1 O n the twelfth day of the tenth month in the tenth year, the Word of the Lord came to me saying,

In the tenth year, in the tenth month, on the twelfth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying,

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

“Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt.

3 T ell 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.’

Speak and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, That has said, ‘My Nile is mine, and I myself have made it.’

4 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.

“I will put hooks in your jaws And make the fish of your rivers cling to your scales. And I will bring you up out of the midst of your rivers, And all the fish of your rivers will cling to your scales.

5 T hen 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.

“I will abandon you to the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers; You will fall on the open field; you will not be brought together or gathered. I have given you for food to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the sky.

6 T hen 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.

“Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord, Because they have been only a staff made of reed to the house of Israel.

7 W hen 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.”

“When they took hold of you with the hand, You broke and tore all their hands; And when they leaned on you, You broke and made all their loins quake.”

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

‘Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will bring upon you a sword and I will cut off from you man and beast.

9 A nd 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,’

The land of Egypt will become a desolation and waste. Then they will know that I am the Lord. Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine, and I have made it,’

10 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.

therefore, behold, I am against you and against your rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from Migdol to Syene and even to the border of Ethiopia.

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

A man’s foot will not pass through it, and the foot of a beast will not pass through it, and it will not be inhabited for forty years.

12 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.”

So I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated lands. And her cities, in the midst of cities that are laid waste, will be desolate forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the lands.”

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

‘For thus says the Lord God, “At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered.

14 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.

I will turn the fortunes of Egypt and make them return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom.

15 I t 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.

It will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again lift itself up above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations.

16 I t 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

And it will never again be the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing to mind the iniquity of their having turned to Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”’”

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

Now in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying,

18 “ 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.”

“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre; every head was made bald and every shoulder was rubbed bare. But he and his army had no wages from Tyre for the labor that he had performed against it.”

19 S o 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.

Therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her wealth and capture her spoil and seize her plunder; and it will be wages for his army.

20 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.

I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor which he performed, because they acted for Me,” declares the Lord God.

21 “ 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.”

“On that day I will make a horn sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth in their midst. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”