Study

Lamentation over Pharaoh and Egypt

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In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me: ²Mortal, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

You consider yourself a lion among the nations,

but you are like a dragon in the seas;

you thrash about in your streams,

trouble the water with your feet,

and foul your streams.

3

Thus says the Lord G od:

In an assembly of many peoples

I will throw my net over you;

and I will haul you up in my dragnet.

4

I will throw you on the ground,

on the open field I will fling you,

and will cause all the birds of the air to settle on you,

and I will let the wild animals of the whole earth gorge themselves with you.

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I will strew your flesh on the mountains,

and fill the valleys with your carcass.

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I will drench the land with your flowing blood

up to the mountains,

and the watercourses will be filled with you.

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When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens,

and make their stars dark;

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

and the moon shall not give its light.

8

All the shining lights of the heavens

I will darken above you,

and put darkness on your land,

says the Lord G od.

9

I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,

as I carry you captive among the nations,

into countries you have not known.

10

I will make many peoples appalled at you;

their kings shall shudder because of you.

When I brandish my sword before them,

they shall tremble every moment

for their lives, each one of them,

on the day of your downfall.

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For thus says the Lord G od:

The sword of the king of Babylon shall come against you.

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I will cause your hordes to fall

by the swords of mighty ones,

all of them most terrible among the nations.

They shall bring to ruin the pride of Egypt,

and all its hordes shall perish.

13

I will destroy all its livestock

from beside abundant waters;

and no human foot shall trouble them any more,

nor shall the hoofs of cattle trouble them.

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Then I will make their waters clear,

and cause their streams to run like oil, says the Lord G od.

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When I make the land of Egypt desolate

and when the land is stripped of all that fills it,

when I strike down all who live in it,

then they shall know that I am the L ord.

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This is a lamentation; it shall be chanted.

The women of the nations shall chant it.

Over Egypt and all its hordes they shall chant it,

says the Lord G od.

Dirge over Egypt

¹⁷ In the twelfth year, in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the L ord came to me:

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Mortal, wail over the hordes of Egypt,

and send them down,

with Egypt and the daughters of majestic nations,

to the world below,

with those who go down to the Pit.

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“Whom do you surpass in beauty?

Go down! Be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!”

²⁰ They shall fall among those who are killed by the sword. Egypt has been handed over to the sword; carry away both it and its hordes. ²¹The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers, out of the midst of Sheol: “They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, killed by the sword.”

²² Assyria is there, and all its company, their graves all around it, all of them killed, fallen by the sword. ²³Their graves are set in the uttermost parts of the Pit. Its company is all around its grave, all of them killed, fallen by the sword, who spread terror in the land of the living.

²⁴ Elam is there, and all its hordes around its grave; all of them killed, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised into the world below, who spread terror in the land of the living. They bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit. ²⁵They have made Elam a bed among the slain with all its hordes, their graves all around it, all of them uncircumcised, killed by the sword; for terror of them was spread in the land of the living, and they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit; they are placed among the slain.

²⁶ Meshech and Tubal are there, and all their multitude, their graves all around them, all of them uncircumcised, killed by the sword; for they spread terror in the land of the living. ²⁷And they do not lie with the fallen warriors of long ago who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war, whose swords were laid under their heads, and whose shields are upon their bones; for the terror of the warriors was in the land of the living. ²⁸So you shall be broken and lie among the uncircumcised, with those who are killed by the sword.

²⁹ Edom is there, its kings and all its princes, who for all their might are laid with those who are killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised, with those who go down to the Pit.

³⁰ The princes of the north are there, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down in shame with the slain, for all the terror that they caused by their might; they lie uncircumcised with those who are killed by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.

³¹ When Pharaoh sees them, he will be consoled for all his hordes—Pharaoh and all his army, killed by the sword, says the Lord G od. ³²For he spread terror in the land of the living; therefore he shall be laid to rest among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword—Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord G od.