A Lament for Egypt

1And the word of YHWH came to me, saying: 2“Son of man, prophesy and say, thus says the Lord YHWH:

‘Wail, alas,

for the day!’

3For near is the day,

near is the day of YHWH—

a day of clouds,

a time of the nations it will be!

4And a sword will come against Egypt,

and there will be anguish in Cush†

at the falling of the slain in Egypt,

and they will take away her wealth,

and they will tear down her foundations.

5Cush, and Put, and Lud,†

and all the mixture,

and libya, and the sons of the land of the covenant,

they will fall with them by the sword.

6Thus says YHWH:

And will fall those upholding Egypt,

and will come down the pride of her strength;

from Migdol to Syene,†

they will fall by the sword within her,

a declaration of the Lord YHWH.

7And they will be desolate in the midst of desolate lands,

and her cities will be in the midst of the cities laid waste.

8And they will know that I am YHWH,

in My giving forth a fire in Egypt,

so that are broken all her helpers.

9On that day messengers will go forth from before My face in ships, to make tremble the confident Cush, and there will be anguish among them, as on the day of Egypt, for behold, it is coming!

10Thus says the Lord YHWH:

The wealth of Egypt I will bring to an end

by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

11He and his people with him,

the most ruthless of the nations,

will be brought to destroy the land;

and they will draw out their swords against Egypt,

and they will fill the land with the slain.

12I will make the rivers into dry ground,

and will sell the land into the hand of the wicked;

I will make desolate the land and its fullness

by the hand of strangers.

I, YHWH, have spoken.

13Thus says the Lord YHWH:

And I will destroy the idols,

and I will put end to the images from Memphis;†

and a prince from the land of Egypt will be no more,

and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.

14And Pathros I will make desolate,

and I will give forth fire against Zoan,

and I will make judgments on Thebes.†

15And I will pour out My fury on Pelusium,†

the strength of Egypt;

and I will cut off the crowd of Thebes.

16And I will give forth a fire in Egypt,

Pelusium will writhe in anguish,

and Thebes will be split open,

and Memphis has daily distress.

17The young men of On and Pi-Beseth†

will fall by the sword,

and they will go into captivity.

18And at Tahpanhes will be held back the day,

in my breaking there the yoke of Egypt,

and will cease in her the pride of her strength;

as for her, a cloud will cover her,

and her daughters will go into captivity.

19And I will make judgments against Egypt,

and they will know that I am YHWH.”

Pharaoh’s Power Broken

20And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh of the month, that the word of YHWH came to me, saying: 21“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, it has not been bound up to give healing, to put a bandage to bind it, for strength to hold the sword.

22Therefore, thus says the Lord YHWH: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, the strong one and the broken one, and I will make the sword fall from his hand. 23And I will disperse Egypt among the nations, and I will scatter them among the lands.

24And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and I will put My sword in his hand. And I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan the groans of a wounded one before him. 25And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh will fall down.

And they will know that I am YHWH in My putting My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will stretch it out against the land of Egypt. 26And I will disperse Egypt among the nations, and will scatter them among the lands, and they will know that I am YHWH.”