A Lament for Egypt

1Morouer, the worde off the LORDE came vnto me, sayenge:

2Thou sonne of man, prophecy & speake: thus saieth the LORDE God: Mourne, wo worth this daye,

3for the daye is here, the daye of ye LORDE is come: the darcke daye of ye Heithe the houre is at honde,

4the swearde commeth vpon Egipte. When the wounded men fall downe in Egipte, when hir people are taken awaye, and when hir foundacios are destroyed:

5the Morians londe shal be afrayed, yee the Morians londe, Lybia & Lydia, all their comon people, & Chub, & all yt be confederate vnto the, shal fall wt the thorow ye swearde.

6Thus saieth ye LORDE: The maynteyners of the lode of Egipte shall fall, the pryde of hir power shal come downe: eue vnto the tower off Syenes shall they be slayne downe wt the swearde, saieth ye LORDE God:

7amonge other desolate countrees they shal be made desolate, & amoge other waist cities they shalbe waisted.

8And they shal knowe, yt I am ye LORDE, when I kyndle a fyre in Egipte, & when all hir helpers are destroyed.

9At that tyme, shal there messaungers go forth fro me in shippes, to make ye carelesse Morians afrayed: and sorowe shal come vpon them in the daye of Egipte, for doutles it shal come.

10Thus saieth the LORDE God: I wil make an ende of the people of Egipte thorow the honde of Nabuchodosor kynge of Babilon.

11He and his people with him, yee and the cruell tyrauntes of the Heithen shalbe brought to destroye the londe. They shal drawe out their sweardes vpon Egipte and fyll the londe full of slayne men.

12I will drye vp their floudes of water, ad sell the lode in to the hondes of wicked people. The lode and all yt is therin, wil I destroye thorow the enemies. Eue I the LORDE haue sayde it.

13And thus saieth the LORDE God: I will destroye the Idols, and brynge the ymages of Noph to an ende. There shal no more be a prynce of Egypte, and a fearfulnesse will I sende in to the Egipcians londe.

14As for Pathures, I wil make it desolate, ad kyndle a fyre in Zoan. Alexandria will I punysh,

15& poure my wrothfull indignacio vpo Sin, which is the strength of Egipte. All the sustaunce of Alexandria will I destroye,

16and kyndle a fyre in Egipte. Sin shalbe in greate heuynesse, Alexandria shalbe roted out and Noph shall haue daylie sorowe.

17The best men off Heliopolis & Bubasto shalbe slayne with the swearde ad caried awaye captyue.

18At Taphnis the daye shalbe darcke, when I breake there the scepter of the londe of Egipte, and when ye pompe of hir powr shal haue an ende. A cloude shal couer her, and hir doughters shalbe led awaye in to captyuyte.

19Thus will I punysh Egipte, that they maye knowe, how that I am the LORDE.

Pharaoh’s Power Broken

20It happened in the xi. yeare, vpon the seueth daye of ye first Moneth, yt the LORDES worde came vnto me, sayege: 21Beholde, thou sonne of ma, I wil breake ye arme of Pharao kynge of Egipte: and lo, it shal not be boude vp to be healed, nether shal eny playstre be layed vpon it, for to ease it, or to make it so stroge, as to holde a swearde. 22Therfore, thus saieth the LORDE God: beholde, I will vpon Pharao ye kinge of Egipte, & brusse his stroge arme (yet is it but a broken one) & will smyte the swearde out of his honde. 23As for the Egipcians, I wil scatre them amonge the Heithen, & strowe the in the londes aboute. 24Agayne I will strength ye arme of the kinge of Babilo, & geue him my swearde in his hode: but I wil breake Pharaos arme, so yt he shal holde it before him piteously, like a wounded man. 25Yee I will stablish the kynge of Babilos arme, & the armes of Pharao shal fall downe: that it maye be knowne, that I am the LORDE, which geue the kynge off Babilon my swearde in his hode, that he maye drawe it out vpon the londe of Egipte: 26and that when I scatre the Egipcians amonge the Gentiles, and strowe them in ye lodes aboute, they maye knowe, yt I am the LORDE.