Ezekiel 32 - Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

A Lament for Pharaoh

32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, lament^(A) for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

You compare yourself to a lion of the nations,
but^[a] you are like a monster^(B) in the seas.
You thrash about in your rivers,
churn up the waters with your feet,
and muddy the^[b] rivers.”

³ This is what the Lord God says:

I will spread My net over you^(C)
with an assembly of many peoples,
and they^[c] will haul you up in My net.
⁴ I will abandon you on the land
and hurl you on the open field.
I will cause all the birds of the sky
to settle on you
and let the beasts of the entire earth
eat their fill of you.^(D)
5 I will put your flesh on the mountains^(E)
and fill the valleys with your carcass.
⁶ I will drench the land
with the flow of your blood,
even to the mountains;
the ravines will be filled with your gore.

⁷ When I snuff you out,
I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars.
I will cover the sun with a cloud,^(F)
and the moon will not give its light.
⁸ I will darken all the shining lights
in the heavens over you,
and will bring darkness on your land.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.

⁹ I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,
when I bring about your destruction
among the nations,
in countries you do not know.
¹⁰ I will cause many nations to be appalled at you,
and their kings will shudder with fear because of you^(G)
when I brandish My sword in front of them.
On the day of your downfall
each of them will tremble
every moment^(H) for his life.

¹¹ For this is what the Lord God says:

The sword of Babylon’s king
will come against you!
¹² I will make your hordes fall
by the swords of warriors,
all of them ruthless men from the nations.^(I)
They will ravage Egypt’s pride,
and all its hordes will be destroyed.
¹³ I will slaughter all its cattle
that are beside many waters.
No human foot will churn them again,
and no cattle hooves will disturb them.^(J)
14 Then I will let their waters settle
and will make their rivers flow like oil.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.
¹⁵ When I make the land of Egypt a desolation,
so that it is emptied of everything in it,
when I strike down all who live there,
then they will know that I am Yahweh.^(K)

¹⁶ “This is a lament that will be chanted;^(L) the women of the nations will chant it. They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes.” This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Egypt in Sheol

¹⁷ In the twelfth year,^[d] on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld,^[e] to be with those who descend to the Pit:^(M)

¹⁹ Who do you surpass in loveliness?
Go down and be laid to rest with the uncircumcised!
²⁰ They will fall among those slain by the sword.
A sword is appointed!^(N)
They drag her and all her hordes away.
²¹ Warrior leaders will speak
from the middle of Sheol
about him^[f] and his allies:
They have come down;
the uncircumcised lie
slain by the sword.^(O)

²² Assyria is there with all her company;
her graves are all around her.
All of them are slain, fallen by the sword.
²³ Her graves are set in the deepest regions of the Pit,
and her company is all around her burial place.
All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—
those who once spread terror
in the land of the living.

²⁴ Elam^(P) is there
with all her hordes around her grave.
All of them are slain, fallen by the sword—
those who went down to the underworld^[g] uncircumcised,
who once spread their terror
in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.
²⁵ Among the slain
they prepare a resting place for Elam
with all her hordes.
Her graves are all around her.
All of them are uncircumcised,
slain by the sword,
although their terror was once spread
in the land of the living.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.
They are placed among the slain.

²⁶ Meshech and Tubal^[h](Q) are there,
with all their hordes.
Their graves are all around them.
All of them are uncircumcised, slain by the sword,
although their terror was once spread
in the land of the living.
²⁷ They do not lie down
with the fallen warriors of the uncircumcised,^[i]
who went down to Sheol
with their weapons of war,
whose swords were placed under their heads.^[j]
The punishment for their sins
rested on their bones,
although the terror of these warriors
was once in the land of the living.
²⁸ But you will be shattered
and will lie down among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.^(R)

²⁹ Edom^(S) is there, her kings and all her princes,
who, despite their strength, have been placed
among those slain by the sword.
They lie down with the uncircumcised,
with those who descend to the Pit.
³⁰ All the leaders of the north^(T)
and all the Sidonians^(U) are there.
They went down in shame with the slain,
despite the terror their strength inspired.
They lie down uncircumcised
with those slain by the sword.
They bear their disgrace
with those who descend to the Pit.

³¹ Pharaoh will see them
and be comforted^(V) over all his hordes—
Pharaoh and all his army,
slain by the sword.
This is the declaration of the Lord God.

³² For I will spread My^[k] terror
in the land of the living,
so Pharaoh and all his hordes
will be laid to rest among the uncircumcised,
with those slain by the sword.”
This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Footnotes

1. Ezekiel 32:2 Or Lion of the nations, you are destroyed;
2. Ezekiel 32:2 Lit their
3. Ezekiel 32:3 LXX, Vg read I
4. Ezekiel 32:17 LXX reads year, in the first month,
5. Ezekiel 32:18 Lit the lower parts of the earth
6. Ezekiel 32:21 Either Pharaoh or Egypt
7. Ezekiel 32:24 Lit the lower parts of the earth
8. Ezekiel 32:26 Lit Meshech-tubal
9. Ezekiel 32:27 LXX reads of antiquity
10. Ezekiel 32:27 Or Do they not . . . heads?
11. Ezekiel 32:32 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Syr read his

Cross references

1. 32:2 : Ezk 19:1; 27:2; 28:12
2. 32:2 : Is 27:1
3. 32:3 : Ezk 12:13
4. 32:4 : Ezk 29:3-5
5. 32:5 : Ezk 31:12
6. 32:7 : Jl 2:2, 31; 3:15; Am 8:9; Mt 24:29; Rv 6:12; 8:12
7. 32:10 : Ezk 27:35
8. 32:10 : Ezk 26:16
9. 32:12 : Ezk 28:7; 31:12
10. 32:13 : Ezk 29:11
11. 32:15 : Ex 7:5
12. 32:16 : 2Sm 1:17; 2Ch 35:25; Jr 9:17; Ezk 26:17
13. 32:18 : Ezk 26:20
14. 32:20 : Ezk 21:15
15. 32:21 : Is 14:9-11; Ezk 31:15-18
16. 32:24 : Gn 10:22
17. 32:26 : Gn 10:2; Ezk 27:13; 38:2-3
18. 32:28 : Is 14:18
19. 32:29 : Ezk 25:12-14
20. 32:30 : Ezk 38:6, 15; 39:2
21. 32:30 : Ezk 28:21-23
22. 32:31 : Ezk 31:16-18