Ezekiel 29

1In the tenth year, in the tenthmonth, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

1On January 12th, in the tenth year of our exile, the LORD spoke to me.

2Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt;

2Son of man, turn toward Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and speak a prophecy against him and all of Egypt.

3speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lieth in the midst of his rivers, that hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

3Tell him that the Lord GOD says: I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You are like a great monster lying in your rivers. You brag that the Nile River belongs to you and that you made it for yourself.

4And I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales; and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, with all the fish of thy rivers which stick unto thy scales.

4But I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales. I will pull you out of your rivers, along with all the fish sticking to you.

5And I will cast thee forth into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open field; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered; I have given thee for food to the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens.

5I will throw you and all your fish into the desert. You will fall on the open ground and no one will pick you up or bury you. I have given you as food to the wild animals and the birds.

6And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am Jehovah, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

6Then everyone in Egypt will know that I am the LORD. I am doing this because you were a weak staff made of tall grass to the people of Israel.

7When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and didst rend all their shoulders; and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.

7When the Israelites reached out to lean on you, you splintered and tore their shoulders. When they leaned their weight on you, you broke and left them shaking.

8Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and will cut off from thee man and beast.

8Therefore, the Lord GOD says: I will bring a war against you and destroy both your people and your animals.

9And the land of Egypt shall be a desolation and a waste; and they shall know that I am Jehovah. Because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it;

9Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said, 'The Nile is mine; I made it,'

10therefore, behold, I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt an utter waste and desolation, from the tower of Seveneh even unto the border of Ethiopia.

10I am against you and your rivers. I will make the land of Egypt a complete ruin and a wasteland, from the tower of Syene all the way to the border of Ethiopia.

11No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.

11No person or animal will even walk through it. It will be completely empty for forty years.

12And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

12I will make Egypt the most desolate of all lands. Its cities will lie in ruins among other ruined cities for forty years. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and spread them through many foreign lands.

13For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the peoples whither they were scattered;

13But the Lord GOD also says: At the end of forty years, I will gather the Egyptians back from the nations where they were scattered.

14and I will bring back the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their birth; and they shall be there a base kingdom.

14I will bring the Egyptian captives back to southern Egypt, the land of their ancestors. There they will be a lowly kingdom.

15It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations: and I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.

15It will be the most humble of all kingdoms and will never again rule over other nations. I will make them so weak that they can never control anyone else again.

16And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, bringing iniquity to remembrance, when they turn to look after them: and they shall know that I am the Lord Jehovah.

16Israel will never again rely on Egypt for help. Egypt's lowly state will remind Israel of their sin in turning to them for help before. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.

17And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the firstmonth, in the firstdayof the month, the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

17On April 26th, in the twenty-seventh year of our exile, the LORD spoke to me again.

18Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyre: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was worn; yet had he no wages, nor his army, from Tyre, for the service that he had served against it.

18Son of man, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon led his army in a long, hard battle against the city of Tyre. His soldiers worked so hard that their heads became bald from their helmets and their shoulders were rubbed raw. But he and his army got no payment from Tyre for all their hard work.

19Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

19Therefore, the Lord GOD says: I will give the land of Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth and take everything of value as payment for his army.

20I have given him the land of Egypt as his recompense for which he served, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord Jehovah.

20I have given him Egypt as a reward for his hard work, because he and his army were actually working for me, says the Lord GOD.

21In that day will I cause a horn to bud forth unto the house of Israel, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.

21At that time, I will make the people of Israel grow strong again, and I will give you, Ezekiel, the words to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD.