A Lament for Pharaoh King of Egypt

1In the twelfth year, on the first day of the twelfth month, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2“Son of man, take up a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:

‘You are like a lion among the nations;

you are like a monster in the seas.

You thrash about in your rivers,

churning up the waters with your feet

and muddying the streams.’

3This is what the Lord GOD says:

‘I will spread My net over you

with a company of many peoples,

and they will draw you up in My net.

4I will abandon you on the land

and hurl you into the open field.

I will cause all the birds of the air

to settle upon you,

and all the beasts of the earth

to eat their fill of you.

5I will put your flesh on the mountains

and fill the valleys with your remains.

6I will drench the land

with the flow of your blood,

all the way to the mountains—

the ravines will be filled.

7When I extinguish you,

I will cover the heavens

and darken their stars.

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

and the moon will not give its light.

8All the shining lights in the heavens

I will darken over you,

and I will bring darkness

upon your land,’

declares the Lord GOD.

9‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples,

when I bring about your destruction among the nations,

in countries you do not know.

10I will cause many peoples

to be appalled over you,

and their kings will shudder in horror because of you

when I brandish My sword before them.

On the day of your downfall

each of them will tremble

every moment for his life.’

11For this is what the Lord GOD says:

‘The sword of the king of Babylon

will come against you!

12I will make your hordes fall

by the swords of the mighty,

the most ruthless of all nations.

They will ravage the pride of Egypt

and all her multitudes will be destroyed.

13I will slaughter all her cattle

beside the abundant waters.

No human foot will muddy them again,

and no cattle hooves will disturb them.

14Then I will let her waters settle

and will make her rivers flow like oil,’

declares the Lord GOD.

15‘When I make the land of Egypt a desolation

and empty it of all that filled it,

when I strike down all who live there,

then they will know that I am the LORD.’

16This is the lament they will chant for her; the daughters of the nations will chant it. Over Egypt and all her multitudes they will chant it, declares the Lord GOD.”