A Lament for Egypt
1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy, and say that this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘Wail: Woe to that day!
3 For the day is near.
The day of the LORD is near.
It will be a day of clouds,
a time of doom for the nations.
4 A sword will come on Egypt,
and anguish will be in Ethiopia,
when the slain fall in Egypt,
when her wealth is taken away,
and her foundations are broken down.
5 Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the mixed races, Cub,
and the people of the land that is allied with them,
will fall by the sword with them.’
6 The LORD says:
‘They also who uphold Egypt will fall.
The pride of her power will come down.
They will fall by the sword in it
from the tower of Seveneh,” says the Lord GOD.
7 They will be desolate in the midst of the desolate countries.
Her cities will be among the cities that are laid waste.
8 They will know that I am the LORD
when I have set a fire in Egypt,
and all her allies are destroyed.
9 On that day messengers will go out from me in ships
to make the careless Ethiopians afraid.
They will be in anguish,
like in the days of Egypt, for it is coming.
10 The Lord GOD says:
‘I will also put an end to the wealth of Egypt,
at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him,
the terror of the nations
will be brought in to destroy the land.
They will draw their swords against Egypt,
and fill the land with the slain.
12 I will make the rivers dry
and will sell the land into the hands of evil men.
I will make the land desolate
and all that is in it,
at the hand of strangers.
I, the LORD, have spoken.’
13 The Lord GOD says:
‘I will also destroy the idols,
and I will cause the images to cease from Memphis.
There will no longer be a prince from the land of Egypt.
I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.
14 I will make Pathros desolate
and will set a fire in Zoan,
and will execute judgments on Thebes.
15 I will pour my wrath on Pelusium,
the stronghold of Egypt.
I will destroy the wealth of Thebes.
16 I will set a fire in Egypt.
Pelusium will be in great anguish.
Thebes will be breached.
Memphis will have adversaries in the daytime.
17 The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth will fall by the sword.
They will go into captivity.
18 At Tehaphnehes also the day will withdraw itself,
when I break the yokes of Egypt there.
The pride of her power will cease.
As for her, a cloud will cover her,
and her daughters will go into captivity.
19 Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt.
Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ ”
The Broken Arms of Pharaoh
20 On the seventh day of the first month, during the eleventh year that king Jehoiachin was taken into captivity, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. It has not been bound up with medicine or bandages, so that it could gain the strength to hold a sword.
22 Therefore the Lord GOD says: ‘I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, the strong arm that was broken. I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and will disperse them throughout the countries.
24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before the king of Babylon with the sounds of a mortally wounded man.
25 I will hold up the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh will fall down. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he stretches it out on the land of Egypt.
26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ ”