Study Desk

So this is what the Lord God says: "I will give Egypt to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and he will carry away the people. He will take the many valuable things in Egypt to pay his army.

I will give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar as a reward for the hard work he did for me." This is what the Lord God said!

"Son of man, speak for me. Say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: "‘Cry and say, "A terrible day is coming."

"‘This is what the Lord says: Those who support Egypt will fall! The pride in her power will end. The people in Egypt will be killed in battle, all the way from Migdol to Aswan. This is what the Lord God said!

This is what the Lord God says: "I will use the king of Babylon. I will use Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the people of Egypt.

This is what the Lord God says: "I will also destroy the idols in Egypt. I will take the statues away from Memphis. There will no longer be a leader in the land of Egypt. I will put fear there instead.

This is what the Lord God says: "I am against Pharaoh, king of Egypt. I will break both his arms, the strong arm and the arm that is already broken. I will make the sword fall from his hand.

So this is what the Lord God says: "That tree grew tall. Its top reached up to the clouds. It grew so big that it became proud!

This is what the Lord God says: "I made the people cry on the day that tree went down to Sheol. I covered him with the deep ocean. I stopped its rivers and all the water stopped flowing. I made Lebanon mourn for it. All the trees of the field became sick with sadness for that big tree.

"Egypt, there were many big and powerful trees in Eden. Which of those trees should I compare you to? They all went down into the world below! And you, too, will join those foreigners in that place of death. You will lie there among the people killed in battle. "Yes, that will happen to Pharaoh and to the crowds of people with him!" This is what the Lord God said.

This is what the Lord God says: "I have gathered many people together. Now I will throw my net over you. Then those people will pull you in.

I will darken the lights in the sky over you. I will make your whole country dark." This is what the Lord God said.

That will happen because of what the Lord God said: "The sword of the king of Babylon will come to fight against you.

So I will make the water in Egypt calm. I will cause their rivers to run slowly—they will be slick like oil." This is what the Lord God said.

"This is a sad song that people will sing for Egypt. The daughters in other nations will sing this sad song. They will sing it as a sad song about Egypt and all its people." This is what the Lord God said.

"Yes, Pharaoh and all his army will be killed in battle. Pharaoh will be comforted when he sees his many men and all the others who went down into the place of death." This is what the Lord God said.

"People were afraid of Pharaoh when he was alive, but he will lie down next to those foreigners. Pharaoh and his army will lie down with all the other soldiers who were killed in battle." This is what the Lord God said.

"You must say to them, ‘The Lord God says: By my life, I swear that I don't enjoy seeing people die—not even evil people! I don't want them to die. I want them to come back to me. I want them to change their lives so that they can really live. So come back to me! Stop doing bad things! Why must you die, family of Israel?'

"Son of man, there are Israelites who live in the ruined cities in Israel. They are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, and God gave him all this land. Now, we are many people, so surely this land belongs to us! It is our land!'

"You must tell them that this is what the Lord God says: ‘You eat meat with the blood still in it. You look to your idols for help. You murder people, so why should I give you this land?