Ezekiel 30:1-12

1The Lord gave this message to me:

2‘Son of man, prophesy to the people. Say to them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: Weep and cry aloud, ‘Help! The day of great trouble is coming!’

3Yes, that day will be very soon. It is the day of the Lord. It will be a day of dark clouds, when the Lord will punish the nations.

4An enemy army will attack Egypt. The people of Ethiopia will be afraid. Many people in Egypt will die in the battle. Enemies will carry away Egypt's riches. They will knock down Egypt's buildings.

5Soldiers from other nations will also die in the battle. They are soldiers from Ethiopia, Put, Lydia, Libya, and Arabia, as well as men who belong to my own people.

6This is what the Lord says: All the people who help Egypt will die in the battle. Egypt will no longer be proud of her great power. Egypt's soldiers will die everywhere, from Migdol to Aswan. That is what the Almighty Lord says.

7Egypt will become like a desert among other deserts. Its cities will become heaps of stones.

8I will burn Egypt with fire. I will destroy all those who fight to help Egypt. Then they will know that I am the Lord.

9At that time, I will send messengers in ships to Ethiopia. I will stop the Ethiopian people being proud of their power. Instead, the news about Egypt's trouble will make them very afraid. That day is coming soon! Be careful!

10This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will use King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to destroy Egypt's army.

11The king and his army will come to destroy the land. They are a nation of cruel people. They will attack Egypt's people with their swords. They will fill the land with dead bodies.

12I will cause the Nile river to become dry. I will put the land under the power of evil men. Foreigners will destroy the land of Egypt and everything that is in it. That is what I, the Lord, say.