A Lament for Egypt

1And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord; Woe, woe worth the day!

3For the day of the Lord is nigh, a day of cloud; it shall be the end of the nations.

4And the sword shall come upon the Egyptians, and there shall be tumult in Ethiopia, and in Egypt men shall fall down slain together, and her foundations shall fall.

5Persians, and Cretans, and Lydians, and Libyans, and all the mixed multitude, and they of the children of my covenant, shall fall by the sword therein.

6And the supports of Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her strength shall come down from Magdol to Syene: they shall fall by the sword in it, saith the Lord.

7And it shall be made desolate in the midst of desolate countries, and their cities shall be desolate in the midst of desolate cities:

8and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall send fire upon Egypt, and when all that help her shall be broken.

9In that day shall messengers go forth hasting to destroy Ethiopia utterly, and there shall be tumult among them in the day of Egypt: for, behold it comes.

10Thus saith he Lord God; I will also destroy the multitude of the Egyptians by the hand of Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon,

11his hand and his people's; they are plagues sent forth from the nations to destroy the land: and they all shall unsheath their swords against Egypt, and the land shall be filled with slain.

12And I will make their rivers desolate, and will destroy the land and the fulness of it by the hands of strangers: I the Lord have spoken.

13For thus saith the Lord God; I will also destroy the nobles from Memphis, and the princes of Memphis out of the land of Egypt; and they shall be no more.

14And I will destroy the land of Phathore, and will send fire upon Tanis, and will execute vengeance on Diospolis.

15And I will pour out my wrath upon Sais the strength of Egypt, and will destroy the multitude of Memphis.

16And I will send fire upon Egypt; and Syene shall be sorely troubled; and there shall be a breaking in Diospolis, and waters shall be poured out.

17The youths of Heliopolis and Bubastum shall fall by the sword, and the women shall go into captivity.

18And the day shall be darkened in Taphnae, when I have broken there the scepters of Egypt: and the pride of her strength shall perish there: and a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall be taken prisoners.

19And I will execute judgment on Egypt; and they shall know that I am the Lord.

Pharaoh’s Power Broken

20And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 21Son of man, I have broken the arms of Pharao, king of Egypt; and, behold, it has not been bound up to be healed, to have a plaster put upon it, or to be strengthened to lay hold of the sword. 22Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against Pharao king of Egypt, and I will break his strong and outstretched arms, and will smite down his sword out of his hand. 23And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations, and will utterly scatter them among the countries. 24And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword into his hand: and he shall bring it upon Egypt, and shall take her plunder and seize her spoils. 25Yea, I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharao shall fail: and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have put my sword into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out over the land of Egypt. 26And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations, and utterly scatter them among the countries; and they all shall know that I am the Lord.