Study Desk

"Speak and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, The great monster that lies in the midst of his rivers, [Boastfully] declaring, 'My Nile is my own, and I have made it for myself.'

'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am going to bring a sword on you and cut off (destroy) both man and animal,

'For thus says the Lord GOD, "At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations among whom they were scattered.

"And Egypt will never again have the confidence of the house of Israel; their wickedness will be remembered whenever Israel looks toward them [for help]. Then they will know [without any doubt] that I am the Lord GOD."'"

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will carry off her wealth and capture her spoil and seize her plunder; and it shall be the wages for his army.

"I have given him the land of Egypt for the hard work which he did [against Tyre], because they did it for Me," says the Lord GOD.

"Son of man, prophesy and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Wail, 'Alas for the day!'

'Thus says the LORD, "Those who uphold and support Egypt will fall And the pride of her power will come down; From Migdol [in the north] to Syene [in the south] They will fall within her by the sword," Says the Lord GOD.

'Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will also make the great people of Egypt cease By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

'Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will also destroy the idols And I will put an end to the images in Memphis; There will no longer be a prince of the land of Egypt. And I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong one and the broken, and I will make the sword fall from his hand.

'The cedars in the garden of God could not hide or rival it; The cypress trees did not have boughs like it, And the plane trees did not have branches like it. No tree in the garden of God was like it in its beauty.

'I made it beautiful with the great mass of its branches, So that all the trees of Eden which were in the garden of God were jealous of it (Assyria).

'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Because it is high in stature and has set its top among the thick boughs and the clouds, and its heart is proud of its height,

'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day when Assyria went down to Sheol (the place of the dead) I caused mourning; I closed the deep [subterranean waters] over it and restrained its rivers. And the many waters [that contributed to its prosperity] were held back; and I made [the heart of] Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away because of it.

"Which among the trees of Eden do you equal in glory and in greatness [O Egypt]? Yet you [also] will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth beneath (nether world). You will lie among the uncircumcised (the barbaric, the boorish, the crude) with those who were slain by the sword. This is how it shall be with Pharaoh and all his hordes!"' says the Lord GOD."

Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will spread out My net over you With a company of many nations, And they will bring you up in My net.

"All the bright lights in the heavens I will darken over you And I will place darkness on your land," Says the Lord GOD.

For thus says the Lord GOD, "The sword of the king of Babylon will come on you.

"Then I will make their waters quiet and clear; I will make their rivers run [slowly and smoothly] like oil," Says the Lord GOD.