Vēstījums par Ēģipti
1 Desmitā gada desmitā mēneša divpadsmitajā dienā Kunga vārds nāca pār mani: 2 “Cilvēka dēls, griezies pret faraonu, Ēģiptes ķēniņu, un pravieto par viņu un visiem, kas Ēģiptē! 3 Runā: tā saka Kungs Dievs:
redzi, es esmu pret faraonu, Ēģiptes ķēniņu, –
lielo nezvēru, kas gul starp straumēm!
Tas saka: man pieder Nīla, sev es to radīju! –
4 Bet es metīšu āķus tavos žokļos,
tavas Nīlas zivis lips tev pie zvīņām.
Es izvilkšu tevi no tavas Nīlas
ar visām zivīm, ko pielipināju tev pie zvīņām!
5 Es tevi pametīšu tuksnesī,
tevi un visas Nīlas zivis!
Klajā laukā tevi nometīs,
ne tevi vāks, ne salasīs!
Es tevi atdošu par barību
zemes zvēriem un debesu putniem!
6 Tad visi, kas mīt Ēģiptē, zinās,
ka es esmu Kungs!
Jo tu Israēla namam biji meldru spieķis –
7 kad tie ar plaukstu satvēra tevi,
tu lūzi un iedūries tiem plecā!
Kad tie atbalstījās pret tevi, tu pārlūzi –
viņu gurniem tu liki ļodzīties.
8 Tādēļ tā saka Kungs Dievs: redzi, es likšu zobenam nākt pār tevi! Es izkaušu tev gan cilvēkus, gan lopus! 9 Ēģiptes zeme kļūs par izpostījumu un drupām! Tie zinās, ka es esmu Kungs! Tādēļ, ka viņš teica: Nīla ir mana! Sev es to radīju! – 10 Tādēļ es esmu pret tevi un tavu Nīlu! Es padarīšu Ēģiptes zemi par drupām un izpostījumu no Migdolas līdz Svēnai, līdz pat Kūšas robežām! 11 Ne cilvēks, ne lops tur cauri nestaigās, neviens tur nemitīs četrdesmit gadus! 12 Es Ēģiptes zemi padarīšu par izpostījumu izdeldētu zemju vidū, un tās pilsētas – sagrautu pilsētu vidū, uz četrdesmit gadiem es ēģiptiešus izkaisīšu starp tautām un izsēšu tos pa valstīm!
13 Tā saka Kungs Dievs: kad paies četrdesmit gadi, es ēģiptiešus sapulcēšu no visām tautām, kur tie izkaisīti! 14 Es pārvedīšu ēģiptiešus no gūsta! Es viņus vedīšu uz Augšēģipti, viņu dzimto zemi, un viņi taps par pazemīgu valsti! 15 Tā būs vispazemīgākā no valstīm, un tautu starpā tā vairs nepaaugstināsies – es to darīšu tik vāju, ka tā vairs nevaldīs pār tautām. 16 Israēla namam tā nebūs vairs balsts, bet vainas atgādinātāja tiem, kas pie tās vērsušies, – tad tie zinās, ka es esmu Kungs Dievs!”
17 Divdesmit septītā gada pirmā mēneša pirmajā dienā Kunga vārds nāca pār mani: 18 “Cilvēka dēls, Bābeles ķēniņa Nebūkadnecara karaspēks ir jo smagi cīnījies ar Tīru – visiem noberztas kailas galvas un jēli pleci, bet ne viņam, ne karaspēkam nav nekādas atlīdzības par grūtajiem pūliņiem pie Tīras!
19 Tādēļ tā saka Kungs Dievs: es došu Bābeles ķēniņam Nebūkadnecaram Ēģiptes zemi, un viņš gūs mantu! Viņš laupīt laupīs un grābtin grābs – tā būs atlīdzība viņa karaspēkam! 20 Par viņa darbu, ko tas veicis, es viņam došu Ēģiptes zemi, saka Kungs Dievs.
21 Todien es likšu celties Israēla nama ragam, un tev es likšu runāt viņu vidū. Tad tie zinās, ka es esmu Kungs!”
Judgment on the King of Egypt
1 Ten years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the twelfth day of the tenth month. He said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the king of Egypt. Tell him and his people 3 that I am saying:
King of Egypt, you were like a giant crocodile lying in a river. You acted as though you owned the Nile and made it for yourself. But now I, the Lord God, am your enemy! 4 I will put a hook in your jaw and pull you out of the water, and all the fish in your river will stick to your scaly body. 5 I'll throw you and the fish into the desert, and your body will fall on the hard ground. You will be left unburied, and wild animals and birds will eat your flesh. 6 Then everyone in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.
You and your nation refused to help the people of Israel and were nothing more than a broken stick. 7 When they reached out to you for support, you broke in half, cutting their arms and making them fall.
8 So I, the Lord God, will send troops to attack you, king of Egypt. They will kill your people and livestock, 9 until your land is a barren desert. Then you will know that I have done these things.
You claimed that you made the Nile River and control it. 10 Now I am turning against you and your river. Your nation will be nothing but an empty wasteland all the way from the town of Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south, and as far as the border of Ethiopia. 11 No human or animal will even dare travel through Egypt, because no sign of life will be found there for 40 years. 12 It will be the most barren place on earth. Every city in Egypt will lie in ruins during those 40 years, and I will scatter your people throughout the nations of the world.
13 Then after those 40 years have passed, I will bring your people back from the places where I scattered them. 14 They will once again live in their homeland in southern Egypt. But they will be a weak kingdom 15 and won't ever be strong enough to rule nations, as they did in the past. 16 My own people Israel will never again depend on your nation. In fact, when the Israelites remember what happened to you Egyptians, they will realize how wrong they were to turn to you for help. Then the Israelites will know that I, the Lord God, did these things.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia Will Conquer Egypt
17 Twenty-seven years after King Jehoiachin and the rest of us had been led away as prisoners to Babylonia, the Lord spoke to me on the first day of the first month. He said:
18 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia has attacked the city of Tyre. He forced his soldiers to carry so many heavy loads that their heads were rubbed bald, and their shoulders were red and sore. Nebuchadnezzar and his army still could not capture the city. 19 So now I will hand over the nation of Egypt to him. He will take Egypt's valuable treasures and give them to his own troops. 20 Egypt will be his reward, because he and his army have been following my orders. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
21 Ezekiel, when Egypt is defeated, I will make the people of Israel strong, and I will give you the power to speak to them. Then they will know that I, the Lord, have done these things.
