1   These were the words of the Lord to me on the twelfth day of the tenth month in the tenth year: 2   Man, look towards Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and all his country. 3   Say, These are the words of the Lord God:

    I am against you,
      Pharaoh king of Egypt,
      you great monster, ^note
    lurking in the streams of the Nile.
    You have said, ‘My Nile is my own;
      it was I who made it.’ ^note
     4   I will put hooks in your jaws
    and make them cling ^note to your scales.
    I will hoist you out of its streams
  with all its fish clinging to your scales.
       5   I will fling you into the wilderness,
    you and all the fish in your streams;
    you will fall on the bare ground
    with none to pick you up and bury ^note you;
      I will make you food
      for beasts and for birds.
     6   So all who live in Egypt will know
      that I am the Lord,
    for the support that you ^note gave to the Israelites
      was no better than a reed,
   7   which splintered in the hand when they grasped you,
    and tore their armpits;
    when they leaned upon you, you snapped
    and their limbs gave way.

8   This therefore is the word of the Lord God: I am bringing a sword upon you to destroy both man and beast. 9   The land of Egypt shall become a desolate waste, and they shall know that I am the Lord, because you ^note said, ‘The Nile is mine; it was I who made it.’ 10   I am against you therefore, you and your Nile, and I will make Egypt desolate, wasted by drought, from Migdol to Syene and up to the very frontier of Cush. 11   No foot of man shall pass through it, no foot of beast; it shall lie uninhabited for forty years. 12   I will make the land of Egypt the

Prophecies against foreign nations most desolate of desolate lands; her cities shall lie derelict among the ruined cities. For forty years shall they lie derelict, and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.

13   These are the words of the Lord God: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they are scattered. 14   I will turn the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to Pathros, the land of their origin, where they shall become a petty kingdom. 15   She shall be the most paltry of kingdoms and never again exalt herself over the nations, for I will make the Egyptians too few to rule over them. 16   The Israelites will never trust Egypt again; this will be a reminder to them of their sin in turning to Egypt for help. They shall know that I am the Lord God.

17   These were the words of the Lord to me on the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year: 18   Man, long did Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon keep his army in the field against Tyre, until every head was rubbed bare and every shoulder chafed. But neither he nor his army gained anything from Tyre for their long service against her. 19   This, therefore, is the word of the Lord God: I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. He shall carry off its wealth, he shall spoil and plunder it, and so his army will be paid. 20   I have given him the land of Egypt as the wages for his service because they have disregarded me. This is the very word of the Lord God.

21   At that time I will make Israel put out fresh shoots, ^note and give you back the power to speak among them, and they will know that I am the Lord.

Previous section

Next section