1 I n the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying,

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

2 “ Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him, ‘You compared yourself to a young lion of the nations, Yet you are like the monster in the seas; And you burst forth in your rivers And muddied the waters with your feet And fouled their rivers.’”

“Son of man, sing a song of sorrow for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him, ‘You compared yourself to a young lion among the nations, yet you are like the big dragon in the seas. You go through your rivers, troubling the water with your feet and making the rivers muddy.’”

3 T hus says the Lord God, “Now I will spread My net over you With a company of many peoples, And they shall lift you up in My net.

The Lord God says, “Now I will throw My net over you with an army of many nations. They will lift you up in My net.

4 “ I will leave you on the land; I will cast you on the open field. And I will cause all the birds of the heavens to dwell on you, And I will satisfy the beasts of the whole earth with you.

And I will leave you on the land. I will throw you on the open field. I will have all the birds of the air live on you. And I will feed you to the wild animals of the earth.

5 “ I will lay your flesh on the mountains And fill the valleys with your refuse.

I will lay your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with what is left of you.

6 “ I will also make the land drink the discharge of your blood As far as the mountains, And the ravines will be full of you.

I will make the land drink your flowing blood as far as the mountains, and the deep valleys will be full of you.

7 “ And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light.

When I destroy you, I will cover the heavens and make the stars dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light.

8 “ All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you And will set darkness on your land,” Declares the Lord God.

I will make all the shining lights in the heavens dark over you, and bring darkness upon your land,” says the Lord God.

9 “ I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples when I bring your destruction among the nations, into lands which you have not known.

“I will trouble the hearts of many people when I destroy you among the nations, among lands you have not known.

10 I will make many peoples appalled at you, and their kings will be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and they will tremble every moment, every man for his own life, on the day of your fall.”

I will fill many nations with fear and wonder because of you. Their kings will shake in fear for you when I wave My sword in front of them. Every man will keep shaking in fear for his own life, on the day you are destroyed.”

11 F or thus says the Lord God, “The sword of the king of Babylon will come upon you.

For the Lord God says, “The sword of the king of Babylon will come against you.

12 B y the swords of the mighty ones I will cause your hordes to fall; all of them are tyrants of the nations, And they will devastate the pride of Egypt, And all its hordes will be destroyed.

I will cause your people to be killed by the swords of powerful men who will have no pity, all of them strong rulers of the nations. They will destroy the pride of Egypt and kill all its people.

13 “ I will also destroy all its cattle from beside many waters; And the foot of man will not muddy them anymore And the hoofs of beasts will not muddy them.

I will also destroy all its cattle from beside many waters. No foot of man or animal will fill them with mud any more.

14 “ Then I will make their waters settle And will cause their rivers to run like oil,” Declares the Lord God.

I will make their waters clear and make their rivers flow like oil,” says the Lord God.

15 “ When I make the land of Egypt a desolation, And the land is destitute of that which filled it, When I smite all those who live in it, Then they shall know that I am the Lord.

“When I destroy the land of Egypt and take from the land everything that was in it, and when I punish all who live there, then they will know that I am the Lord.

16 T his is a lamentation and they shall chant it. The daughters of the nations shall chant it. Over Egypt and over all her hordes they shall chant it,” declares the Lord God.

This is the song of sorrow they will sing. The women of the nations will sing it. They will sing it over Egypt and all her people,” says the Lord God. The Place of the Dead

17 I n the twelfth year, on the fifteenth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying,

In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth of the month, the Word of the Lord came to me saying,

18 “ Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and bring it down, her and the daughters of the powerful nations, to the nether world, with those who go down to the pit;

“Son of man, cry in a loud voice for the people of Egypt. Send them down with the powerful nations to the place of the dead, with those who go down to the grave.

19 ‘ Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and make your bed with the uncircumcised.’

Say to them, ‘Do you think you are more favored than anyone else? Go down and make your bed with the sinful.’

20 T hey shall fall in the midst of those who are slain by the sword. She is given over to the sword; they have drawn her and all her hordes away.

They will fall among those who are killed by the sword. The sword is ready to kill all of Egypt’s people.

21 T he strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol, ‘They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’

From the place of the dead the powerful leaders will say of Egypt and her helpers, ‘They have come down. They lie with the sinful, with those killed by the sword.’

22 “ Assyria is there and all her company; her graves are round about her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword,

“Assyria is there, with all of her army. All around her are the graves of her dead, who have been killed by the sword.

23 w hose graves are set in the remotest parts of the pit and her company is round about her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living.

Their graves lie in the farthest parts of the place of the dead. Her army is around her grave. All who had spread fear in the land of the living are dead, killed by the sword.

24 “ Elam is there and all her hordes around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, who instilled their terror in the land of the living and bore their disgrace with those who went down to the pit.

“Elam is there, with all of her people around her grave. All of them are dead, killed by the sword. They have gone to the lower parts of the earth having not gone through the religious act of the Jews. They filled the land of the living with fear, and carried their shame with those who went down to the place of the dead.

25 T hey have made a bed for her among the slain with all her hordes. Her graves are around it, they are all uncircumcised, slain by the sword (although their terror was instilled in the land of the living), and they bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit; they were put in the midst of the slain.

A bed is made for her among the dead with all her people. Their graves are around her. They are all sinful people, killed by the sword. They spread fear in the land of the living, and were put to shame with those who go down to the place of the dead and are among the dead.

26 “ Meshech, Tubal and all their hordes are there; their graves surround them. All of them were slain by the sword uncircumcised, though they instilled their terror in the land of the living.

“Meshech and Tubal are there, with all their people. Their graves are around them. All of them are sinful, killed by the sword, for they had spread fear in the land of the living.

27 N or do they lie beside the fallen heroes of the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war and whose swords were laid under their heads; but the punishment for their iniquity rested on their bones, though the terror of these heroes was once in the land of the living.

They do not lie beside the graves of the powerful men of long ago, who went down to the place of the dead with their swords of war, whose swords were laid under their heads. But the punishment for their sin rested on their bones. For the fear of these powerful men was once in the land of the living.

28 B ut in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken and lie with those slain by the sword.

You too, O Pharaoh, will be broken and lie among the sinful, with those killed by the sword.

29 “ There also is Edom, its kings and all its princes, who for all their might are laid with those slain by the sword; they will lie with the uncircumcised and with those who go down to the pit.

“Edom is there, with its kings and all its leaders. Even with all their power they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the sinful, with those who go down to the place of the dead.

30 “ There also are the chiefs of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who in spite of the terror resulting from their might, in shame went down with the slain. So they lay down uncircumcised with those slain by the sword and bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit.

“All the leaders of the north and all the Sidonians are there. Even with the fear they caused by their power, they went down with the dead in shame. They lie as sinful people with those killed by the sword. They carried their shame with those who go down to the place of the dead.

31 “ These Pharaoh will see, and he will be comforted for all his hordes slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his army,” declares the Lord God.

“When Pharaoh and his army see them, they will be comforted for all his people who were killed by the sword,” says the Lord God.

32 “ Though I instilled a terror of him in the land of the living, yet he will be made to lie down among the uncircumcised along with those slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his hordes,” declares the Lord God.

“I spread fear of him in the land of the living, yet Pharaoh and all his people will be laid among the sinful, with those killed by the sword,” says the Lord God.