Ezekiel 30

1 Another message from the Lord came to me, saying,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, prophesy and announce that this is what the Lord God says: Weep! This is a terrible day!

“Son of man, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord God: Wail: ‘Woe, woe to the day!’

3 The day is soon coming—the Day of the Lord is near. It will be a gloomy, cloudy day, a time of judgment for the nations.

For the day is near, and the day of the Lord is approaching! It is a day of gloom; it will be the time of the Gentiles.

4 A sword will come to attack Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when people are killed in Egypt, when it's robbed of its wealth and the country ruined.

And the sword will come to Egypt. And there will be dread in Ethiopia, when the wounded will have fallen in Egypt, and its multitude will have been taken away, and its foundations will have been destroyed.

5 Cush, Put, and Lud, and many other peoples, as well as Arabia, Kub, and the people of the promised land, they all, like Egypt, will be killed by the sword.

Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the rest of the common people, and Chub, and the sons of the land of the covenant, will fall with them by the sword.

6 This is what the Lord says: Egypt's allies will fall, and the country will lose its prestigious position. From Migdol in the north to Syene in the south, they will be killed by the sword, declares the Lord God.

Thus says the Lord God: And those who prop up Egypt will fall, and the arrogance of its reign will be brought down. They will fall in it by the sword, before the tower of Syene, says the Lord, the God of hosts.

7 Egypt will become more of a wasteland than any other country, and its towns will be left in ruins.

And they will be scattered into the midst of desolate lands, and its cities will be in the midst of cities that have been deserted.

8 Then they will acknowledge that I am the Lord when I set fire to Egypt and all its allies are crushed.

And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have brought a fire into Egypt, and when all its helpers will have been worn away.

9 At that time I will send messengers in ships to shock Cush out of its sense of security. They will tremble in fear when disasters hit Egypt. Watch out! It's definitely coming!

In that day, messengers will go forth from my face in Greek warships, in order to crush the confidence of Ethiopia. And there will be dread among them in the day of Egypt; for without doubt, it will happen.

10 This is what the Lord God says: I will use Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to take away Egypt's wealth.

Thus says the Lord God: By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, I will cause the multitude of Egypt to cease.

11 He and his army from the cruelest nation in the world will be brought to destroy the country. They will use their swords to attack Egypt, and they will fill the land with dead bodies.

He, and his people with him, the strongest of the Gentiles, will be brought forth in order to destroy the land. And they will draw their swords over Egypt. And they will fill the land with the slain.

12 I will dry up the rivers and sell the land to wicked people. Using these foreigners I will ruin the land and everything in it. I the Lord have spoken.

And I will cause the channels of the rivers to dry up. And I will deliver the land into the hand of the most wicked. And by the hands of foreigners, I will utterly destroy the land and its plenitude. I, the Lord, have spoken.

13 This is what the Lord God says: I'm going to destroy the idols and get rid of the images in Memphis. There won't be a prince in Egypt any longer, and I will make everyone in the country terrified.

Thus says the Lord God: And I will destroy the graven images, and I will cause the idols of Memphis to cease. And there will no longer be a commander of the land of Egypt. And I will send terror upon the land of Egypt.

14 I will destroy Pathros, set Zoan on fire, and punish Thebes.

And I will destroy the land of Pathros, and I will send a fire upon Tahpanhes, and I will execute judgments in Alexandria.

15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, Egypt's fortress town, and wipe out the army at Thebes.

And I will pour out my indignation upon Pelusium, the strength of Egypt, and I will kill the multitude of Alexandria.

16 I will set fire to Egypt, Pelusium will suffer, Thebes will be ripped apart, and Memphis will face trouble every day.

And I will send a fire upon Egypt. Pelusium will be in pain, like a woman giving birth. And Alexandria will be utterly destroyed. And in Memphis, there will be anguish every day.

17 The young soldiers of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and the people from those towns will be taken captive.

The young men of Heliopolis and Pibeseth will fall by the sword, and the young women will be led into captivity.

18 It will be a dark day in Tahpanhes when I break Egypt's power and bring to an end their proud strength. It will be under a cloud as the people go into captivity.

And in Tahpanhes, the day will grow black, when, in that place, I will break the scepters of Egypt. And the arrogance of her authority will fail within her; a gloom will cover her. Then her daughters will be led into captivity.

19 This is how I'm going to punish Egypt, and they will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”

And I will execute judgments in Egypt. And they shall know that I am the Lord.”

20 On the seventh day of the first month of the eleventh year, a message from the Lord came to me, saying,

And it happened that, in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

21 “Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. You can see that it hasn't been bandaged up to heal it, or put it in a splint to provide enough strength to hold a sword.

“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And behold, it has not been wrapped, so that it might be restored to health; it has not been bound with cloths, or bandaged with linen, so that, having recovered strength, it would be able to hold the sword.

22 So this is what the Lord God says: Watch out, because I'm condemning Pharaoh king of Egypt! I will break his arms, both the one that's still good and the one already broken, and I will make him drop his sword.

Because of this, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and I will shatter his strong arm, which has already been broken. And I will cast the sword away from his hand.

23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the different nations and countries.

And I will disperse Egypt among the nations, and I will scatter them among the lands.

24 I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong, and put my sword in his hand, but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he will moan in pain like someone who's about to die.

And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon. And I will put my sword into his hand. And I will break the arms of Pharaoh. And they will groan acutely, when they are slain before his face.

25 I will make the arms of Babylon's king strong, but Pharaoh's arms will drop to his sides, weak and useless. Then they will acknowledge that I am the Lord, when I put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon and he uses it to attack Egypt.

And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon. And the arms of Pharaoh will fall. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have given my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and when he will have extended it over the land of Egypt.

26 When I scatter the Egyptians among the different nations and countries, they will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”

And I will disperse Egypt among the nations, and I will scatter them among the lands. And they shall know that I am the Lord.”