1 The word of Hashem came to me:
א וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃
2 O mortal, prophesy and say: Thus said Hashem: Wail, alas for the day!
ב בֶּן־אָדָם הִנָּבֵא וְאָמַרְתָּ כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה הֵילִילוּ הָהּ לַיּוֹם׃
3 For a day is near; A day of Hashem is near. It will be a day of cloud, An hour of [invading] nations.
ג כִּי־קָרוֹב יוֹם וְקָרוֹב יוֹם לַיהֹוָה יוֹם עָנָן עֵת גּוֹיִם יִהְיֶה׃
5 Nubia, Put, and Lud, and all the mixed populations, and Cub, and the inhabitants of the allied countries shall fall by the sword with them.
ה כּוּשׁ וּפוּט וְלוּד וְכָל־הָעֶרֶב וְכוּב וּבְנֵי אֶרֶץ הַבְּרִית אִתָּם בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ׃
6 Thus said Hashem: Those who support Egypt shall fall, And her proud strength shall sink; There they shall fall by the sword, From Migdol to Syene —declares Hashem.
ו כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה וְנָפְלוּ סֹמְכֵי מִצְרַיִם וְיָרַד גְּאוֹן עֻזָּהּ מִמִּגְדֹּל סְוֵנֵה בַּחֶרֶב יִפְּלוּ־בָהּ נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה׃
7 They shall be the most desolate of desolate lands, and her cities shall be the most ruined of cities,
8 when I set fire to Egypt and all who help her are broken. Thus they shall know that I am Hashem.
ח וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה בְּתִתִּי־אֵשׁ בְּמִצְרַיִם וְנִשְׁבְּרוּ כָּל־עֹזְרֶיהָ׃
9 On that day, messengers shall set out at My bidding to strike terror into confident Nubia. And they shall be seized with trembling on Egypt’s day [of doom]—for it is at hand.
ט בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יֵצְאוּ מַלְאָכִים מִלְּפָנַי בַּצִּים לְהַחֲרִיד אֶת־כּוּשׁ בֶּטַח וְהָיְתָה חַלְחָלָה בָהֶם בְּיוֹם מִצְרַיִם כִּי הִנֵּה בָּאָה׃
10 Thus said Hashem: I will put an end to the wealth of Egypt through King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon.
י כֹּה אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי אֶת־הֲמוֹן מִצְרַיִם בְּיַד נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל׃
11 He, together with his troops, the most ruthless of the nations, shall be brought to ravage the land. And they shall unsheathe the sword against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.
יא הוּא וְעַמּוֹ אִתּוֹ עָרִיצֵי גוֹיִם מוּבָאִים לְשַׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ וְהֵרִיקוּ חַרְבוֹתָם עַל־מִצְרַיִם וּמָלְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ חָלָל׃
12 I will turn the channels into dry ground, and I will deliver the land into the hands of evil men. I will lay waste the land and everything in it by the hands of strangers. I Hashem have spoken.
יב וְנָתַתִּי יְאֹרִים חָרָבָה וּמָכַרְתִּי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ בְּיַד־רָעִים וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי אֶרֶץ וּמְלֹאָהּ בְּיַד־זָרִים אֲנִי יְהֹוָה דִּבַּרְתִּי׃
13 Thus said Hashem: I will destroy the fetishes and make an end of the idols in Noph; and no longer shall there be a prince in the land of Egypt; and I will strike the land of Egypt with fear.
יג כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי גִלּוּלִים וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי אֱלִילִים מִנֹּף וְנָשִׂיא מֵאֶרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם לֹא יִהְיֶה־עוֹד וְנָתַתִּי יִרְאָה בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃
14 I will lay Pathros waste, I will set fire to Zoan, and I will execute judgment on No.
יד וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי אֶת־פַּתְרוֹס וְנָתַתִּי אֵשׁ בְּצֹעַן וְעָשִׂיתִי שְׁפָטִים בְּנֹא׃
15 I will pour out my anger upon Sin, the stronghold of Egypt, and I will destroy the wealth of No.
16 I will set fire to Egypt; Sin shall writhe in anguish and No shall be torn apart; and Noph [shall face] adversaries in broad daylight.
טז וְנָתַתִּי אֵשׁ בְּמִצְרַיִם חוּל תחיל [תָּחוּל] סִין וְנֹא תִּהְיֶה לְהִבָּקֵעַ וְנֹף צָרֵי יוֹמָם׃
17 The young men of Aven and Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword, and those [towns] shall go into captivity.
18 In Tehaphnehes daylight shall be withheld, when I break there the power of Egypt, and there her proud strength comes to an end. [The city] itself shall be covered with cloud, and its daughter towns shall go into captivity.
יח וּבִתְחַפְנְחֵס חָשַׂךְ הַיּוֹם בְּשִׁבְרִי־שָׁם אֶת־מֹטוֹת מִצְרַיִם וְנִשְׁבַּת־בָּהּ גְּאוֹן עֻזָּהּ הִיא עָנָן יְכַסֶּנָּה וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ בַּשְּׁבִי תֵלַכְנָה׃
19 Thus I will execute judgment on Egypt; And they shall know that I am Hashem.
יט וְעָשִׂיתִי שְׁפָטִים בְּמִצְרָיִם וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃
20 In the eleventh year, on the seventh day of the first month, the word of Hashem came to me:
כ וַיְהִי בְּאַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה בָּרִאשׁוֹן בְּשִׁבְעָה לַחֹדֶשׁ הָיָה דְבַר־יְהֹוָה אֵלַי לֵאמֹר׃
22 Assuredly, thus said Hashem: I am going to deal with Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the sound one and the injured, and make the sword drop from his hand.
la-KHAYN koh a-MAR a-do-NAI e-lo-HEEM hi-n’-NEE el par-OH me-lekh mitz-RA-yim v’-sha-var-TEE et z’-ro-o-TAV et ha-kha-za-KAH v’-et ha-nish-BA-ret v’-hi-pal-TEE et ha-KHE-rev mi-ya-DO
כב לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוִה הִנְנִי אֶל־פַּרְעֹה מֶלֶךְ־מִצְרַיִם וְשָׁבַרְתִּי אֶת־זְרֹעֹתָיו אֶת־הַחֲזָקָה וְאֶת־הַנִּשְׁבָּרֶת וְהִפַּלְתִּי אֶת־הַחֶרֶב מִיָּדוֹ׃
23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries.
כג וַהֲפִצוֹתִי אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בַּגּוֹיִם וְזֵרִיתִם בָּאֲרָצוֹת׃
26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them throughout the countries. Thus they shall know that I am Hashem.
כו וַהֲפִצוֹתִי אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בַּגּוֹיִם וְזֵרִיתִי אוֹתָם בָּאֲרָצוֹת וְיָדְעוּ כִּי־אֲנִי יְהֹוָה׃
30:22 And make the sword drop from his hand
This prophecy was stated in the spring of 587 BCE, one year before the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash. When Nebuchadnezzar first attacks Yerushalayim in 588 BCE, Pharaoh Hophra comes to assist Tzidkiyahu. However, Hophra’s armies are soundly defeated, and he retreats, leaving Yerushalayim alone against the onslaught. Yechezkel portrays Egypt as having one broken arm, unable to hold a sword to defend itself (verse 21). He then states that Babylonia will finish the conquest, breaking Egypt’s good arm as well. Indeed, after its defeat by Nebuchadnezzar, Egypt never regains its status as a superpower in the ancient world. As the prophets had predicted, relying on foreign powers for help instead of turning to God was of no benefit to Yehuda.1 comment