Ezekiel
Chapter 32

1

¹ On the first day of the twelfth month in the twelfth year, the word of the LORD came to me:

2

Son of man, utter a lament over Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, saying to him: Lion of the nations, you are destroyed. You were like a monster in the sea, spouting in your streams, Stirring the water with your feet and churning its streams.

3

Thus says the Lord GOD: I will spread my net over you (with a host of many nations), and draw you up in my seine.

4

I will leave you on the land; on the open field I will cast you. I will have all the birds of the air alight on you, and all the beasts of the earth eat their fill of you.

5

I will leave your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your carcass.

6

I will water the land with what flows from you, and the river beds shall be filled with your blood.

7

When I snuff you out I will cover the heavens, and all their stars I will darken; The sun I will cover with clouds, and the moon shall not give its light.

8

All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken on your account, And I will spread darkness over your land, says the Lord GOD.

9

I will grieve the hearts of many peoples when I lead you captive among the nations, to lands which you do not know.

10

Many peoples shall be appalled at you, and their kings shall shudder over you in horror when they see me brandish my sword, and on the day of your downfall every one of them shall continuously tremble for his own life.

11

For thus says the Lord GOD: The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon you.

12

I will cut down your horde with the blades of warriors, all of them the most ruthless of the nations; They shall lay waste the glory of Egypt, and all her hordes shall be destroyed.

13

I will have all of her animals perish beside her abundant waters; The foot of man shall stir them no longer, nor shall the hoof of beast disturb them.

14

Then will I make their waters clear, and their streams flow like oil, says the Lord GOD.

15

When I turn Egypt into a waste, the land shall be devastated of all that is in it; when I strike all who live there, they shall know that I am the LORD.

16

This is a dirge, and it shall be sung: the daughters of the nations shall chant it; over Egypt and all its hordes shall they chant it, says the Lord GOD.

17

On the fifteenth day of the first month in the twelfth year, the word of the LORD came to me:

18

Son of man, lament over the throngs of Egypt, for the mighty nations have thrust them down to the bottom of the earth, with those who go down into the pit.

20

In the midst of those slain by the sword shall they fall, and place shall be made with them for all their hordes. Then from the midst of the nether world, the mighty warriors shall speak to Egypt:

19

"Whom do you excel in beauty?

21

Come down, you and your allies, lie with the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword."

22

There is Assyria with all her company, all of them slain,

23

whose graves have been made in the recesses of the pit; her company is around Egypt's grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living.

24

There is Elam with all her throng about Egypt's grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword: they have gone down uncircumcised to the bottom of the earth, who spread their terror in the land of the living, and they bear their disgrace with those who go down into the pit;

25

in the midst of the slain they are placed.

26

There are Meshech and Tubal and all their throng about her grave, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, for they spread their terror in the land of the living.

27

² They do not lie with the mighty men fallen of old, who went down to the nether world with their weapons of war, whose swords were placed under their heads and whose shields were laid over their bones, though the mighty men caused terror in the land of the living.

28

But in the midst of the uncircumcised shall you lie, with those slain by the sword.

29

There are Edom, her kings, and all her princes, who despite their might have been placed with those slain by the sword; with the uncircumcised they lie, and with those who go down into the pit.

30

There are all the princes of the north and all the Sidonians, who have gone down with the slain, because of the terror their might inspired; they lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword and bear their disgrace with those who go down to the pit.

31

When Pharaoh sees these, he shall be comforted for all his hordes slain by the sword--Pharaoh and all his army, says the Lord GOD.

32

Since he spread his terror in the land of the living, therefore is he laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword--Pharaoh and all his hordes, says the Lord GOD.

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Footnotes

¹ [1] The first day of the twelfth month in the twelfth year: March 3, 585 B.C.

² [27] The mighty men fallen of old: the semilegendary heroes of the prehistoric past, who were thought to have once dominated the world; cf Isaiah 14:9.

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