Ezekiel 29

In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

In the tenth year, on the twelfth day of the tenth month, a divine message from the Lord found its way to me.

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

Human child, direct your gaze towards Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt. Speak out against him and his entire kingdom.

Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

Listen and understand, this is the message from the Lord God: I stand against you, Pharaoh, the mighty ruler of Egypt. You, who are like a powerful dragon in your kingdom, claiming ownership of the river and boasting that you created it for yourself.

But 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, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.

But I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your rivers stick to your scales. I will haul you up out of your rivers, with all the fish of your rivers clinging to your scales.

And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

I will abandon you in the wilderness, you and all your river's fish. You'll collapse in the open fields, left scattered, not collected. I've offered you as food for the field's creatures and the birds in the sky.

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

Everyone in Egypt will realize that I am the LORD, as they've been a fragile support to Israel.

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

When they reached out to you for support, you crumbled, causing them deep pain. When they leaned on you for strength, you collapsed, leaving them paralyzed with fear and uncertainty.

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.

The Lord God declares, "I will bring disaster upon you, wiping out both people and animals."

And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.

Egypt will become barren and empty, and they will realize that I am the Lord. This is because they claimed ownership of the river, which I created.

Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.

I stand against you and your rivers, and I will turn Egypt into a barren wasteland, from Syene's tower to Ethiopia's border.

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

For forty years, no human or animal shall tread upon it, nor shall anyone call it home.

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

I will leave Egypt barren, a wasteland among other ruined lands. Her cities will lie empty for forty years. The Egyptians will be scattered, dispersed among the nations.

Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:

The Lord God declares, "After forty years, I will reunite the scattered Egyptians."

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

I will bring Egypt's captives back and guide them to their homeland, Pathros. There, they will be a lowly kingdom.

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

This kingdom will be the least respected; it won't boast superiority over others anymore. I will humble them, ending their reign over other nations.

And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

The people of Israel will no longer put their trust in Egypt; instead it will remind them of their wrongdoing in turning to it for help. Then they'll realize that I am the Lord God.

And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

In the 27th year, on the very first day of the first month, I felt a profound message from the Lord speaking to me.

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

Human child, King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon drove his troops through a grueling campaign against Tyrus. Every head was rubbed bald, every shoulder rubbed raw. Yet he and his army received no reward from Tyrus, no compensation for their service against it.

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

So, the Lord God declares, "I will gift Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He will claim its people, its riches, and its treasures as his own. This will serve as payment for his soldiers."

I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD.

In appreciation for his hard work, I, the Lord God, have rewarded him with the land of Egypt. They served me well, and this is their just reward.

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

On that day, I will inspire growth and strength within the people of Israel. I will grant you the ability to speak your truth among them. They will then realize that I am their Lord.