A Lament for Pharaoh King of Egypt
1 In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:
‘You are like a lion among the nations;
you are like a monster in the seas.
You thrash about in your rivers,
churning up the waters with your feet
and muddying the streams.’
3 This is what the Lord GOD says:
‘I will spread My net over you
with a company of many peoples,
and they will draw you up in My net.
4 I will abandon you on the land
and hurl you into the open field.
I will cause all the birds of the air
to settle upon you,
and all the beasts of the earth
to eat their fill of you.
5 I will put your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys with your remains.32:5 Or your lofty stature
6 I will drench the land
with the flow of your blood,
all the way to the mountains —
the ravines will be filled.
7 When 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.
8 All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken over you,
and I will bring darkness
upon your land,’
declares the Lord GOD.
9 ‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,
when I bring about your destruction among the nations,
in countries32:9 Hebrew; LXX when I lead you into captivity among the nations, into countries you do not know.
10 I will cause many peoples
to be appalled over you,
and their kings will shudder in horror because of you
when I brandish My sword before them.
On the day of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment for his life.’
11 For this is what the Lord GOD says:
‘The sword of the king of Babylon
will come against you!
12 I will make your hordes fall
by the swords of the mighty,
the most ruthless of all nations.
They will ravage the pride of Egypt
and all her multitudes will be destroyed.
13 I will slaughter all her cattle
beside the abundant waters.
No human foot will muddy them again,
and no cattle hooves will disturb them.
14 Then I will let her waters settle
and will make her rivers flow like oil,’
declares the Lord GOD.
15 ‘When I make the land of Egypt a desolation
and empty it of all that filled it,
when I strike down all who live there,
then they will know that I am the LORD.’
16 This is the lament they will chant for her; the daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares the Lord GOD."
Egypt Cast into the Pit
17 In the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month,32:17 Presumably the fifteenth day of the twelfth month (see verse 1); LXX on the fifteenth day of the first month. the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 18 "Son of man, wail for the multitudes of Egypt, and consign her and the daughters of the mighty nations to the depths of the earth with those who descend to the Pit:
19 Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and be placed with the uncircumcised!
20 They will fall among those slain by the sword.
The sword is appointed!
Let them drag her away
along with all her multitudes.
21 Mighty chiefs will speak from the midst of Sheol
about Egypt and her allies:
‘They have come down and lie with the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.’
22 Assyria is there with her whole company;
her graves are all around her.
All of them are slain,
fallen by the sword.
23 Her graves are set in the depths of the Pit,
and her company is all around her grave.
All of them are slain,
fallen by the sword—
those who once spread terror
in the land of the living.
24 Elam is there
with all her multitudes around her grave.
All of them are slain,
fallen by the sword—
those who went down uncircumcised
to the earth below,
who once spread their terror
in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.
25 Among the slain they prepare
a resting place for Elam
with all her hordes,
with her graves all around her.
All of them are uncircumcised,
slain by the sword,
although their terror was once spread
in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.
They are placed among the slain.
26 Meshech and Tubal are there
with all their multitudes,
with their graves all around them.
All of them are uncircumcised,
slain by the sword,
because they spread their terror
in the land of the living.
27 They do not lie down
with the fallen warriors of old,32:27 LXX; Hebrew warriors of the uncircumcised
who went down to Sheol
with their weapons of war,
whose swords were placed under their heads,
whose shields32:27 Likely reading of the original Hebrew text; MT iniquities rested on their bones,
although the terror of the mighty
was once in the land of the living.
28 But you too will be shattered
and lie down among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.
29 Edom is there,
and all her kings and princes,
who despite their might
are laid among those slain by the sword.
They lie down with the uncircumcised,
with those who descend to the Pit.
30 All the leaders of the north
and all the Sidonians are there;
they went down in disgrace with the slain,
despite the terror of their might.
They lie uncircumcised
with those slain by the sword
and bear their shame
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.
32 For I will spread My terror
in the land of the living,
so that Pharaoh and all his multitude
will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword,
declares the Lord GOD."