month of the 27th year: 18 ‘Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked the city of Tyre with his army. His soldiers had to work very hard. They carried heavy loads so that it hurt their heads and their shoulders. They had a lot of pain. But they did not get anything valuable from Tyre, even though they worked so hard.
19 So this is what the Almighty Lord says: Listen! I will give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He will take away all its riches and its valuable things. He will take all those things to pay the soldiers of his army. 20 I will give Egypt to him to pay him for his work. When his army attacked Tyre, they did that work for me. That is what the Almighty Lord says.
21 At that time, I will make Israel a powerful nation again. Then I will give you a message to speak to them, Ezekiel. They will listen to what you say. Then they will know that I am the Lord .’
29 On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of exile, [ a ] the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, [ b ] look toward Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Speak for me against him and Egypt. 3 Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says:
“‘I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt.
You are the great monster [ c ] lying beside the Nile River.
You say, “This is my river!
I made this river!”
4-5 “‘But I will put hooks in your jaws.
The fish in the Nile River will stick to your scales.
I will pull you and your fish up
out of your rivers and onto the dry land.
You will fall on the ground,
and no one will pick you up or bury you.
I will give you to the wild animals and birds.
You will be their food.
6 Then all the people living in Egypt
will know that I am the Lord !
“‘Why will I do these things?
Because the people of Israel leaned on Egypt for support,
but Egypt was only a weak blade of grass.
7 The people of Israel leaned on Egypt for support,
but Egypt only pierced their hands and shoulder.
They leaned on you for support,
but you broke and twisted their back.’”
8 So this is what the Lord God says:
“I will bring a sword against you.
I will destroy all your people and animals.
9 Egypt will be empty and destroyed.
Then they will know that I am the Lord .”
God said, “Why will I do these things? Because you said, ‘This is my river. I made this river.’ 10 So I am against you. I am against the many branches of your Nile River. I will destroy Egypt completely. The cities will be empty from Migdol to Aswan and as far as the border of Ethiopia. 11 No person or animal will pass through Egypt. Nothing will pass through or settle there for 40 years. 12 I will destroy Egypt. The cities will be in ruins for 40 years! I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. I will make them strangers [ d ] in foreign lands.”
13 This is what the Lord God says: “I will scatter the people of Egypt among many nations. But at the end of 40 years, I will gather those people together again. 14 I will bring back the Egyptian captives. I will bring back the Egyptians to the land of Pathros, to the land where they were born. But their kingdom will not be important. 15 It will be the least important kingdom. It will never again lift itself above the other nations. I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations. 16 And the family of Israel will never again depend on Egypt. The Israelites will remember their sin—they will remember that they turned to Egypt for help and not to God, and they will know that I am the Lord God .”
17 On the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year of exile, [ e ] the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made his army fight hard against Tyre. They shaved every soldier’s head. Every shoulder was rubbed bare from carrying heavy loads. Nebuchadnezzar and his army worked hard to defeat Tyre, but they got nothing from all that hard work.” 19 So this is what the Lord God says: “I will give Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will carry away the people. He will take the many valuable things in Egypt to pay his army. 20 I will give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as a reward for the hard work he did for me.” This is what the Lord God said!
21 “On that day I will make the family of Israel strong. So Ezekiel, I will let you speak to them. Then they will know that I am the Lord .”
29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:
3 Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.
4 But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.
5 And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.
6 And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord , because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.
7 When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.
9 And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord : because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.
10 Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.
11 No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.
12 And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
13 Yet thus saith the Lord God ; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:
14 And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.
15 It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.
16 And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord God .
17 And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
18 Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.
20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord God .
21 In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the Lord .
29 In the ( A ) tenth year, in the tenth month , on the twelfth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against ( B ) Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all ( C ) Egypt. 3 Speak and say, ‘This is what the Lord [ a ] God says:
“Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
The great [ b ] ( D ) monster that lies in the midst of his [ c ] canals,
That ( E ) has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it .’
4 I will put ( F ) hooks in your jaws
And make the fish of your [ d ] canals cling to your scales.
And I will bring you up out of the midst of your [ e ] canals,
And all the fish of your [ f ] canals will cling to your scales.
5 I will ( G ) abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your [ g ] canals;
You will fall on the [ h ] open field; you will not be brought together or [ i ] ( H ) gathered.
I have given you for ( I ) food to the animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky.
6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord ,
Because they have been only a ( J ) staff made of reed to the house of Israel.
7 When they took hold of you with the hand,
You ( K ) broke and tore all their [ j ] hands;
And when they leaned on you,
You broke and made all their hips [ k ] shake.”
8 ‘Therefore the Lord God says this: “Behold, I am going to ( L ) bring upon you a sword, and I will cut off from you human and animal life . 9 The ( M ) land of Egypt will become a desolation and place of ruins. Then they will know that I am the Lord .
“Because [ l ] you ( N ) said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it ,’ 10 therefore, behold, I am ( O ) against you and against your [ m ] canals, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and as far as the border of [ n ] Cush. 11 A human foot will ( P ) not pass through it, nor will the foot of an animal pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years. 12 So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the ( Q ) midst of deserted lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate for forty years; and I will ( R ) scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.”
13 ‘For this is what the Lord God says: “At the end of forty years I will ( S ) gather the Egyptians from the peoples [ o ] among whom they were scattered. 14 And I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of ( T ) Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 It will be the ( U ) lowest of the kingdoms, and it will not raise itself above the nations again. And I will make them small so that they will not ( V ) rule over the nations. 16 And it will no longer be a kingdom on which ( W ) the house of Israel relies, [ p ] ( X ) bringing to mind the guilt of their having turned [ q ] to Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God .”’”
17 Now in the ( Y ) twenty-seventh year, in the first month , on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 18 “Son of man, ( Z ) Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor [ r ] hard against Tyre; every head [ s ] had a ( AA ) bald spot and every shoulder was rubbed raw. But he and his army acquired no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had [ t ] performed against it.” 19 Therefore this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am going to ( AB ) give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her ( AC ) wealth and capture her spoils and seize her plunder; and it will be wages for his army. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor which he [ u ] ( AD ) performed, because they acted for Me,” declares the Lord God .
21 “On that day I will make a ( AE ) horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will [ v ] ( AF ) open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord .”
29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day, the word of the Lord came to me: ( A ) 2 “Son of man, set your face against ( B ) Pharaoh king of Egypt ( C ) and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. ( D ) 3 Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘I am against you, Pharaoh ( E ) king of Egypt,
you great monster ( F ) lying among your streams.
You say, “The Nile ( G ) belongs to me;
I made it for myself.”
4 But I will put hooks ( H ) in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales.
I will pull you out from among your streams,
with all the fish sticking to your scales. ( I )
5 I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open field
and not be gathered ( J ) or picked up.
I will give you as food
to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky. ( K )
6 Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord .
“‘You have been a staff of reed ( L ) for the people of Israel. 7 When they grasped you with their hands, you splintered ( M ) and you tore open their shoulders; when they leaned on you, you broke and their backs were wrenched. [ a ] ( N )
8 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will bring a sword against you and kill both man and beast. ( O ) 9 Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the Lord .
“‘Because you said, “The Nile ( P ) is mine; I made it, ( Q ) ” 10 therefore I am against you ( R ) and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt ( S ) a ruin and a desolate waste ( T ) from Migdol ( U ) to Aswan, ( V ) as far as the border of Cush. [ b ] ( W ) 11 The foot of neither man nor beast will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years. ( X ) 12 I will make the land of Egypt desolate ( Y ) among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. ( Z )
13 “‘Yet this is what the Sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were scattered. 14 I will bring them back from captivity and return them to Upper Egypt, ( AA ) the land of their ancestry. There they will be a lowly ( AB ) kingdom. ( AC ) 15 It will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself above the other nations. ( AD ) I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. 16 Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence ( AE ) for the people of Israel but will be a reminder ( AF ) of their sin in turning to her for help. ( AG ) Then they will know that I am the Sovereign Lord . ( AH ) ’”
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me: ( AI ) 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar ( AJ ) king of Babylon drove his army in a hard campaign against Tyre; every head was rubbed bare ( AK ) and every shoulder made raw. ( AL ) Yet he and his army got no reward from the campaign he led against Tyre. 19 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king ( AM ) of Babylon, and he will carry off its wealth. He will loot and plunder ( AN ) the land as pay for his army. ( AO ) 20 I have given him Egypt ( AP ) as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me, declares the Sovereign Lord . ( AQ )
21 “On that day I will make a horn [ c ] ( AR ) grow for the Israelites, and I will open your mouth ( AS ) among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord . ( AT ) ”
