The Babylonian Exile

speak out; and say that Adonai ELOHIM says: 'I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you big crocodile lying in the streams of the Nile! You say, "My Nile is mine; I made it for myself."

But I will put hooks in your jaws and make your Nile fish stick to your scales. Yes, I will bring you up from your Nile, with all your Nile fish sticking to your scales,

and leave you in the desert, you and all your Nile fish. You will fall in the open field and not be gathered or buried; but I will give you as food to wild animals and birds.

Then all who live in Egypt will know that I am ADONAI, because they have been a support made of straw for the house of Isra'el.

When they grasped you in hand, you splintered and threw all their shoulders out of joint; when they leaned on you, you broke and made them all wrench their backs.'

"Therefore Adonai ELOHIM says, 'I will bring the sword against you and eliminate both your people and your animals.

The land of Egypt will become a desolate waste, and they will know that I am ADONAI; because he said, "The Nile is mine; I made it."

So I am against you and your Nile; and I will make the land of Egypt a totally desolate waste from Migdol to S'venah, all the way to the border of Ethiopia.

No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it; it will be uninhabited for forty years.

Yes, I will make the land of Egypt desolate, even when compared with other desolate countries, likewise her cities in comparison with other ruined cities; they will be desolate forty years. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries.'

"For this is what Adonai ELOHIM says: 'At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were scattered -

I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and cause them to return to the land of their origin, Patros. But there they will be a humble kingdom,

the humblest of kingdoms. It will never again dominate other nations; I will reduce them, so that they never again rule other nations.

Moreover, they will no longer be a source of confidence for Isra'el to turn to; rather, it will only bring to mind their guilt in having turned to them before. Then they will know that I am Adonai ELOHIM.'"

On the first day of the first month of the twenty-seventh year, the word of ADONAI came to me:

"Human being, N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel had his army mount a massive expedition against Tzor; [the loads of dirt they carried] made every head bald and every shoulder raw; yet neither he nor his army derived any benefit from Tzor out of this expedition against it.

Therefore Adonai ELOHIM says, 'I will give the land of Egypt to N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel. He will carry off its riches, take its spoil and its prey; and these will be the wages for his army.

I am giving him the land of Egypt as his wages for which he worked, because they were working for me,' says Adonai ELOHIM.

'When that day comes I will cause power to return to the house of Isra'el, and I will enable you [Yechezk'el] to open your mouth among them. Then they will know that I am ADONAI.'"

The word of ADONAI came to me:

"Human being, prophesy; say that Adonai ELOHIM says, 'Wail, "Oh no! It's today!"

For the day is near, the Day of ADONAI, a day of clouds, the time of the Goyim.

The sword will come against Egypt, and Ethiopia will be in anguish, when the slain fall in Egypt, when they take away her wealth, and her foundations are torn down.

Ethiopia, Put and Lud, all the mixed population and Kuv, and the people of allied lands will die by the sword with them.'

"ADONAI says this: 'Those supporting Egypt will fall; its arrogant power will be brought down; from Migdol to S'venah they will die by the sword,' says Adonai ELOHIM.