A Lament for Egypt

1And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

2Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Howl ye, Alas for the day!

3For the day is at hand, yea, the day of Jehovah is at hand, a day of clouds; it shall be the time of the nations.

4And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and there shall be anguish in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be overthrown.

5Cush, and Phut, and Lud, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the children of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.

6Thus saith Jehovah: They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her strength shall come down: from Migdol to Syene shall they fall in her by the sword, saith the Lord Jehovah.

7And they shall be desolated in the midst of the countries that are desolated, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.

8And they shall know that I [am] Jehovah, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers shall be broken.

9In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships, to make careless Ethiopia afraid; and anguish shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for behold, it cometh!

10Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.

11He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with slain.

12And I will make the rivers dry, and sell the land into the hand of the wicked; and I will make the land desolate, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I Jehovah have spoken [it].

13Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also destroy the idols, and I will cause the images to cease out of Noph; and there shall be no more a prince out of the land of Egypt; and I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

14And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set a fire in Zoan, and will execute judgment in No.

15And I will pour my fury upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No.

16And I will set a fire in Egypt: Sin shall be in great anguish, and No shall be rent asunder, and at Noph [there shall be] enemies in open day.

17The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword; and these shall go into captivity.

18And at Tehaphnehes the day shall be darkened, when I break there the yokes of Egypt, and the pride of her strength shall cease in her; as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.

19Thus will I execute judgments in Egypt; and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah.

The Broken Arms of Pharaoh

20And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first [month], on the seventh of the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 21Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and behold, it shall not be bound up to apply remedies, to put a bandage to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword. 22Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong one, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 24And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand; and I will break Pharaoh's arms, so that he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly-wounded [man]. 25And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah, when I have put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall have stretched it out upon the land of Egypt. 26And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries: and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah.