Ezekiel

Against Pharaoh II

On the first day of the twelfth month in the twelfth year, the word of the Lord came to me:

“Intone a lamentation for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You will say: Lion of the nations, you are lost! You were like a sea monster, thrashing the waters in the rivers, stirring and muddying the water with your feet.

This is what the Lord says: I will spread my nets over you, and many nations will haul you up into my net.

I will throw you to the ground, hurl you into the open field and let the birds of the air settle on you and the beasts of the earth feed on you.

I will scatter your flesh on the mountains, fill the valleys with your remains

and soak the earth with your liquids. When I blot you out,

the skies will grow dark, and the stars will become dim; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light.

Because of you, I will darken all the lights in the sky and shroud the earth in darkness, says the Lord.

Many nations will mourn when I announce your fall, even people you do not know;

their kings will shake in fear of you when I wave my sword before them. All of them will tremble for their lives on the day you fall.

For thus says the Lord: The sword of the king of Babylon is coming against you.

The sword of the warriors, the most fearsome among the nations, will wipe out your numerous people. They will crush Egypt’s pride; and your multitudes will be wiped out.

I will destroy all your cattle along the shores of the great river, so they will no longer be trodden by man or beast.

And then, I will calm their rivers; and their streams will flow like oil, word of the Lord.

When I create a wasteland of Egypt and destroy its inhabitants, striking all those who live there, they will know that I am the Lord.

This is the dirge that the cities of the nations will sing for Egypt and its multitudes—word of the Lord.”

On the fifteenth day of the month, in the eleventh year, the word of the Lord came to me saying:

“Son of man, mourn for the multitudes of Egypt and cause them to descend to the underworld.

For I will send them to the land of shadows, along with those who go down to the pit.

There, they will meet all the victims of the sword. Egypt has been taken; she has been dragged away with her multitudes.

The mighty heroes in the underworld, together with Pharaoh’s allies, will say to her: ‘Why should you be more favored than others? Come down and lie with the uncircumcised, with those fallen by the sword.’

Assyria stands with her entire army; she is surrounded by the graves of her victims who fell by the sword.

Their tombs are at the bottom of the pit, and her army is gathered around her tomb; the sword has slain all who spread terror in the land of the living.

Elam is there, surrounded by her multitude at her tomb; all of them slain, fallen by the sword. They are the uncircumcised, who have gone down to the lower regions, those who spread terror in the land of the living.

Among the dead, they have made a bed for her, along with all her hordes around her grave. All of them are uncircumcised, killed by the sword, because their terror had spread in the land of the living. They bear their shame, along with those who descend to the pit; they are placed among the dead.

Meshech and Tubal are there, along with the tombs of their multitude surrounding them. All these uncircumcised are present, pierced by the sword, because they spread terror in the land of the living.

They are not lying with the heroes of earlier times, who went to the grave with all their gear of war; the heroes, whose terror filled the land of the living, lie with their swords placed under their heads, their shields over their bones.

You will be among the uncircumcised victims of the sword.

Edom is there, along with her kings and princes, who, despite their bravery, lie with those slain by the sword. They are placed with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the pit.

All the princes of the north are there, along with all the Sidonians, who have gone down in disgrace with the slain, despite the terror their power once caused. They are shamed and lie with the uncircumcised, victims of the sword. They carry their shame with those who go down to the pit.

When Pharaoh and all his army see them, he will be comforted because of all his multitudes killed by the sword, word of the Lord.

Although I had him spread terror in the land of the living, Pharaoh will be laid among the uncircumcised victims of the sword, he and his multitudes, word of the Lord.”