1 I n the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

On the twelfth day of the tenth month in the tenth year, the Word of the Lord came to me saying,

2 S on of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:

“Son of man, look toward Pharaoh king of Egypt, and speak against him and against all Egypt.

3 s peak, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

Tell them, ‘The Lord God says, “I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt. You are the big animal that lies in his rivers and says, ‘The Nile is mine. I made it.’

4 B ut I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.

I will put hooks in your mouth. I will make the fish of your rivers stick to your hard skin. And I will pull you up out of your rivers, with the fish that stick to your hard skin.

5 A nd I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

Then I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your rivers. You will fall on the open field, and not be gathered or buried. I will feed you to the wild animals of the earth and to the birds of the sky.

6 A nd all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

Then all the people of Egypt will know that I am the Lord. They have been only a weak piece of river grass to the people of Israel.

7 W hen they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.

When they took hold of you with their hands, you broke and tore all their shoulders. When they rested on you, you broke and hurt their backs.”

8 T herefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.

So the Lord God says, “I will bring a sword against you and kill your people and animals.

9 A nd the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.

And the land of Egypt will be destroyed and laid waste. Then they will know that I am the Lord. “Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I made it,’

10 B ehold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.

I am against you and against your rivers. I will destroy Egypt and make it nothing but waste from Migdol to Syene and even to the land of Ethiopia.

11 N o foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.

No foot of man or animal will pass through it, and no one will live there for forty years.

12 A nd I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

I will make the land of Egypt a waste among the lands which are laid waste. Her cities will be a waste for forty years among cities that are laid waste. I will divide the Egyptians among the nations and spread them out among the lands.”

13 Y et thus saith the Lord God; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:

’For the Lord God says, “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were divided.

14 a nd I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.

I will bring them back to Egypt and let them live in Pathros, the land they came from. And there they will be a small nation.

15 I t shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.

It will be the least of the nations, and will never lift itself up above other nations again. I will make them so small that they will never rule over the nations.

16 A nd it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord God.

It will never again be a hope for the people of Israel. They will remember their sin in turning to Egypt for help in the past. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”’” King Nebuchadnezzar Will Take Egypt

17 A nd it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

On the first day of the first month in the twenty-seventh year, the Word of the Lord came to me saying,

18 S on of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:

“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army work hard against Tyre. Every head lost its hair, and skin was rubbed off every shoulder. But he and his army did not receive anything from Tyre to pay for the work he had done against it.”

19 t herefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

So the Lord God says, “I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry away her riches. He will take all her good things, and they will be pay for his army.

20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord God.

I have given him the land of Egypt for the work he has done, because he and his army worked for Me,” says the Lord God.

21 I n that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

“On that day I will make the people of Israel strong, and give you the power to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”