Through My Bible Yr 02 – June 06

Ezekiel 29 – 30

Through My Bible – June 06

Ezekiel 29 – 30 (EHV)

See series: Through My Bible

An Oracle Against Egypt

Ezekiel 29

1 In the tenth year in the tenth month, [1] on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me.

2 Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and prophesy against him and against all Egypt. 3 Speak and tell them that this is what the Lord God says.

I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great monster who stretches out in the channels [2] of the Nile. You say, “It is my Nile. I made it for myself.” 4 But I, the Lord, will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your Nile stick to your scales. I will haul you up from the middle of your Nile with all the fish from the Nile clinging to your scales. 5 I will leave you in the wilderness—you and all the fish of your Nile. You will lie fallen on the surface of the ground. You will not be collected or gathered up. [3] I will give you as food to the wild animals of the earth and to the birds of the air. 6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt will know that I am the Lord.

For the house of Israel, the Egyptians have been a staff made out of a reed. 7 When Israel grasped you with their hands, you would splinter and tear open all their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you would break and make them lose their balance. [4] 8 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I am about to bring a sword against you and cut off man and beast from you. 9 The land of Egypt will become a desolate ruin, and they will know that I am the Lord.

Because he said, “It is my Nile. I made it for myself,” 10 therefore, I am against you and against the channels of your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a parched desolation—from Migdol to Aswan, that is, up to the border with Cush. [5] 11 No one will set foot in it. No animal will set foot in it. It will remain uninhabited for forty years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt more desolate than any other land, and its cities will be the most desolate of ruined cities for forty years. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the countries.

13 Furthermore, this is what the Lord God says. At the end of forty years, I will gather the Egyptians from among the peoples where they were scattered. 14 I will bring about the restoration of Egypt and return them to Upper Egypt, [6] the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 It will be the lowliest of kingdoms, and it will never again exalt itself above other nations. I will make it so weak that it will never again rule over the nations. 16 It will never again be a source of trust for the house of Israel. It will be a reminder of their guilt when they turned to Egypt for help. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.

A Reward for Babylon

17 In the twenty-seventh year, [7] in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me.

18 Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor hard against Tyre. Every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw, yet neither he nor his army received any reward for the labor they had expended against Tyre.

19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says. I am about to give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He will carry off its wealth, plunder it, and pillage it. That will be the reward for his army. 20 As his pay for which he labored, I have given him the land of Egypt, because his army did it for me, declares the Lord God.

A Horn for Israel

21 On that day I will make a horn [8] sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Egypt Will Fall

Ezekiel 30

1 The word of the Lord came to me. 2 Son of man, prophesy and say, “This is what the Lord God says.”

All of you, wail! What a miserable day! 3 Yes, that day is near. The Day of the Lord is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time for the nations. 4 A sword will enter Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush [9] when the slain fall in Egypt. Then they will take away its wealth, and its foundations will be demolished. 5 Cush, Put, [10] Lud, [11] and all the other mercenaries, [12] Libya [13] and the men from the land of the covenant [14] will fall by the sword along with them.

6 This is what the Lord says. Those who prop up Egypt will fall, and its proud power will sink down. From Migdol to Aswan, those in Egypt will fall by the sword, declares the Lord God. 7 It will be the most desolate among the desolate lands, and its cities will be the most ruined among the ruined cities. 8 They will know that I am the Lord when I set fire to Egypt, and all its helpers are crushed. 9 On that day, messengers will go out from me in ships to terrify confident Cush, and there will be panic among them on the day for Egypt, for it is surely coming.

10 This is what the Lord God says. I will put an end to the horde of Egypt by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 11 He and his army with him, the most ruthless of nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will unsheathe their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the fallen. 12 I will dry up the channels of the Nile and sell the land to evil men. I will devastate the land and everything in it by the hand of foreigners. I, the Lord, have spoken.

13 This is what the Lord God says. I will destroy the filthy idols [15] and eliminate from Memphis the gods that are not gods. There will no longer be a ruler in the land of Egypt, and I will put fear into the land of Egypt. 14 I will desolate Upper Egypt. [16] I will set fire to Zoan and inflict punishments on Thebes. [17] 15 I will pour out my wrath on Pelusium, the stronghold of Egypt, and I will cut off the horde of Thebes. 16 I will set fire to Egypt. Pelusium will writhe in pain. The defenses of Thebes will be broken down, and Memphis will face enemies every day. 17 The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis will fall by the sword, and the women [18] will go into captivity. 18 At Tahpanhes the day will grow dark when I break the yokes [19] of Egypt there, and there its proud power will cease. A cloud will cover it, and its daughters will go into captivity. 19 I will inflict judgment on Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Pharaoh’s Arm Will Be Broken

20 In the eleventh year, [20] in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me.

21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. But it has not been wrapped up so that it can heal. It has not been wrapped tightly with a splint to help it heal, so that it can become strong enough to grasp a sword.

22 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says. I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and I will break his arms, both the strong one and the one that was broken, and in this way I will cause the sword to fall from his hand. 23 I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among the countries. 24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword into his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan in the presence of the king of Babylon with groans like someone who is mortally wounded. 25 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will hang limp. They will know that I am the Lord when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he stretches it out against the land of Egypt. 26 I will scatter Egypt among the nations and disperse them among the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 29:1 During the winter of 587 bc, before the fall of Jerusalem
  2. Ezekiel 29:3 Or branches
  3. Ezekiel 29:5 Some Hebrew manuscripts and versions read collected and buried.
  4. Ezekiel 29:7 The ancient versions read make all their hips unsteady. The Hebrew reads made their hips stand.
  5. Ezekiel 29:10 Cush is the territory south of Egypt, below Aswan.
  6. Ezekiel 29:14 That is, southern Egypt. The Hebrew term is Pathros.
  7. Ezekiel 29:17 In 571 bc, about 15 years after the fall of Jerusalem
  8. Ezekiel 29:21 A horn is a symbol of power. It sometimes refers to a ruler.
  9. Ezekiel 30:4 Cush, later called Nubia, is the territory south of Egypt. Today it is called Sudan.
  10. Ezekiel 30:5 Perhaps a region in Libya
  11. Ezekiel 30:5 Or Lydia
  12. Ezekiel 30:5 Or all the Arabs
  13. Ezekiel 30:5 The Greek text reads Libyans, perhaps reflecting an underlying Hebrew reading Lub. The Hebrew text reads Kub, a completely unknown name.
  14. Ezekiel 30:5 Apparently Israelites living in Egypt
  15. Ezekiel 30:13 Or the manure gods. See the note at 6:4.
  16. Ezekiel 30:14 Southern Egypt is called Upper Egypt because it is upstream on the Nile.
  17. Ezekiel 30:14 Hebrew No. The English names of Egyptian cities are traditionally based on the Greek forms of the names, which are quite different from the Hebrew forms. The translation will not footnote all of these instances.
  18. Ezekiel 30:17 Or the cities
  19. Ezekiel 30:18 Or scepters
  20. Ezekiel 30:20 In 587 bc, during the siege of Jerusalem

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.