Ezekiel

In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

1It was the tenth year, the tenth month, the twelfth day of the month. The LORD's message came to me:

2Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt:

2"Son of man, turn and face Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Speak my message against him and against all of Egypt.

3Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.

3Say this: The Lord GOD says, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt. You are like a huge river monster lying in your streams. You say, 'The Nile is mine. I made it for myself.'

NoteThe KJV says "dragon." The word means a large water creature, like a crocodile lying in the Nile. "My river" means the Nile, the river Egypt depended on for everything.

4But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales.

4But I will put hooks in your jaws. I will make the fish of your streams stick to your scales. Then I will drag you up out of your rivers, with all those fish stuck to you.

5And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

5I will dump you in the desert, you and all the fish from your streams. You will fall in an open field. No one will pick you up or bury you. I will give you as food to wild animals and birds.

Note"Meat" in the KJV simply means food of any kind, not just animal flesh.

6And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.

6Then everyone living in Egypt will know that I am the LORD. You were only a reed stick for Israel to lean on.

NoteA reed is a tall, hollow marsh plant. A walking stick made from one looks strong but snaps as soon as you put weight on it.

7When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand.

7When Israel grabbed you with their hand, you snapped and tore their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you broke, and their backs gave way.

8Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee.

8So the Lord GOD says: I will bring a sword against you. I will kill both people and animals in your land.

9And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.

9Egypt will become an empty ruin. Then they will know that I am the LORD. This is because you said, 'The Nile is mine. I made it.'

10Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.

10So I am against you and against your rivers. I will make Egypt a wrecked and empty place, from Migdol to Syene, all the way to the border of Cush.

NoteThe KJV says "from the tower of Syene." The Hebrew names two towns, Migdol in the north and Syene in the south, meaning the whole length of Egypt. "Ethiopia" here is the land of Cush, south of Egypt.

11No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years.

11No person and no animal will walk through it. No one will live there for forty years.

12And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

12I will make Egypt an empty land among other empty lands. Its cities will lie in ruins for forty years, like other ruined cities. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and spread them through many countries.

13Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered:

13But the Lord GOD also says this: After forty years I will gather the Egyptians back from the nations where they were scattered.

14And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.

14I will bring the Egyptians home from captivity. I will return them to Pathros, the land they came from. There they will be a lowly kingdom.

15It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.

15Egypt will be the lowest of the kingdoms. It will never lift itself above other nations again. I will make it small, so it never rules over nations again.

16And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

16Israel will never again trust in Egypt for help. Instead Egypt will remind them of the wrong they did when they turned that way. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD."

17And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

17In the twenty-seventh year, on the first day of the first month, the LORD's message came to me:

18Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:

18"Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army work very hard against the city of Tyre. Every head was rubbed bald and every shoulder rubbed raw. Still, he and his army got no pay for all that work.

19Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.

19So the Lord GOD says: I will hand the land of Egypt over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He will carry off its riches, its goods, and its people. That will be the pay for his army.

20I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD.

20I have given him Egypt as his reward for the work he did, because that work was done for me, says the Lord GOD.

21In that day will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

21On that day I will make a horn grow for the people of Israel. And I will open your mouth to speak among them. Then they will know that I am the LORD."

NoteA horn is an animal's horn, used as a picture of strength. "A horn will grow" means Israel's strength will begin to return.