YouVersion Logo
Search Icon

Ezekiel 30

30
Prophecy against Egypt
1Yahweh spoke to me again, saying, 2“Son of man, prophesy and announce what I, Lord Yahweh, say to Egypt: # 30:2 Mighty Egypt, a dominant world power for centuries, known for her pagan worship, was being judged by the Sovereign God. King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians were the instruments in God’s hands to bring Egypt’s downfall.
“ ‘Weep and wail, for the day of disaster is here! # 30:2 Literally “Woe worth the day.”
3Yes, the day is near, the day of Yahweh is near!
It will be a day dark with clouds,
a time of trouble for the nations.’
4“War will come upon Egypt, and terror will invade the land of Ethiopia. # 30:4 Or “Cush,” that is, the upper Nile region. Egypt’s foundations will be leveled, multitudes will be slaughtered, and her riches # 30:4 These “riches” would also include the people themselves. will be carried away. 5Egypt and all her allies, # 30:5 Or “and the sons of my covenant” (LXX), that is, the Jews. Ethiopia, Libya, # 30:5 Or “Put.” and Lydia, # 30:5 Or “Lud.” all Arabia, and Kub # 30:5 Or “Lub” (LXX). The location of this land is unknown. —they will all fall by the sword!”
6Yahweh says, “Egypt’s allies will fall, and the pride of Egypt’s might will crumble. They will fall by the sword from Migdol in the north to Syene in the south. I, Yahweh, have spoken.
7“They will be the most desolate in the midst of wasted countries, and their cities the most ruined among ruined cities. 8Then they will know that I am Yahweh when I set fire to Egypt and shatter all who support her.
9“At that time, I will dispatch messengers by river ships # 30:9 Or “swift messengers” (LXX). to terrify the unsuspecting Ethiopians. They will panic on the day of Egypt’s doom. Judgment is sure to come! 10Lord Yahweh says: I will use the armies of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to destroy the huge population # 30:10 Or “wealth,” which includes Egypt’s people. See v. 4. of Egypt. 11I will bring him and his savage armies to ravage the country. They will wage war against Egypt and fill the country with corpses. 12I will dry up the waterways of the Nile and hand over the country to evil men. I will cause the land to be destroyed and everything in it, at the hand of foreigners. I, Yahweh, have spoken.”
13Lord Yahweh says: “I will demolish the idols and destroy the false gods from Noph. # 30:13 Or “Memphis,” once a very important governmental center of Egypt, located about thirteen miles (twenty kilometers) from the southern point of the Nile delta. When judging a nation, God begins with destroying their false gods. Egypt will be left without a ruler and a plague of fear will sweep over Egypt. 14I will make southern Egypt deserted, burn Zoan # 30:14 Zoan was a city on one of the eastern branches of the Nile delta, not far from the mouth of the river. It is also known by its Greek name, Tanis. See Isa. 19:11–15. to the ground, and punish Thebes. # 30:14 Or “No” or “No-Amon,” after the god Amon. Thebes was a magnificent city and the second most important city in Egypt after Memphis. It was the religious capital of Egypt, where many Egyptian kings built magnificent temples. See Nah. 3:8. 15I will pour out my fury on Pelusium, # 30:15 Or “Sin,” a strategic city on the border of Egypt and the Philistine lands. the stronghold of Egypt. I will wipe out the great population of Thebes. 16I will set Egypt on fire! Pelusium will be seized with great agony! The walls of Thebes will be torn down, and Noph will face distress daily from her enemies. # 30:16 Or “face her enemies by day.” The meaning of the last clause in the Hebrew is uncertain. The Septuagint reads “Memphis will be flooded.” 17And the cities of Heliopolis and Bubastis # 30:17 Or “On and Pi-Beseth,” two cities located on the eastern branch of the Nile delta. Both cities were important religious sites in Egypt. will go into captivity and their young soldiers will fall by the sword. 18At Tahpanhes, # 30:18 Tahpanhes was a fortress city in the eastern Nile delta. I will turn day to darkness when I shatter Egypt’s strength # 30:18 As translated from the Targum. The Hebrew is “[yoke] bars.” and silence the boast of her might. I will blanket Egypt with dark clouds, and her people # 30:18 Or “daughters” or “villages.” The term benot is a homonym that may denote both meanings. will go into captivity. 19That is how I will punish Egypt, and then they will acknowledge that I am Yahweh.”
God Will Defeat Egypt
20In the eleventh year of our captivity, on the seventh day of the first month, # 30:20 This date was probably April 29, 587 BC, almost four months after Ezekiel’s prophecy against Egypt in 29:1. Yahweh spoke to me, saying: 21“Son of man, I have broken the powerful arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Behold, you can see that no one has set the bone to make it heal. No one has wrapped it to help it heal and get strong enough to hold a sword again. 22Therefore, Lord Yahweh says, ‘Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt; I will break both his arms, the strong one and the broken one, and I will make him drop the sword from his hand. 23I will scatter the Egyptians to the wind and disperse them among the nations. 24I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand. I will break Pharaoh’s arms, and he will moan in pain like a dying man before the Babylonian king. 25I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but I will make the arms of Pharaoh hang limp. And they will know that I am Yahweh when I put my sword into the hands of the king of Babylon and he wields it against Egypt. 26I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among foreign lands. And then the people of Egypt will acknowledge that I am Yahweh.’ ”

Currently Selected:

Ezekiel 30: TPT

Highlight

Share

Copy

None

Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in

YouVersion uses cookies to personalize your experience. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy