The Prophet Ezekiel

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- Chapter 32 -

And it happened that, in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

“Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and you shall say to him: You are like the lion of the Gentiles, and like the dragon that is in the sea. And you brandished a horn among your rivers, and you disturbed the waters with your feet, and you trampled upon their rivers.

Because of this, thus says the Lord God: I will spread my net over you, with the multitude of many peoples, and I will draw you into my dragnet.

And I will throw you upon the land. I will cast you upon the surface of the field. And I will cause all the birds of the air to live upon you. And I will satiate the beasts of the entire earth with you.

And I will place your flesh upon the mountains. And I will fill up your hills with your decaying flesh.

And I will irrigate the earth with your rotting blood upon the mountains. And the valleys will be filled with you.

And I will cover heaven, when you will have been extinguished. And I will cause its stars to grow dark. I will shroud the sun with gloom, and the moon will not give her light.

I will cause all the lights of heaven to grieve over you. And I will bring darkness upon your land, says the Lord God, when your wounded will have fallen in the midst of the land, says the Lord God.

And I will provoke the heart of many peoples to anger, when I will have led in your destruction among the Gentiles, over the lands that you have not known.

And I will cause many peoples to be stupefied over you. And their kings will be afraid, with great horror, over you, when my sword will begin to fly above their faces. And suddenly, they will be struck with astonishment, each one concerning his own life, on the day of their ruination.

For thus says the Lord God: The sword of the king of Babylon will come to you.

By the swords of the strong, I will cast down your multitude. All these nations are invincible, and they will lay waste to the arrogance of Egypt, and so its multitude will be destroyed.

And I will perish all its cattle, which were above the many waters. And the foot of man will no longer disturb them, and the hoof of cattle will no longer trouble them.

Then I will cause their waters to be very pure, and their rivers to be like oil, says the Lord God,

when I will have set the land of Egypt in desolation. And the land will be deprived of her plenitude, when I will have struck all its inhabitants. And they shall know that I am the Lord.

This is the lamentation. And they shall lament it. The daughters of the Gentiles shall lament it. They shall lament it over Egypt and over its multitude, says the Lord God.”

Egypt Cast into the Pit

And it happened that, in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying:

“Son of man, sing mournfully over the multitude of Egypt. And cast her down, both her and the daughters of the robust nations, to the lowest part of the earth, with those who descend into the pit.

Whom do you exceed in beauty? Descend and sleep with the uncircumcised!

They will fall by the sword in the midst of the slain. The sword has been given. They have dragged her down, with all her people.

The most powerful among the strong will speak to him from the midst of hell, those who descended with his helpers and who went to sleep uncircumcised, slain by the sword.(a)

Assur is in that place, with all his multitude. Their graves are all around him: all of the slain and those who fell by the sword.

Their graves have been placed in the lowest parts of the pit. And his multitude was stationed on all sides of his grave: all of the slain, and those who fell by the sword, who formerly spread terror in the land of the living.

Elam is in that place, with all his multitude, on all sides of his grave, all those who were slain or who fell by the sword, who descended uncircumcised to the lowest part of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living. And they have borne their disgrace, with those who descend into the pit.

They have appointed him a place to lie among all his people, in the midst of the slain. Their graves are all around him. All these are uncircumcised and were slain by the sword. For they spread their terror in the land of the living, and they have borne their disgrace, with those who descend into the pit. They have been stationed in the midst of the slain.

Meshech and Tubal are in that place, with all their multitude. Their graves are all around him: all these are uncircumcised, and they were slain and fell by the sword. For they spread their terror in the land of the living.

But they shall not sleep with the strong, and with those who also fell uncircumcised, who descended to hell with their weapons, and who placed their swords under their heads, while their iniquities were in their bones. For they were the terror of the strong in the land of the living.(b)

Therefore, you also will be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, and you will sleep with those who were slain by the sword.

Idumea is in that place, with her kings and all her commanders, who with their army have been given to those who were slain by the sword. And they have slept with the uncircumcised and with those who descend into the pit.

All the leaders of the north are in that place, with all the hunters, who were brought down with the slain, fearful and confounded in their strength, who have gone to sleep uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword. And they have borne their disgrace, with those who descend into the pit.(c)

Pharaoh saw them, and he was consoled over all his multitude, which was slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his army, says the Lord God.(d)

For I have spread my terror in the land of the living, and he has gone to sleep in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those who were slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude, says the Lord God.”

Footnotes

(a)32:21 Figuratively, going to sleep uncircumcised means dying without sanctifying grace.(Conte)

(b)32:27 These ones have been given a different place in Hell, not with the strong who also are in Hell.(Conte)

(c)32:30 These hunters did not hunt game, but hunted down human persons who opposed the sinful reign of the leader of the north.(Conte)

(d)32:31 Even in the midst of Hell, there is a certain consolation given to the wicked, for in God justice and mercy are the same.(Conte)

In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month, “the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

‘Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him, “You were likened to a young lion of the nations; yet you are as a monster in the seas. You broke out with your rivers, and troubled the waters with your feet, and fouled their rivers.”

The Lord GOD says: “I will spread out my net on you with a company of many peoples. They will bring you up in my net.

I will leave you on the land. I will cast you out on the open field, and will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you. I will satisfy the animals of the whole earth with you.

I will lay your flesh on the mountains, and fill the valleys with your height.

I will also water the land in which you swim with your blood, even to the mountains. The watercourses will be full of you.

When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and make its stars dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon won’t give its light.

I will make all the bright lights of the sky dark over you, and set darkness on your land,” says the Lord GOD.

“I will also trouble the hearts of many peoples, when I bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known.

Yes, I will make many peoples amazed at you, and their kings will be horribly afraid for you, when I brandish my sword before them. They will tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.”

For the Lord GOD says: “The sword of the king of Babylon will come on you.

I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of the mighty. They are all the ruthless of the nations. They will bring the pride of Egypt to nothing, and all its multitude will be destroyed.

I will destroy also all its animals from beside many waters. The foot of man won’t trouble them any more, nor will the hoofs of animals trouble them.

Then I will make their waters clear, and cause their rivers to run like oil,” says the Lord GOD.

“When I make the land of Egypt desolate and waste, a land destitute of that of which it was full, when I strike all those who dwell therein, then they will know that I am the LORD.

“‘“This is the lamentation with which they will lament. The daughters of the nations will lament with this. They will lament with it over Egypt, and over all her multitude,” says the Lord GOD.’”

Egypt Cast into the Pit

Also in the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day of the month, the LORD’s word came to me, saying,

“Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her and the daughters of the famous nations, to the lower parts of the earth, with those who go down into the pit.

Whom do you pass in beauty? Go down, and be laid with the uncircumcised.

They will fall among those who are slain by the sword. She is delivered to the sword. Draw her away with all her multitudes.

The strong among the mighty will speak to him out of the middle of Sheol

(a)

with those who help him. They have gone down. The uncircumcised lie still, slain by the sword.

“Asshur is there with all her company. Her graves are all around her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword,

whose graves are set in the uttermost parts of the pit, and her company is around her grave, all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who caused terror in the land of the living.

“There is Elam and all her multitude around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who have gone down uncircumcised into the lower parts of the earth, who caused their terror in the land of the living, and have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit.

They have made Elam a bed among the slain with all her multitude. Her graves are around her, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for their terror was caused in the land of the living, and they have borne their shame with those who go down to the pit. He is put among those who are slain.

“There is Meshech, Tubal, and all their multitude. Their graves are around them, all of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; for they caused their terror in the land of the living.

They will not lie with the mighty who are fallen of the uncircumcised, who have gone down to Sheol with their weapons of war and have laid their swords under their heads. Their iniquities are on their bones; for they were the terror of the mighty in the land of the living.

“But you will be broken among the uncircumcised, and will lie with those who are slain by the sword.

“There is Edom, her kings, and all her princes, who in their might are laid with those who are slain by the sword. They will lie with the uncircumcised, and with those who go down to the pit.

“There are the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Sidonians, who have gone down with the slain. They are put to shame in the terror which they caused by their might. They lie uncircumcised with those who are slain by the sword, and bear their shame with those who go down to the pit.

“Pharaoh will see them and will be comforted over all his multitude, even Pharaoh and all his army, slain by the sword,” says the Lord GOD.

“For I have put his terror in the land of the living. He will be laid among the uncircumcised, with those who are slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his multitude,” says the Lord GOD.

Footnotes

(a)32:21 Sheol is the place of the dead.