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Lamentations for Pharaoh

32 On the first day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year, the word of Adonai came to me saying: “Son of man, lift up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

‘You compare yourself to a young lion of the nations,
but you are a crocodile in the waters.
You thrash about in your rivers
and muddy the water with your feet
and foul their streams.’”

Thus says Adonai Elohim:
“I will throw My net over you
with a host of many peoples.
They will haul you up in My net.
I will leave you on the land.
I will hurl you on an open field.
I will cause all the birds of the sky to settle upon you.
I will gorge the beasts of the whole earth with you.
I will strew your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys with your refuse.
I will drench the land with the flow of your blood up to the hills.
The ravines will be full of you.
When I extinguish you,
I will cover the sky and darken the stars.
I will cover the sun with cloud,
and the moon will not give her light.[a]
I will darken all of heaven’s bright lights over you
and set darkness on your land.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.

“I will disturb the hearts of many peoples
when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
into lands you have not known.
10 I will make many people appalled at you.
Their kings will be totally aghast at you
when I brandish My sword over you.
They will shudder every moment,
every man for his own life,
on the day of your downfall.”

11 For thus says Adonai Elohim:
“The sword of the king of Babylon
will come upon you.
12 By the swords of the mighty
I will cause your multitude to fall.
They are all ruthless among the nations.
They will devastate the pride of Egypt.
All of its multitude will be annihilated.
13 I will destroy all the beasts from beside plentiful water.
No human foot will muddy them again,
nor will hoofs of beasts muddy them.
14 Then I will make their waters settle
and make their streams flow like oil.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.

15 “When I make the land of Egypt desolate
and waste when it was previously full,
when I strike all that live there,
they will know that I am Adonai.
16 This is the funeral song—chant it,
daughters of the nations, chant for Egypt.
All her multitude will chant it.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.

17 On the fifteenth day of the month in the twelfth year, the word of Adonai came to me saying:

18 “Son of man, wail over Egypt’s throng.
Bring them down
—her and the daughters of lofty nations,
to the underworld,
to those who go down to the pit.
19 Who do you surpass in beauty?
Go down, lie with the uncircumcised.
20 They fall among those slain by the sword.
She is given over to the sword.
They drag her down with all her throng.
21 The strongest warriors will speak of him
and his allies from the midst of Sheol.
They have gone down,
they lie still, the uncircumcised,
slain by the sword.

22 “Assyria is there and all her company,
their graves surround them
—all of them slain,
fallen by the sword.
23 Her graves are set in the deepest parts of the Pit.
Her company surrounds her grave
—all of them slain, fallen by the sword
—who put terror in the land of the living.

24 “There is Elam and all her multitude surrounding her grave
—all of them slain, fallen by the sword
—who went down uncircumcised into
the underworld, who caused terror in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace with those who go down to the Pit.
25 They have made her a bed among
the slain with all her throng,
her graves about them
—all of them uncircumcised, slain, fallen by the sword—
though they caused terror in the land of the living.
So they bear their disgrace with those who go down to the Pit.
They are laid among the slain.

26 “Meshech-Tubal is there and all her throng,
her graves around them
—all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword,
though they spread their terror in the land of the living.
27 They do not lie with the mighty,
the fallen from among the uncircumcised,
who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war.
They put their swords under their heads.
Their iniquities rest on their bones because the terror of the mighty ones was in the land of the living.
28 You also will be shattered and lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword.

29 “Edom is there, her kings and all her princes,
who for all their might are laid with those slain by the sword.
They lie with the uncircumcised,
with those who go down to the Pit.
30 “The princes of the north are there,
all of them, all the Zidonians, who have gone down with the slain,
ashamed for all the terror that they caused by their might.
They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword.
They bear their disgrace with those who go down to the pit.
31 When Pharaoh sees them,
he will be comforted for all his throng,
Pharaoh and all his army,
slain by the sword.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.
32 “For I have put My terror in the land of the living.
He will lie among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword,
Pharaoh and all his multitude.”
It is a declaration of Adonai.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 32:7 cf. Matt. 24:29.

A Lament Over Pharaoh

32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month on the first day, the word of the Lord came to me:(A) “Son of man, take up a lament(B) concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

“‘You are like a lion(C) among the nations;
    you are like a monster(D) in the seas(E)
thrashing about in your streams,
    churning the water with your feet
    and muddying the streams.(F)

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘With a great throng of people
    I will cast my net over you,
    and they will haul you up in my net.(G)
I will throw you on the land
    and hurl you on the open field.
I will let all the birds of the sky settle on you
    and all the animals of the wild gorge themselves on you.(H)
I will spread your flesh on the mountains
    and fill the valleys(I) with your remains.
I will drench the land with your flowing blood(J)
    all the way to the mountains,
    and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.(K)
When I snuff you out, 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.(L)
All the shining lights in the heavens
    I will darken(M) over you;
    I will bring darkness over your land,(N)
declares the Sovereign Lord.
I will trouble the hearts of many peoples
    when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
    among[a] lands you have not known.
10 I will cause many peoples to be appalled at you,
    and their kings will shudder with horror because of you
    when I brandish my sword(O) before them.
On the day(P) of your downfall
    each of them will tremble
    every moment for his life.(Q)

11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“‘The sword(R) of the king of Babylon(S)
    will come against you.(T)
12 I will cause your hordes to fall
    by the swords of mighty men—
    the most ruthless of all nations.(U)
They will shatter the pride of Egypt,
    and all her hordes will be overthrown.(V)
13 I will destroy all her cattle
    from beside abundant waters
no longer to be stirred by the foot of man
    or muddied by the hooves of cattle.(W)
14 Then I will let her waters settle
    and make her streams flow like oil,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
15 When I make Egypt desolate
    and strip the land of everything in it,
when I strike down all who live there,
    then they will know that I am the Lord.(X)

16 “This is the lament(Y) they will chant for her. The daughters of the nations will chant it; for Egypt and all her hordes they will chant it, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Egypt’s Descent Into the Realm of the Dead

17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:(Z) 18 “Son of man, wail for the hordes of Egypt and consign(AA) to the earth below both her and the daughters of mighty nations, along with those who go down to the pit.(AB) 19 Say to them, ‘Are you more favored than others? Go down and be laid among the uncircumcised.’(AC) 20 They will fall among those killed by the sword. The sword is drawn; let her be dragged(AD) off with all her hordes.(AE) 21 From within the realm of the dead(AF) the mighty leaders will say of Egypt and her allies, ‘They have come down and they lie with the uncircumcised,(AG) with those killed by the sword.’

22 “Assyria is there with her whole army; she is surrounded by the graves of all her slain, all who have fallen by the sword. 23 Their graves are in the depths of the pit(AH) and her army lies around her grave.(AI) All who had spread terror in the land of the living are slain, fallen by the sword.

24 “Elam(AJ) is there, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.(AK) All who had spread terror in the land of the living(AL) went down uncircumcised to the earth below. They bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(AM) 25 A bed is made for her among the slain, with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised,(AN) killed by the sword. Because their terror had spread in the land of the living, they bear their shame with those who go down to the pit; they are laid among the slain.

26 “Meshek and Tubal(AO) are there, with all their hordes around their graves. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword because they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27 But they do not lie with the fallen warriors of old,[b](AP) who went down to the realm of the dead with their weapons of war—their swords placed under their heads and their shields[c] resting on their bones—though these warriors also had terrorized the land of the living.

28 “You too, Pharaoh, will be broken and will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword.

29 “Edom(AQ) is there, her kings and all her princes; despite their power, they are laid with those killed by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the pit.(AR)

30 “All the princes of the north(AS) and all the Sidonians(AT) are there; they went down with the slain in disgrace despite the terror caused by their power. They lie uncircumcised(AU) with those killed by the sword and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.(AV)

31 “Pharaoh—he and all his army—will see them and he will be consoled(AW) for all his hordes that were killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord. 32 Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh(AX) and all his hordes will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword, declares the Sovereign Lord.”(AY)

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 32:9 Hebrew; Septuagint bring you into captivity among the nations, / to
  2. Ezekiel 32:27 Septuagint; Hebrew warriors who were uncircumcised
  3. Ezekiel 32:27 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text punishment