A Funeral Song for the King of Egypt
1 Twelve 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 twelfth month. He said:
2 Ezekiel, son of man, condemn the king of Egypt and tell him I am saying:
You act like a lion
roaming the earth;
but you are nothing more than
a crocodile in a river,
churning up muddy water
with your feet.
3 King of Egypt, listen to me. I, the Lord God, will catch you in my net and let a crowd of foreigners drag you to shore. 4 I will throw you into an open field, where birds and animals will come to feed on your flesh. 5 I will spread your rotting flesh over the mountains and in the valleys, 6 and your blood will flow throughout the land and fill up the streams. 7 I will cover the whole sky and every star with thick clouds, so that the sun and moon will stop shining. 8 The heavens will become black, leaving your country in total darkness. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
9 Foreign nations you have never heard of will be shocked when I tell them how I destroyed you. 10 They will be horrified, and when I flash my sword in victory on the day of your death, their kings will tremble in the fear of what could happen to them.
11 The king of Babylonia is coming to attack you, king of Egypt! 12 Your soldiers will be killed by the cruelest army in the world, and everything you take pride in will be crushed. 13 I will slaughter your cattle that graze by the river, and no people or livestock will be left to muddy its water. 14 The water will be clear, and streams will be calm. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
15 Egypt will become a barren wasteland, and no living thing will ever survive there. Then you and your people will know that I am the Lord.
16 This is your warning, and it will be used as a funeral song by foreign women to mourn the death of your people. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
A Sad Ending for Egypt
17 On the fifteenth day of that same month, the Lord said:
18 Ezekiel, son of man, mourn for the Egyptians and condemn them to the world of the dead, where they will be buried alongside the people of other powerful nations. 19 Say to them:
You may be more beautiful
than the people
of other nations,
but you will also die
and join the godless
in the world below.
20 You cannot escape! The enemy's sword is ready to slaughter every one of you. 21 Brave military leaders killed in battle will gladly welcome you and your allies into the world of the dead.
22-23 The graves of soldiers from Assyria are there. They once terrified people, but they were killed in battle and now lie deep in the world of the dead.
24-25 The graves of soldiers from Elam are there. The very sight of those godless soldiers once terrified their enemies and made them panic. But now they are disgraced and ashamed as they lie in the world of the dead, alongside others who were killed in battle.
26 The graves of soldiers from Meshech and Tubal are there. These godless soldiers who terrified people were all killed in battle. 27 They were not given a proper burial like the heroes of long ago, who were buried with their swords under their heads and with their shields over their bodies. These were the heroes who made their enemies panic.
28 You Egyptians will be cruelly defeated, and you will be buried alongside these other godless soldiers who died in battle.
29 The graves of kings and leaders from Edom are there. They were powerful at one time. Now they are buried in the world of the dead with other godless soldiers killed in battle.
30 The graves of the rulers of the north are there, as well as those of the Sidonians. Their powerful armies once terrified enemies. Now they lie buried in the world of the dead, where they are disgraced like other soldiers killed in battle.
31 The Lord God says:
When your king of Egypt sees all of these graves, he and his soldiers will be glad they are not the only ones suffering. 32 I sent him to terrify people all over the earth. But he and his army will be killed and buried alongside other godless soldiers in the world of the dead. I, the Lord God, have spoken.
Omukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti oye ongandu
1 Mesiku lyotango lyomwedhi omutimulongo nomutiyali gwomumvo guupongekwa wetu, Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 2 “Muna gwomuntu, tangumuna oondjimbo dhoosa dhomukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti. Mu lombwela etumwalaka lyandje tali ti: Owa fa onkoshi mokati kiigwana, ihe owa fa ongandu tayi wilola momulonga. Oto vongola omeya noompadhi dhoye e to nyateke omilonga. 3 Iigwana oyindji nge ya gongala, otandi ke ku yula moshiyulitho shandje, notayi shi kookololele komunkulo. 4 Otandi ke ku umbila pevi e tandi gongele oondhila adhihe niithitukuti yomuuyuni, yi ku lye po yo yi paluke. 5 Oondundu nomasilu otandi ke ga udhitha nonyama yoye yo ola. 6 Otandi ka tilahi ombinzi yoye, sigo ya kunguluka koondundu nokuudha omilonga. 7 Uuna tandi ku hanagula po, otandi ka siikila ewangandjo nokudhima po oonyothi. Etango otali ka holama handiyaka yiikogo, nomwedhi itagu minikile we. 8 Otandi ka dhima omaminikilo agehe gokegulu nokuundulila uuyuni woye momilema. Ongame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, nda popi.
9 “Iigwana oyindji otayi ka lulilwa, uuna tandi taandelitha onkundana yokuhanagulwapo kwoye miilongo inoo yi tseya. 10 Shoka tandi ku ningile, otashi ka kakameka iigwana oyindji. Uuna tandi fungafunga egongamwele lyandje, aakwaniilwa yayo otaa ka kakama ye na ehaluko. Esiku ndyoka to teka po, ayehe otaa dhekweta kuumbanda woomwenyo dhawo.”
11 Omuwa Omupangeliawike ota lombwele omukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti ta ti: “Oto ka taalela egongamwele lyomukwaniilwa gwaBabilon. 12 Omagongamwele gaakwiita yiigwana iidhudhu otaga ka dhipaga po aantu yoye ayehe. Aantu yoye ayehe noshaa shoka shilwe ho shi itangele, otashi ka yonagulwa po. 13 Otandi ka tselitha po iimuna yoye poshipemba kehe. Itaku ka kala we aantu nenge iimuna, yi vongole omeya. 14 Otandi ka kaleka omeya goye ga mwena e taga yengala, nomilonga dhoye tadhi tondoka mengungilo. Ongame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, nda popi. 15 Uuna tandi mbugaleke Egipiti nokuyonagula po ayehe mboka ye li mo, otaa ka tseya kutya ongame Omuwa. 16 Ndjika ondjimbo yoosa. Aakulukadhi yomiigwana otaye ke yi imba, ya lile oosa dhaEgipiti naantu yasho ayehe. Ongame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, nda popi.”
Egipiti muuyuni wokuusi
17 Mesiku etimulongo netitano lyomwedhi gwotango gwomumvo omutimulongo nomutiyali guupongekwa wetu Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 18 “Muna gwomuntu, lila oosa dhaantu ayehe yomuEgipiti. Ya kulukithila mo pamwe niigwana iinankondo sigo omuuyuni wokuusi. 19 Ya lombwela u tye:
‘Oto dhiladhila, owo opala u vule yalwe?
Oto ka kulukila muuyuni wokuusi
noto ka lala pamwe naafukolume.’
20 “Aayegipiti otaa ka gwila pamwe naamboka taa ka dhipagelwa molugodhi. Egongamwele olya longekidhwa, li ya dhipage po ayehe. 21 Omapendafule omanene naayehe mboka ya kondjele kombinga yaEgipiti, otaa kundu Aayegipiti muuyuni wokuusi. Otayi igidha taa ti: ‘Aafukolume mboka ya dhipagelwa molugodhi, ya kulukile huka, oyo mbaka ya lala mpaka!’
22 “Assur oye nguka, a kundukwa koombila dhaakwiita ye. Ayehe oya dhipagelwa molugodhi. 23 Oombila dhawo odhi li mohi muule womuuyuni wokuusi. Aakwiita ye ayehe oya sile molugodhi, noombila dhawo odha kunduka ombila ye. Nale oya li haa halutha evi lyaanamwenyo.
24 “Elam oye nguka a kundukwa koombila dhaakwiita ye. Ayehe oya dhipagelwa molugodhi noya kulukile mo, sigo okuuyuni wokuusi inaa fukalekwa. Sho ya li ye na omwenyo, oya tilitha, ihe ngashingeyi oya lala ya sa ye na ohoni. 25 Elam a lala mokati kaadhipagwa mboka ya sile miita, noombila dhaakwiita ye odhe mu kunduka. Ayehe aafukolume, ayehe ya dhipagelwa molugodhi. Sho ya li ye na omwenyo, oya li haa tilitha, ihe ngashingeyi oyo mba ya lala ya sa ya sithwa ohoni. Oshipewa shawo oshaamboka ya sile molugodhi.
26 “Meshek naTubal omo ye li ya kundukwa koombila dhaakwiita yawo. Ayehe aafukolume, ayehe oya dhipagelwa molugodhi. Nale oya haluthile aanamwenyo. 27 Inaa mona efumviko lya simana ya fa omapenda gomuuyuni wonale, mboka ya kulukile muuyuni wokuusi, omagongamwele gawo oga tulwa kohi yomitse dhawo nomahuuyanza gawo ga siikile omidhimba dhawo. Omapenda ngoka oga li ge na oonkondo dha tilitha aanamwenyo.
28 “Osho Aayegipiti taa ka lala ya nyanyagulwa mokati kaafukolume mboka ya dhipagelwa molugodhi.
29 “Edom oye nguka pamwe naakwaniilwa ye nomalenga. Oya li aakwiita aanankondo, ihe ngashingeyi oya lala muuyuni wokuusi pamwe naafukolume mboka ya dhipagelwa molugodhi.
30 “Aapangeli ayehe yokuumbangalantu oyo mbaka nosho wo Aasidoni. Oya li ya tilitha, ihe ya yi mohi mesithahoni pamwe naamboka ya dhipagelwa molugodhi, noya lala taa vululukwa inaa fukalekwa. Oya mono esithahoni lyaamboka taa kulukile muuyuni wokuusi.
31 “Omukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti naakwiita ye otaa ka tala ayehe mbaka ya dhipagelwa molugodhi e taa hekelekwa kusho.” Omuwa Omupangeliawike osho ta ti.
32 “Omukwaniilwa gwaEgipiti onde mu tilithitha aanamwenyo, ihe oye netangakwiita lye alihe ota ka dhipagwa e ta ka lala a vululukwe pamwe naafukolume mboka taa sile molugodhi.” Omuwa Omupangeliawike a popi.
