A Lament over the Nation and Land of Egypt

30 And the word of Yahweh came[fn] to me,saying,[fn]

• 2 “Son of man,[fn] prophesy, and you must say, ‘thus says the Lord Yahweh:“Wail, alas! For the day!
  • 3 is near; indeed, a day is near for Yahweh.
• A day of cloud,
  • a time of the nations it will be.
  • 4  and anguish will be in Cush,
• at the falling of the slain in Egypt.
• And they will take its wealth,
  • and its foundation will be demolished.

5 Cush and Put and Lud and all of Arabia and Kub and the people[fn] of the land of the treaty[fn] with them—by the sword they will fall.”

• 6 Thus says Yahweh:“And the supporters of Egypt will fall,
  • and the majesty of its strength will go down
• from Migdol to Syene;
  • by the sword they will fall in it,”
• [fn] the Lord Yahweh.
  • 7  and its cities will be in the midst of ruined cities.
  • 8 am Yahweh when I put my fire in Egypt,
  • and all of its helpers are broken.

9 On that day messengers will go down from before me[fn] in the ships to terrify unsuspecting Cush, and anguish will be in them on the day of Egypt; for look,it is coming!”

• 10 Thus says the Lord Yahweh:“And I will put an end to the crowds[fn] of Egypt
  • by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.
  • 11 the most ruthless of nations, will be brought to destroy the land.
• And they will draw their swords against Egypt,
  • and they will fill the land with the slain,
  • 12  and I will sell the land into the hand of bad people,
• and I will lay waste the land and its fullness
  • by the hand of strangers.

I, Yahweh, I have spoken.”

• 13 Thus says the Lord Yahweh:“And I will destroy the idols,
  • and I will put an end to the worthless idols from Memphis.
• And there will[fn] a prince from the land of Egypt,
  • and I will put fear in the land of Egypt.
  • 14  and I will set fire in Zoan,
  • and I will execute judgments in No.[fn]
  • 15  the stronghold of Egypt,
  • and I will cut off the crowd[fn] of No.[fn]
  • 16  certainly Sin will writhe,
• and No[fn] will be breached,
  • and Memphis will face enemies[fn]
  • 17  and they will go into captivity.
  • 18  when I break the yoke of Egypt,
• and in it the majesty of its strength
  • will come to an end.
• A cloud will cover it,
  • and its daughters will go into captivity.
  • 19  and they will know that I am Yahweh.”

20 And then[fn]in the eleventh[fn] year, in the firstmonth, on the seventh day of the month, the word of Yahweh came[fn] to me,saying,[fn] 21 “Son of man,[fn] the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, I have broken. And look, it has not been bound up for giving of a remedy, or forthe placing of a splint to bind it up to make it strong to take hold of the sword.” 22 Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: “Look! I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and I will break his strong arm and the broken arm, and I will let the sword fall from his hand. 23 And I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them among the countries. 24 And I will strengthen the arm of the king of Babylon, and I will give my sword into his hand, and I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan with the groaning of the mortally wounded before him.[fn] 25 And I will strengthen the arm of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh will fall. And they will know that I am Yahweh when I give my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will stretch it out to the land of Egypt. 26 And I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them into the countries, and they will know that I am Yahweh.”