1A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 2“Son of man, prophesy. Say, ‘The Lord and King says,
“ ‘ “Cry out,
‘A terrible day is coming!’
3The day is near.
The day of the Lord is coming.
It will be a cloudy day.
The nations have been sentenced to die.
4I will send Nebuchadnezzar’s sword against Egypt.
Cush will suffer terribly.
Many will die in Egypt.
Then its wealth will be carried away.
Its foundations will be torn down.
5The people of Cush, Libya, Lydia, Kub and the whole land of Arabia will be killed by swords. So will the Jews who live in Egypt. They went there from the covenant land of Israel. And the Egyptians will die too.” ’ ”
6The Lord says,
“Those who were going to help Egypt will die.
The strength Egypt was so proud of will fail.
Its people will be killed by swords
from Migdol all the way to Aswan,”
announces the Lord and King.
7“Egypt will be more empty than any other land.
Its cities will be completely destroyed.
8I will set Egypt on fire.
All those who came to help it will be crushed.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
9“At that time I will send messengers out in ships. They will terrify the people of Cush who are so contented. Cush will suffer greatly when Egypt falls. And you can be sure it will fall.”
10The Lord and King says,
“I will put an end to the huge armies of Egypt.
I will use Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to do this.
11He and his armies will attack the land and destroy it.
They will not show its people any pity at all.
They will use their swords against Egypt.
They will fill the land with dead bodies.
12I will dry up the waters of the Nile River.
I will sell the land to an evil nation.
I will use the power of outsiders
to destroy the land and everything in it.
I have spoken. I am the Lord.”
13The Lord and King says,
“I will destroy the statues of Egypt’s gods.
I will put an end to the gods
the people in Memphis worship.
Egypt will not have princes anymore.
I will spread fear all through the land.
14I will completely destroy Upper Egypt.
I will set Zoan on fire.
I will punish Thebes.
15I will pour out my burning anger on Pelusium.
It is a fort in eastern Egypt.
I will wipe out the huge army of Thebes.
16I will set Egypt on fire.
Pelusium will groan with terrible pain.
Thebes will be ripped apart.
Memphis will suffer greatly
because of everything that happens.
17The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastis
will be killed by swords.
Their people will be taken away as prisoners.
18I will break Egypt’s power over other lands.
That will be a dark day for Tahpanhes.
There the strength Egypt was so proud of
will come to an end.
Egypt will be covered with clouds.
The people in its villages
will be taken away as prisoners.
19So I will punish Egypt.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
20It was the 11th year since King Jehoiachin had been brought to Babylon as a prisoner. On the seventh day of the first month, a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said, 21“Son of man, I have broken the powerful arm of Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt. No bandages have been put on his arm to heal it. It has not been put in a cast. So his arm will not be strong enough to use a sword. 22I am against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. I will break both his arms. I will break his healthy arm and his broken one. His sword will fall from his hand. 23I will scatter the people of Egypt among the nations. I will send them to other countries. 24I will make the arms of the king of Babylon stronger. I will put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh. And he will groan in front of Nebuchadnezzar. He will cry out like someone dying from his wounds. 25I will make the arms of the king of Babylon stronger. But the arms of Pharaoh will not be able to help Egypt. I will put my sword in Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. He will get ready to use it against Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord. 26I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. I will send them to other countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
為埃及唱哀歌
1耶和華對我說： 2「人子啊，你要說預言，這樣宣告主耶和華的話，
『哀號吧！你們要為那日悲傷。
3因為日子近了，耶和華的日子近了，
那是烏雲密佈的日子，
列國淪亡的時候。
4必有刀劍攻擊埃及，
埃及必屍橫遍野，
古實必痛苦不堪。
敵人要擄掠埃及的財富，
摧毀她的根基。
5古實、弗、路德、阿拉伯和利比亞以及她的其他盟友都必與她一同死於刀下。』
6「耶和華說，
『埃及的盟友都要覆滅，
埃及的傲氣必蕩然無存，
從密奪到色弗尼的居民都要喪身刀下。
這是主耶和華說的。
7埃及要變成荒地中的荒地，
她的城邑要淪為廢墟中的廢墟。
8我要點火燒埃及，
埃及的所有盟友都要滅亡。
那時，他們就知道我是耶和華。
9「『在那日，我要差遣使者乘船出去驚嚇安逸的古實人，在埃及遭難的日子，他們必痛苦不堪。看啊，這日子快到了。』
10「主耶和華說，
『我要藉巴比倫王尼布甲尼撒的手消滅埃及的百姓。
11他和追隨他的都是萬民中最殘暴的人。
我要差他們去毀滅埃及，
大肆殺戮，
使埃及屍骨遍野。
12我要使尼羅河乾涸，
把土地賣給惡人，
我要藉外族人的手使地和地上的一切都荒廢，
這是我耶和華說的。』
13「主耶和華說，
『我要毀滅偶像，
剷除挪弗的神像。
埃及再沒有君王，
國內到處充滿恐懼。
14我要使巴特羅荒廢，
放火焚燒瑣安，
審判底比斯，
15把我的烈怒傾倒在埃及的堡壘——訓，
消滅底比斯的百姓。
16我要放火燒埃及，
訓要受痛苦的折磨，
底比斯要被攻破，
挪弗終日惶恐不已，
17亞文和比伯實的壯丁必死於刀下，
眾城都要遭受擄掠。
18我粉碎埃及勢力的那天，
答比匿日月無光，
她的銳氣全消。
烏雲要籠罩她，
她城邑的居民要被擄去。
19我必這樣審判埃及，
他們就知道我是耶和華。』」
20第十一年一月七日，耶和華對我說： 21「人子啊，我打斷了埃及王法老的臂膀，沒有人替他敷藥包紮，以致他無力拿刀。 22主耶和華說，『我要與埃及王法老為敵，我要把他那強壯的臂膀和曾經受傷的臂膀一起打斷，使刀從他手中掉落。 23我要把埃及人驅散到列國，分散到列邦。 24我要使巴比倫王的臂膀強壯有力，把我的刀交在他手中。我要打斷法老的臂膀，使法老在他面前像受了致命傷的人一樣呻吟。 25我要使巴比倫王的臂膀強壯有力，而法老的雙臂必軟弱無力。我要把我的刀交在巴比倫王手中，讓他揮刀攻擊埃及。那時他們就知道我是耶和華。 26我要把埃及人驅散到列國，分散到列邦，這樣他們就知道我是耶和華。』」
