Ezekiel 29

1 In the tenth year, in the tenth [month], on the twelfth of the month, a word of YHWH has been to me, saying,

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

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

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

3 Speak, and you have said, Thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I [am] against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt! The great dragon that is crouching in the midst of his floods, Who has said, My flood [is] my own, And I have made it [for] myself.

Declare and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You, the great sea monster that lurks in the midst of the river, that says, “My river is my own. I have made it for myself.”

4 And I have put hooks in your jaws, And I have caused the fish of your floods to cleave to your scales, And I have caused you to come up from the midst of your floods, And every fish of your floods cleaves to your scales.

For I will place hooks in your jaw, and the fish of your Nile will cling to your scales; I will lift you up from the middle of your river along with all the fish of the river that cling to your scales.

5 And I have left you in the wilderness, You and every fish of your floods, You fall on the face of the field, You are not gathered nor assembled, I have given you for food to the beast of the earth and to the bird of the heavens.

I will throw you down into the wilderness, you and all the fish from your river. You will fall on the open field; you will not be gathered nor lifted up. I will give you as food to the living things of the earth and to the birds of the heavens.

6 And all inhabitants of Egypt have known That I [am] YHWH, Because of their being a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am Yahweh, because they have been a reed stalk to the house of Israel.

7 In their taking hold of you by your hand, You crush and have torn every shoulder of theirs, And in their leaning on you you are broken, And have caused all their thighs to stand.

When they took hold of you in their hand, you broke and tore open their shoulder; and when they leaned on you, you were broken, and you caused their legs to be unsteady.

8 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am bringing in a sword against you, And have cut off man and beast from you.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Behold! I will bring a sword against you. I will cut off both man and beast from you.

9 And the land of Egypt has been for a desolation and a ruin, And they have known that I [am] YHWH, Because he said: The flood [is] mine, and I made [it].

So the land of Egypt will become desolate and a ruin. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, because the sea monster had said, “The river is mine, for I have made it.”

10 Therefore, behold, I [am] against you, and against your floods, And have given the land of Egypt for ruins, A dry place, a desolation, from Migdol to Syene, And to the border of Cush.

Therefore, behold! I am against you and against your river, so I will give the land of Egypt over to desolation and waste, and you will become a wasteland from the Migdol to Syene and the borders of Cush.

11 A foot of man does not pass over into it, Indeed, the foot of beast does not pass into it, Nor is it inhabited forty years.

No man's foot will pass through it, and no wild animal's foot will pass through it. It will not be inhabited for forty years.

12 And I have made the land of Egypt a desolation, In the midst of desolate lands, And its cities, in the midst of cities [that are] laid waste, Are a desolation [for] forty years, And I have scattered the Egyptians among nations, And I have dispersed them through lands.

For I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of uninhabited lands, and its cities in the midst of wasted cities will become a desolation for forty years; then I will scatter Egypt among the nations, and I will disperse them though the lands.

13 But thus said Lord YHWH: At the end of forty years I gather the Egyptians Out of the peoples to where they have been scattered,

For the Lord Yahweh says this: At the end of forty years I will gather Egypt from the peoples among whom they were scattered.

14 And I have turned back [to] the captivity of Egypt, And I have brought them back [To] the land of Pathros, to the land of their birth, And they have been a low kingdom there.

I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the region of Pathros, to the land of their origin. Then they will be a lowly kingdom there.

15 It is lowest of the kingdoms, And it does not lift itself up above the nations anymore, And I have made them few, So as not to rule among nations.

It will be the lowliest of the kingdoms, and it will not be lifted up any more among the nations. I will diminish them so they will no longer rule over nations.

16 And it is no longer for confidence to the house of Israel, Bringing iniquity to remembrance, By their turning after them, And they have known that I [am] Lord YHWH.”

The Egyptians will no longer be a reason for confidence for the house of Israel. Instead, they will be a reminder of the iniquity that Israel committed when they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.'”

17 And it comes to pass, in the twenty-seventh year, in the first [month], on the first of the month, a word of YHWH has been to me, saying,

Then it came about in the twenty-seventh year on the first of the first month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Has caused his force to serve a great service against Tyre, Every head [is] bald—every shoulder peeled, And neither he, nor his force, had reward out of Tyre, For the service that he served against it.

“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon stationed his army to do hard work against Tyre. Every head was rubbed until it was made bald, and every shoulder was made raw. Yet he and his army received no payment from Tyre for the hard work that he carried out against it.

19 Therefore, thus said Lord YHWH: Behold, I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, And he has taken away its store, And has taken its spoil, and taken its prey, And it has been a reward to his force.

Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this, 'Behold! I am giving the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will take away its wealth, plunder its possessions, and carry off all he finds there; that will be his army's wages.

20 I have given to him his wage for which he labored—The land of Egypt, in that they worked for Me, A declaration of Lord YHWH.

I have given him the land of Egypt as the wages for the work they did for me—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.

21 In that day I cause a horn to shoot up for the house of Israel, And I give an opening to your mouth in their midst, And they have known that I [am] YHWH!”

On that day I will make a horn sprout up for the house of Israel, and I make you speak in their midst, so that they will know that I am Yahweh.'”