A Lament for Egypt

1The word of the Lorde came vnto me, saying:

2Thou sonne of man prophecie, and speake, thus sayth the Lorde God, howle, wo worth this day:

3For the day is neare, the day of the Lorde is at hande, the darke day, the time of the nations shalbe,

4And the sworde shall come vpon Egypt, and feare shalbe in Ethiopia when the slayne shall fall in Egypt: and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shalbe broken downe.

5Yea Ethiopia, Lybia, & Lydia, all their common people, and Chub, and all that be confederate vnto them, shal fall with them thorowe the sworde.

6Thus sayth the Lorde: The maynteiners of the lande of Egypt shall fall, the pryde of her powre shall come downe: euen from the towre of Seueneh shal they fall downe in it with the sworde, sayth the Lorde God.

7Among other desolate countreys they shalbe made desolate, among other waste cities they shalbe wasted.

8And they shall knowe that I am the Lord when I haue set a fire in Egypt, & when al her helpers shalbe destroyed.

9In that day shall messengers go foorth from me in ships to make the carelesse Morians afrayde, and feare shall come vpon them, according to the day of Egypt: for lo it commeth.

10Thus sayth the Lord God, I wil cause the multitude of Egypt to ceasse by the hande of Nabuchodonozor king of Babylon.

11He, and his people with him, the terrible nations shalbe brought to destoy the land: they shal drawe out their swordes vpon Egypt, & fill the land full of slayne men.

12I wil make their riuers drie, and sel the lande into the handes of wicked people: the land and all that is therin I will destroy thorow the hand of straungers: euen I the Lorde haue sayde it.

13Thus sayth the Lorde God, I will destroy the idoles, and bring the images of Noph to an end: there shal no more be a prince of Egypt, and a fearfulnesse wil I send into the Egyptians lande.

14As for Pathros, I wil make it desolate, and kindle a fire in Zoan, and I will execute iudgementes in No.

15And I will powre my wrathful indignation vpon Sin the strength of Egypt, & I will destroy the multitude of No.

16And I will kindle a fire in Egypt, Sin shalbe in great heauinesse, No shalbe rooted out, and Noph shall haue dayly sorowe.

17The young men of Auen, and of Phibeseth shall fall by the sworde, and these cities shall go into captiuitie.

18At Tehaphnehes the day shalbe darke, when I breake there the barres of Egypt, and when the pompe of her power shall ceasse in her: a cloude shall couer her, and her daughters shall go into captiuitie.

19Thus will I execute my iudgementes in Egypt, and they shall knowe howe that I am the Lorde.

Pharaoh’s Power Broken

20And in the eleuenth yere, vpon the seuenth day of the first moneth, the worde of the Lorde came vnto me, saying: 21Thou sonne of man, I haue broken the arme of Pharao king of Egypt: and lo, it shall not be bounde vp to be healed, to put a roller to bynde it, to make it strong to hold the sworde. 22Therfore thus sayth the Lorde God: Beholde, I will vpon Pharao king of Egypt, and breake his arme that was strong, but is broken: and I will cause the sworde to fall out of his hande. 23As for the Egyptians, I will scatter them among the nations, and strawe them in the landes about. 24Againe, I will strengthen the arme of the king of Babylon, and geue hym my sword in his hande: but I will breake Pharaos armes, and he shall grone the grodinges of a deadly wounded man before hym: 25Yea I will strengthen the king of Babylons arme, and the armes of Pharao shall fall downe: and they shall knowe that I am the Lorde, when I shall geue my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, that he may stretch it out vpon the lande of Egypt. 26And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, & strowe them in the landes about: and they shal knowe that I am the Lorde.