Ezekiel Chapter 29 to 31 : Easy-to-Read Version  | SearchSearch | Next Version | Previous Page | Next Page |

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The Message Against Egypt

29 On the twelfth day of the tenth month (January) of the tenth year {of exile},* the word of the Lord my Master came to me. He said, 2“Son of man,* look toward Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Speak for me against him and Egypt. 3Say, ‘The Lord my Master says these things: “‘I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You are the great monster* lying beside the Nile River. You say, “This is my river! I made this river!” 4–5“‘But I will put hooks in your jaws. The fish in the Nile River will stick to your scales. I will pull you and your fish up out of your rivers and onto the dry land. You will fall on the ground, and no one will pick you up or bury you. I will give you to the wild animals and birds. You will be their food. 6Then all the people living in Egypt will know that I am the Lord! “‘{Why will I do these things?} Because the people of Israel leaned on Egypt for support. But Egypt was only a weak blade of grass. 7The people of Israel leaned on Egypt for support. But Egypt only pierced their hands and shoulder. They leaned on you for support, but you broke and twisted their back.’” 8So the Lord my Master says these things: “I will bring a sword against you. I will destroy all your people and animals. 9Egypt will be empty and destroyed. Then they will know that I am the Lord.” {God said,} “Why will I do those things? Because you said, ‘This is my river. I made this river.’ 10So, I (God) am against you. I am against the many branches of your Nile River. I will destroy Egypt completely. The cities will be empty from Migdol to Aswan, and as far as the border of Ethiopia. 11No person or animal will pass through Egypt. Nothing will pass through or settle there for 40 years. 12I will destroy Egypt. The cities will be in ruins for 40 years! I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. I will make them strangers* in foreign lands.” 13The Lord my Master says these things, “I will scatter the people of Egypt among many nations. But at the end of 40 years, I will gather those people together again. 14I will bring back the Egyptian captives. I will bring back the Egyptians to the land of Pathros, to the land where they were born. But their kingdom won’t be important. 15It will be the least important kingdom. It will never again lift itself above the other nations. I will make them so small that they won’t rule over the nations. 16And the family of Israel will never again depend on Egypt. The Israelites will remember their sin—they will remember that they turned to Egypt {for help and not to God}. And they will know that I am the Lord and Master.”

Babylon Will Get Egypt

17On the first day of the first month (April) in the twenty-seventh year {of exile},* the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 18“Son of man,* Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, made his army fight hard against Tyre. They shaved every soldiers’ hair. Every shoulder was rubbed bare {from carrying heavy loads}. Nebuchadnezzar and his army worked hard to defeat Tyre. But they got nothing from all that hard work.” 19So the Lord my Master says these things, “I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar will carry away Egypt’s people. Nebuchadnezzar will take the many valuable things in Egypt. This will be the pay for Nebuchadnezzar’s army. 20I have given Nebuchadnezzar the land of Egypt as a reward for the hard work he did. Why? Because they worked for me!” The Lord my Master said these things! 21“On that day I will make the family of Israel strong. Then {Ezekiel,} I will let you speak to them so they will know that I am the Lord.”

tenth year of exile This was the winter of 587 B.C. Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person,” or “a human being.” But here this is a title for the man, Ezekiel. great monster There were ancient stories about a sea monster that fought against God. The prophets called Egypt that sea monster many times. But here this might mean the crocodiles that rest on the banks of the Nile River. I will … strangers Or, “I will scatter them…” twenty-seventh year of exile This was in the spring of 571 B.C.


The Army of Babylon Will Attack Egypt

30 The word of the Lord came to me again. He said, 2“Son of man,* speak for me. Say, ‘The Lord my Master says these things: “‘Cry and say, “That terrible day is coming.” 3That day is near! Yes, the Lord’s day for judging is near. It will be a cloudy day, It will be the time for judging the nations! 4A sword will come against Egypt! People in Ethiopia will shake with fear, at the time that Egypt falls. The army of Babylon will take Egypt’s people away as prisoners. Egypt’s foundations will be torn down! 5“‘Many people made peace agreements with Egypt. But all those people from Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all Arabia, Libya and the people of Israel* will be destroyed! 6The Lord my Master says these things: “The people 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.” The Lord my Master said those things! 7Egypt will join the other countries that were destroyed. Egypt will be one of those empty lands. 8I will start a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers will be destroyed. Then they will know that I am the Lord! 9“‘At that time, I will send out messengers. They will go in ships to carry the bad news to Ethiopia. Ethiopia now feels safe. But the people of Ethiopia will shake with fear at the time Egypt is punished. That time is coming! 10The Lord my Master says these things: “I will use the king of Babylon. I will use Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the people of Egypt. 11Nebuchadnezzar and his people are the most terrible of the nations. And I will bring them to destroy Egypt. They will pull out their swords against Egypt. They will fill the land with dead bodies. 12I will make the Nile River become dry land. Then I will sell the dry land to evil people. I will use strangers to make that land empty. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

The Idols of Egypt Will Be Destroyed

13The Lord my Master says these things: “I will also destroy the idols* in Egypt. I will take the statues away from Memphis. There won’t be a leader anymore in the land of Egypt, and I will put fear in the land of Egypt. 14I will make Pathros empty. I will start a fire in Zoan. I will punish No, 15And I will pour out my anger against Sin, the fortress* of Egypt! I will destroy the people of No. 16I will start a fire in Egypt; the city named Sin will ache with fear. The soldiers will break into the city No, and Memphis will have new troubles every day. 17The young men of On and Pi Beseth* will die in battle. And the women will be captured and taken away. 18It will be a dark day in Tahpanhes when I break Egypt’s control.* Egypt’s proud power will be finished! A cloud will cover Egypt, and her daughters will be captured and taken away. 19So I will punish Egypt. Then they will know I am the Lord!’”

Egypt Will Become Weak Forever

20On the seventh day of the first month (April) of the eleventh year {of exile},* the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 21“Son of man,* I have broken the arm (power) of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. No one will wrap his arm with a bandage. It won’t heal. So his arm won’t be strong enough to hold a sword.” 22The Lord my Master says these things, “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. 23I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. 24I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong. I will put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh will cry out in pain, the kind of cry that a dying man makes. 25So I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they will know that I am the Lord. “I will put my sword in the hand of the king of Babylon. Then he will stretch the sword out against the land of Egypt. 26I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord!”

Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person,” or “a human being.” But here this is a title for the man, Ezekiel. people of Israel Literally, “sons of the Agreement.” This might mean “all the people that made peace agreements with Egypt” or it might mean “Israel, the people that made the Agreement with God.” idols Statues of false gods that people worshiped. fortress A building or city with tall, strong walls for protection. On, Pi Beseth Heliopolis and Bubastis, cities in Egypt. control Literally, “yoke.” eleventh year of exile This was the summer of 587 B.C.


Assyria Is Like A Cedar Tree

31 On the first day of the third month (June) in the eleventh year {of exile},* the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 2“Son of man,* say these things to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and to his people: “‘You are so great! Who can I compare you to? 3Assyria was a cedar tree in Lebanon with beautiful branches, with forest shade, and very tall. Its top was among the clouds! 4The water made the tree grow. The deep river made the tree tall. Rivers flowed around the place where the tree was planted. Only small streams flowed from that tree to all the other trees of the field. 5So that tree was taller than all the other trees of the field. And it grew many branches. There was plenty of water, so the tree branches spread out. 6All the birds of the sky made their nests in the branches of that tree. And all the animals of the field gave birth under the branches of that tree. All the great nations lived under the shade of that tree. 7The tree was very beautiful. It was so large! It had such long branches. Its roots had plenty of water! 8Even the cedar trees in God’s garden were not as big as this tree. Cypress trees did not have as many branches. Plane-trees did not have such branches. No tree in God’s garden was as beautiful as this tree. 9I gave it many branches and made it beautiful. And all the trees in Eden, God’s garden, were jealous!’” 10So the Lord my Master says these things: “That tree grew tall. Its top reached up to the clouds. It grew so big that it became proud! 11So I let a powerful king have that tree. That ruler punished the tree for the bad things it did. I took that tree out of my garden. 12Strangers—the most terrible people in the world—cut it down and scattered its branches on the mountains and in the valleys. Its broken limbs drifted down the rivers flowing through that land. There was no more shadow under that tree, so all the people left. 13Now birds live in that fallen tree. Wild animals walk over its fallen branches. 14“Now, none of the trees by that water will be proud. They won’t try to reach the clouds. None of the strong trees that drink that water will brag about being tall. Why? Because all of them have been appointed to die. They will all go down into the world below—to Sheol, the place of death. They will join the other people who died and went down into that deep hole.” 15The Lord my Master says these things, “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. 16I made the tree fall—and the nations shook with fear at the sound of the falling tree. I sent the tree down to the place of death, to join the other people that had gone down into that deep hole. In the past, all the trees of Eden, the best of Lebanon, drank that water. Those trees were comforted in the world below. 17Yes, those trees also went down with the big tree to the place of death. They joined the people that were killed in battle. That big tree made the other trees strong. Those trees had lived under the big tree’s shadow among the nations. 18“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!” The Lord my Master said those things.

eleventh year of exile This was the summer of 587 B.C. Son of man This was usually just a way of saying “a person,” or “a human being.” But here this is a title for the man, Ezekiel. Sheol The place where people go when they die. Usually this means the grave, but it can mean the place where spirits go. mourn Crying and showing sadness for a person that died. foreigners Literally, “uncircumcised.”

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