Ezekiel 32

A lament for Pharaoh

1In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me: 2“Son of man, take up a lament over Pharaoh king of Egypt. Say to him:
‘You thought yourself a young lion among the nations,
but you were a monster in the seas,
thrashing in your rivers,
muddying the water with your feet
and fouling their streams. 3This is what the Lord GOD says:
I will spread my net over you
with a great assembly of peoples,
and they will haul you up in my dragnet. 4I will leave you on the land
and fling you into the open country.
I will settle every bird of the sky on you
and feed the beasts of all the earth with you. 5I will lay your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys with your remains. 6I will drench the land with your flowing blood,
as far as the mountains,
and the ravines will be filled with you. 7When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light. 8I will darken every shining light in the heavens over you
and spread darkness over your land,
declares the Lord GOD. 9I will trouble the hearts of many peoples
when I bring your downfall among the nations,
to lands you have never known. 10I will make many peoples appalled at you.
Their kings will shudder with horror
when I brandish my sword before them.
Each will tremble every moment for his own life
on the day you fall.

The sword of Babylon

11“‘For this is what the Lord GOD says: The sword of Babylon’s king will come against you. 12I will make your multitude fall by the swords of warriors, all of them the most ruthless of nations. They will destroy Egypt’s pride, and all its multitude will be wiped out. 13I will destroy all its livestock beside the great waters. No human foot will muddy them again, nor will an animal’s hoof muddy them. 14Then I will let their waters settle and make their rivers flow like oil, declares the Lord GOD. 15When I make Egypt desolate, when the land is stripped of all it held, when I strike all who live there, then they will know that I am the LORD. 16This is a lament to be sung. The daughters of the nations will sing it; over Egypt and all its multitude they will sing it, declares the Lord GOD.’”

Among the fallen nations

17In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the LORD came to me: 18“Son of man, wail over Egypt’s multitude. Bring her down, her and the daughters of mighty nations, to the world below, with those who descend to the pit. 19‘Whom do you surpass in beauty? Go down and lie with the uncircumcised!’ 20They will fall among those slain by the sword. She is given over to the sword. Drag her away with all her multitudes! 21From the midst of Sheol the mighty warriors will speak of him and his helpers: ‘They have come down; they lie there, uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’ 22“Assyria is there with all her company, their graves around him, all of them slain, fallen by the sword. 23Her graves are set in the depths of the pit, her company around her grave. All of them were slain, fallen by the sword, they who spread terror in the land of the living. 24“Elam is there with all her multitude around her grave. All of them were slain, fallen by the sword, gone down uncircumcised to the world below. They spread their terror in the land of the living, and they bear their disgrace with those who descend to the pit. 25They have made a bed for her among the slain, with all her multitude, her graves around it. All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword. Because they spread terror in the land of the living, they bear their disgrace with those who descend to the pit. They have been laid among the slain. 26“Meshech and Tubal are there with all their multitude, their graves around them. All of them are uncircumcised, pierced by the sword, because they spread their terror in the land of the living. 27They do not lie with the fallen warriors among the uncircumcised who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, their swords laid beneath their heads, their guilt upon their bones, for the terror of the warriors was in the land of the living. 28“You too will be broken among the uncircumcised and lie with those slain by the sword. 29“Edom is there, her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they were laid with those slain by the sword. They lie with the uncircumcised, with those who descend to the pit. 30“All the princes of the north are there, and all the Sidonians. They went down with the slain, ashamed despite the terror their strength inspired. They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword and bear their disgrace with those who descend to the pit. 31“Pharaoh will see them and be comforted over all his multitude, Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword, declares the Lord GOD. 32For I spread my terror in the land of the living, and Pharaoh with all his multitude will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword, declares the Lord GOD.”