Those Who Support Egypt Will Fall

1The word of Yahweh came again to me saying, 2“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,

“Wail, ‘Alas for the day!’

3For the day is near,

Even the day of Yahweh is near;

It will be a day of clouds,

A time of doom for the nations.

4A sword will come upon Egypt,

And anguish will be in [†]Ethiopia;

When the slain fall in Egypt,

They take away her multitude,

And her foundations are pulled down.

5[†]Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all [†]Arabia, [†]Libya, and the [†]people of the land [†]that is in covenant will fall with them by the sword.”

6‘Thus says Yahweh,

“Indeed, those who support Egypt will fall,

And the pride of her strength will come down;

From Migdol to Syene

They will fall within her by the sword,”

Declares Lord Yahweh.

7“They will be desolate

In the midst of the desolated lands;

And her cities will be

In the midst of the cities laid waste.

8And they will know that I am Yahweh,

When I set a fire in Egypt

And all her helpers are broken.

9On that day messengers will go forth from Me in ships to frighten secure [†]Ethiopia; and anguish will be on them as on the day of Egypt; for behold, it is coming!”

10‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,

“I will also make the multitude of Egypt cease

By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

11He and his people with him,

The most ruthless of the nations,

Will be brought in to make the land a ruin;

And they will draw their swords against Egypt

And fill the land with the slain.

12Moreover, I will make the canals of the Nile dry

And sell the land into the hands of evil men.

And I will make the land desolate,

As well as its fullness,

By the hand of strangers; I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

13‘Thus says Lord Yahweh,

“I will also destroy the idols

And make the [†]images cease from [†]Memphis.

And there will no longer be a prince in the land of Egypt;

And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

14I will make Pathros desolate,

Set a fire in Zoan,

And execute judgments on [†]Thebes.

15I will pour out My wrath on [†]Sin,

The strong defense of Egypt;

I will also cut off the multitude of [†]Thebes.

16I will set a fire in Egypt;

[†]Sin will writhe in anguish;

[†]Thebes will be breached,

And [†]Memphis will have [†]distresses daily.

17The choice men of [†]On and of Pi-beseth

Will fall by the sword,

And [†]the women will go into captivity.

18In Tehaphnehes the day will [†]be dark

When I break there the bars of the yoke of Egypt.

Then the pride of her strength will cease in her;

A cloud will cover her,

And her daughters will go into captivity.

19Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt,

And they will know that I am Yahweh.”’”

Yahweh Scatters the Egyptians

20In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 21“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and behold, it has not been bound up to be given healing [†]or wrapped with a bandage, that it may be strong to seize the sword. 22Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong and the broken; and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands. 24For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; and I will break the arms of Pharaoh so that he will groan before him with the groanings of a wounded man. 25Thus I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands, then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”