< Ezekiel 30 >
1 Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]
And the word of Yahweh came unto me, saying:
2 “You human, prophesy [about what will happen to Egypt]. Say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: “Weep and wail [DOU], because terrible things will happen some day.
Son of man Prophesy. and thou shalt say, Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, — Howl ye. Alas for the day!
3 That day is near, the day when I, Yahweh, [will punish people]; it will be a day of [dark] clouds and disaster for [many] nations.
For near, is a day, Yea near, is a day pertaining to Yahweh, A day of cloud, A time of nations, shall it be!
4 [An enemy army] [PRS] will come to attack Egypt with their swords, and there will be great distress [among the people] in Ethiopia. [Many] people will be killed in Egypt; everything valuable will be taken away, and [even] the foundations [of the buildings] will be torn down.
Then shall come a sword into Egypt, And there shall be a pang in Ethiopia When the deadly wounded one falleth in Egypt, - And they take away her multitude, and, her foundations, are broken down.
5 [Soldiers of] Ethiopia, Libya, Lydia, and from all of Arabia, and [all the other] groups who are their allies, will be killed in the battles.”
Ethiopia and Libya and Lydia, and all the mixed multitude and Cub, and the sons of the land of the covenant with them—by the sword, shall they fall.
6 This is what [I], Yahweh say: “The allies of Egypt will be defeated, and the power that [the people of Egypt] are proud of will end. From Migdol [city in the north] to Aswan [city in the south], the soldiers of Egypt will be killed by their enemies’ swords”; [that is what I], Yahweh the Lord, declare.
Thus saith Yahweh, Then shall fall the supporters of Egypt, Then shall come down the pride of her strength, —From Migdol to Seweneh, by the sword shall they fall therein, Declareth My Lord, Yahweh.
7 Egypt will become the most deserted country in the world, and its cities will be ruined, surrounded by ruined cities [in nearby nations].
So shall they be made desolate in the midst of lands that are desolate, - And: his cities—in the midst of cities that are laid waste, shall be found.
8 Then, when I cause [everything in] Egypt to be burned in fires, and all their allies are defeated, people will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].
So shall they know that, I am Yahweh, - By my setting a fire in Egypt, When all her helpers shall be broken.
9 At that time, I will send messengers to go [swiftly up the Nile River] in boats to cause the people of Ethiopia who (are complacent/confident/think that nothing terrible will happen to them) to become afraid. They will be terrified [PRS] when Egypt is destroyed; and it will soon be that time!”
In that day, shall messengers go forth from before me making haste, to cause dread unto Ethiopia so confident, - And a pang shall be upon them in the day of Egypt, For lo! it cometh.
10 This is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: “By the power of [MTY] of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon I will get rid of very many people in Egypt.
Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh, — Therefore will I cause to cease the multitude of Egypt, by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon:
11 Nebuchadnezzar and his army, whose soldiers are extremely ruthless, will come to destroy Egypt. They will pull out their swords and fill Egypt with [the corpses of] those whom they have killed.
He, and his people with him the terrible ones of the nations are about to be brought in to destroy the land, - Therefore shall they unsheathe their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain;
12 I will cause the Nile [River] to become dry, and I will sell the nation to evil men. By the power [MTY] of foreigners I will ruin the land and everything that is in it. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have predicted it.”
And I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of wicked one.—and make the land desolate with the fulness thereof, by the hand of foreigners, I, Yahweh! have spoken.
13 This is [also] what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: “I will cause the idols and statues [of idols] [DOU] in Memphis [city] to be destroyed. No longer will there be a king in Egypt, and all over the land, people will be terrified. I will cause [the people of] Egypt to be very afraid.
Thus saith My Lord Yahweh, Therefore will I destroy the manufactured gods and Cause to cease the worthless goals, out of Noph, And prince out of the land of Egypt, shall none arise any more, - And I will cause fear in the land of Egypt.
14 I will cause the Pathros [area in southern Egypt] to be abandoned. I will start fires in Zoan [city in northeast Egypt] and punish [the people in] Thebes, [the capital of southern Egypt].
Then will I bring desolation upon Pathros, and Set a fire in Zoan, and Execute judgments upon No: and
15 I will pour out my punishment [MTY] on [the fortress in] Pelusium [at the eastern end of Egypt], and I will get rid of very many people in Thebes.
Pour out mine indignation upon Sin the stronghold of Egypt, and Will cut off the multitude of No.
16 I will burn Egypt by fires; [the people in] Pelusium will suffer severe pain. [Enemies] will conquer Thebes, and [the people in] Memphis will constantly be terrified.
So will I set a fire in Egypt, Sore anguish shall take Sin. And, No, shall be for rending asunder, And Noph, be in straits every day,
17 [Many] young men in Heliopolis and Bubastis [cities in northern Egypt] will be killed by [their enemies] swords, and the others [from those cities] will be captured and taken [to Babylon].
The young men of Aven and Pi-beseth, by the sword, shall fall; And lo! into captivity, shall they themselves wend their way.
18 It will be a dark day [of destruction] at Tahpenes [city in northeast Egypt] when I cause the power [MET] of Egypt to end; that country will no longer be proud of being strong. [It will be as though] a dark cloud will cover Egypt, because the people of its villages will be captured and forced to go [to Babylon].”
And in Tehaphnehes, hath the day become dark, Because I have broken, there the yoke-bars of Egypt, And there shall be made to cease therein the pride of her strength, — She, a cloud, shall cover her! And her daughters into captivity, shall wend their way.
19 That is how I will punish Egypt, and people will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”
Thus will I execute judgments on Egypt; And they shall know that, I, am Yahweh.
20 Almost eleven years [after we had been taken to Babylon], on the seventh day of the first month [of that year], Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]
And it came to pass in the eleventh year in the first month on the seventh of the month, that the word of Yahweh came unto me saying:
21 “You human, I [have enabled the army of Nebuchadnezzar to defeat the army of] the King of Egypt. [It is as though] I have broken one of the arms of the King of Egypt, and it has not been bandaged in order that it could be healed, and it has not been put in splints in order that [after it heals] the arm will be strong [enough] to hold a sword.
Son of man, The arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, have I broken, - And lo! it hath not been bound up-To apply healing remedies To put on a bandage for binding it up. To make it strong to grasp the sword.
22 Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘I am the enemy of the King of Egypt. [I will completely destroy the power of Egypt; it is as though] now I will break both of the king’s arms, the good/strong one and the broken one, and cause the sword to fall from his hand.
Therefore, Thus, saith My Lord Yahweh-Behold me! against Pharaoh king of Egypt, Therefore will I break his arms, That which is strong, and That which is broken, - So will I cause the sword to fall out of his hand.
23 I will cause the people of Egypt to be scattered among the nations [DOU].
And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations, — And scatter them throughout the lands;
24 [It is as though] I will strengthen the arms of the King of Babylon and put a sword in his hand, and [as though] I will break the arms of the king of Egypt, and he will groan in front of the King of Babylon like [SIM] a soldier who is wounded and about to die.
And will uphold the arms of the king of Babylon, And put my sword into his hand, - And will break the arms of Pharaoh, And he shall utter the groans of one thrust through, before him.
25 I will cause the power [MTY] of the King of Babylon to become greater, and the power of the king of Egypt will be useless [MET]. When that happens, when I give power to the army of the King of Babylon, they will use that power to attack Egypt.
Yea I will uphold the arms of the king of Babylon, But the arms of Pharaoh shall fall, And they shall know that I am Yahweh By my putting my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, And he shall stretch it out against the land of Egypt.
26 I will cause the people of Egypt to be scattered among the nations [DOU]. And when that happens, the people [of Egypt] will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do] [DOU].’”
So will I disperse the Egyptians among the nations, And scatter them throughout the lands, And they shall know that, I, am Yahweh.