Ezekiel 32:1-16·~1 min

A Lament for Pharaoh King of Egypt

In the twelfth year the LORD commands a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh is likened to a ravenous beast and a monster in the seas, but God will ensnare him, cast him onto the land, and feed birds and beasts with his remains. His downfall will darken sun, moon, and stars, trouble many peoples, and make kings shudder. Babylon's sword will bring Egypt's hordes to ruin, livestock will vanish, waters will settle, and the desolated land will testify that the LORD has judged Egypt.

I¹n 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: ³This is what the Lord GOD says: ⁴I will abandon you on the land ⁵I will put your flesh on the mountains ⁶I will drench the land ⁷When I extinguish you, ⁸All the shining lights in the heavens ⁹‘I will trouble the hearts of many peoples, ¹⁰I will cause many peoples ¹¹For this is what the Lord GOD says: ¹²I will make your hordes fall ¹³I will slaughter all her cattle ¹⁴Then I will let her waters settle ¹⁵‘When I make the land of Egypt a desolation 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.”

Section summaryThe LORD tells Ezekiel to raise a lament over Pharaoh, who is compared to a lion among nations and a sea monster stirring the waters. God will cast a net over him, drag him onto the land, and leave his carcass for birds and beasts. His fall will stain the land, darken the heavens, and terrify many peoples as Babylon's sword cuts down Egypt's multitude. The lament ends with Egypt desolated so that the land, waters, and peoples know that the LORD has done it.

Role in the chapterThis section turns Pharaoh's public power into a cosmic lament, showing that Egypt's collapse is both political judgment and a sign to the nations.