Ezekiel 29

A Prophecy of Egypt's Ruin

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth [month] on the twelfth [day] of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Son of man, turn your face toward Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt.

3 Speak [to him] and say: This is what the Lord God says:

Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monster lying in the middle of his Nile,
who says, 'My Nile is my own;
I made [it] for myself.'
4 I will put hooks in your jaws
and make the fish of your streams
cling to your scales.
I will haul you up
from the middle of your Nile,
and all the fish of your streams
will cling to your scales.

5 I will leave you in the desert,
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open ground
and will not be taken away
or gathered [for burial].
I have given you
to the beasts of the earth
and the birds of the sky as food.

6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
will know that I am the Lord,
for they have been a staff [made] of reed
to the house of Israel.

7 When Israel grasped you by the hand,
you splintered, tearing all their shoulders;
when they leaned on you,
you shattered and made all their hips unsteady.
8 "Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword against you and wipe out man and animal from you. 9 The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, 'The Nile is my own; I made [it],' 10 therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. 11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it. It will be uninhabited for 40 years.

12 I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and its cities will be a desolation among ruined cities for 40 years. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them across the countries.
13 "For this is what the Lord God says: At the end of 40 years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were dispersed. 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations.

16 It will never again be an object of trust for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their sin of turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord God."

Babylon Receives Egypt as Compensation

17 In the twenty-seventh year in the first [month], on the first [day] of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 "Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder chafed, but he and his army received no compensation from Tyre for the labor he expended against it. 19 Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will carry off its wealth, seizing its spoil and taking its plunder. This will be his army's compensation. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the pay he labored for, since they worked for Me." [This is] the declaration of the Lord God.

21 "In that day I will cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will enable you to speak out among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord."

Ezekiel 29

A Prophecy Against Egypt

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth day of the month,t the word of the Lord came to me:2 “Son of man, turn towardt Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.

3 Tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:
“‘Look, I am againstt you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monstert lying in the midst of its waterways,
who has said, “My Nile is my own, I made it for myself.”s

4 I will put hooks in your jaws
and stick the fish of your waterways to your scales.
I will haul you up from the midst of your waterways,
and all the fish of your waterways will stick to your scales.

5 I will leave you in the wilderness,
you and all the fish of your waterways;
you will fall in the open field and will not be gathered up or collected.s
I have given you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the skies.

6 Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am the Lord
because they were a reed staffs for the house of Israel;

7 when they grasped you with their hand,t you broke and toret their shoulders,
and when they leaned on you, you splintered and caused their legs to be unsteady.t
8 “‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will killt every person and every animal.

9 The land of Egypt will become a desolate ruin. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Because he said, “The Nile is mine and I made it,”10 I am againstt you and your waterways. I will turn the land of Egypt into an utter desolate ruin from Migdols to Syene,s as far as the border with Ethiopia.11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal’s foot will pass through it; it will be uninhabited for forty years.

12 I will turn the land of Egypt into a desolation in the midst of desolate lands; for forty years her cities will lie desolate in the midst of ruined cities. I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among foreign countries.
13 “‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: At the end of forty yearss I will gather Egypt from the peoples where they were scattered.14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt, and will bring them backs to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin; there they will be an insignificant kingdom.15 It will be the most insignificant of the kingdoms; it will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations.

16 It will never again be Israel’s source of confidence, but a reminder of how they sinned by turning to Egypt for help.t Then they will know that I am the sovereign Lord.’”
17 In the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month,s the word of the Lord came to me:18 “Son of man, King Nebuchadrezzart of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre.ss Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed bare; yet he and his army received no wages from Tyre for the work he carried out against it.19 Therefore this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon. He will carry off her wealth, capture her loot, and seize her plunder; it will be his army’s wages.20 I have given him the land of Egypt as his compensation for attacking Tyret, because they did it for me, declares the sovereign Lord.

21 On that day I will make Israel powerful,t and I will give you the right to be heardt among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”