1 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 Son of man, prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord God:Wail: “Alas the day!”
3 Yes, a day approaches,a day of the Lord approaches:A day of dark cloud,a time appointed for the nations.
4 A sword will come against Egypt,there will be anguish in Ethiopia,When the slain fall in Egyptwhen its hordes are seized,its foundations razed.
5 Ethiopia, Put, and Lud,all the mixed rabble and Kub,and the people of allied landsshall fall by the sword with them.
6 Thus says the Lord:The pillars of Egypt shall fall,and its proud strength sink;From Migdol to Syene,its people will fall by the sword—oracle of the Lord God.
7 It shall be the most desolateamong desolate lands,Its cities the most ruinedamong ruined cities.
8 They shall know that I am the Lord,when I set fire to Egypt,and all its allies are shattered.
9 On that day, messengers from mewill go forth in shipsto terrorize confident Ethiopia.Anguish will be among themon Egypt’s day—it is certainly coming!
10 Thus says the Lord God:I will put an end to Egypt’s hordesby the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon:
11 He and his army with him,the most ruthless of nations,will be brought in to devastate the land.They will draw their swords against Egyptand fill the land with the slain.
12 Then I will dry up the streams of the Nile,and sell the land into evil hands;By the hand of foreigners I will devastatethe land and everything in it.I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 Thus says the Lord God:I will destroy idols,and put an end to images in Memphis.There will never again be a princeover the land of Egypt.Instead, I will spread fearthroughout the land of Egypt.
14 I will devastate Pathros,set fire to Zoan,and execute judgment against Thebes.
15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium,the fortress of Egypt,and cut off the troops of Thebes.
16 I will set fire to Egypt;Pelusium will writhe in anguish,Thebes will be breached,and Memphis besieged in daylight.
17 The warriors of On and Pi-besethwill fall by the sword,the cities taken captive.
18 In Tahpanhes, the day will turn darkwhen I break the scepter of Egypt thereand put an end to its proud strength.Dark clouds will cover it,and its women will go into captivity.
19 I will execute judgment against Egyptthat they may know that I am the Lord.
20 On the seventh day of the first month in the eleventh year, the word of the Lord came to me:
21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. See! It has not been immobilized for healing, nor set with a splint to make it strong enough to grasp a sword.
22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: See! I am coming against Pharaoh, king of Egypt. I will break both his arms, the strong one and the broken one, making the sword fall from his hand.
23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout other lands.
24 I will, however, strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand so he can bring it against Egypt for plunder and pillage.
25 When I strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh collapse, they shall know that I am the Lord, because I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon to wield against the land of Egypt.
26 When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout other lands, they shall know that I am the Lord.