Ezekiel
Chapter 30
1
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
2
Son of man, speak this prophecy: Thus says the Lord GOD: Cry, Oh, the day!
3
for near is the day, near is the day of the LORD; a day of clouds, doomsday for the nations shall it be.
4
Then a sword shall come upon Egypt, and anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain fall in Egypt, when her riches are seized and her foundations are overthrown.
5
Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Libya, and people of the allied territory shall fall by the sword with them.
6
Those who support Egypt shall fall, and down shall come her proud strength; from Migdol to Syene they shall fall there by the sword, says the Lord GOD.
7
She shall be the most devastated of lands, and her cities shall be the most desolate of all.
8
Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I set fire to Egypt and when all who help her are broken.
9
On that day messengers shall hasten forth at my command to terrify unsuspecting Ethiopia; they shall be in anguish on the day of Egypt, which is surely coming.
10
Thus says the Lord GOD: I will put an end to the throngs of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
11
He and his people with him, the most ruthless of nations, shall be brought in to devastate the land. They shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.
12
I will turn the Niles into dry land and sell the land over to the power of the wicked. The land and everything in it I will hand over to foreigners to devastate. I, the LORD, have spoken.
13
Thus says the Lord GOD: I will put an end to the great ones of Memphis and the princes of the land of Egypt, that they may be no more. I will cast fear into the land of Egypt, and devastate Pathros.
14
I will set fire to Zoan, and inflict punishments on Thebes.
15
I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, Egypt's stronghold, and cut down the crowds in Memphis.
16
I will set fire to Egypt; Syene shall writhe in anguish; Thebes shall be breached and its walls shall be demolished.
17
The young men of On and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword, and the cities themselves shall go into captivity.
18
In Tehaphnehes the day shall be darkened when I break the scepter of Egypt. Her haughty pride shall cease from her, clouds shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.
19
Thus will I inflict punishments on Egypt, that they may know that I am the LORD.
20
1 On the seventh day of the first month in the eleventh year, the word of the LORD came to me:
21
2 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and see, it has not been bound up with bandages and healing remedies that it may be strong enough to hold the sword.
22
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: See! I am coming at Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. I will break his strong arm, so that the sword drops from his hand.
23
I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and strew them over foreign lands.
24
But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand, which he will bring against Egypt so as to plunder and pillage it.
25
(I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong, but the arms of Pharaoh shall drop.) Then they shall know that I am the LORD, when I put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon for him to wield against the land of Egypt.
26
(I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and strew them over foreign lands.) Thus they shall know that I am the LORD.
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Footnotes

1 [20] The seventh day of the first month in the eleventh year: April 29, 587 B.C.

2 [21-26] This oracle was uttered during the siege of Jerusalem, which had now lasted more than a year (Ezekiel 24:1). Pharaoh Hophra went to the aid of Jerusalem, causing the Chaldeans to lift the siege temporarily; cf Jeremiah 34:21; 37:6- 7. In the prophet's eyes, this was interfering with the divine punishment of Judah that was to be inflicted by the Chaldeans. The Egyptians were routed by the Chaldeans, and were able to offer no more help to Jerusalem; cf Ezekial 31.


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