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 day of the month, Yahweh’s word 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 Yahweh: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the middle of his rivers, that has said, ‘My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.’

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 I will make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales; and I will bring you up out of the middle of your rivers, with all the fish of your rivers which stick 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’ll cast you out into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your rivers. You’ll fall on the open field. You won’t be brought together, nor gathered. I have given you for food to the animals 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.

All the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh, because they have been a staff 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 by your hand, you broke, and tore all their shoulders; and when they leaned on you, you broke, and paralyzed all of their thighs.”

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 Yahweh: “Behold, I will bring a sword on you, and will cut off man and animal from you.

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 shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am Yahweh. Because he has said, ‘The river 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 the tower of Seveneh 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.

No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of animal shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited 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.”

I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the middle of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.”

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 Yahweh: “At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the peoples where 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.

and I will bring back the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their birth; and they shall be there a base 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 shall be the base of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations: and I will diminish them, that they shall no more 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

It shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to memory, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord Yahweh.”’”

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

It came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, Yahweh’s word 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 caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn; yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served 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 Yahweh: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off her multitude, and take her plunder, and take her prey; and it shall be the 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 as his recompense for which he served, because they worked for me, says the Lord Yahweh.

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.”

In that day will I cause a horn to sprout for the house of Israel, and I will give you the opening of the mouth among them; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.