Ezekiel 32:2-8

32:2 “Son of man, sing a lament for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to him:

“‘You were like a lion among the nations,

but you are a monster in the seas;

you thrash about in your streams,

stir up the water with your feet,

and muddy your streams.

32:3 “‘This is what the sovereign Lord says:

“‘I will throw my net over you in the assembly of many peoples;

and they will haul you up in my dragnet.

32:4 I will leave you on the ground,

I will fling you on the open field,

I will allow all the birds of the sky to settle on you,

and I will permit all the wild animals to gorge themselves on you.

32:5 I will put your flesh on the mountains,

and fill the valleys with your maggot-infested carcass.

32:6 I will drench the land with the flow

of your blood up to the mountains,

and the ravines will be full of your blood.

32:7 When I extinguish you, I will cover the sky;

I will darken its stars.

I will cover the sun with a cloud,

and the moon will not shine. 10 

32:8 I will darken all the lights in the sky over you,

and I will darken your land,

declares the sovereign Lord.


tn The lion was a figure of royalty (Ezek 19:1-9).

tc The Hebrew reads “their streams”; the LXX reads “your streams.”

tn The expression “throw my net” is common in Ezekiel (12:13; 17:20; 19:8).

tn Or “cause.”

tn Heb “live.”

tn Or “cause.”

tn Heb “the beasts of the field,” referring to wild as opposed to domesticated animals.

tc The Hebrew text is difficult here, apparently meaning “your height.” Following Symmachus and the Syriac, it is preferable to emend the text to read “your maggots.” See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:203.

tn Heb “from you.”

10 tn Heb “will not shine its light.” For similar features of cosmic eschatology, see Joel 2:10; 4:15; Amos 5:18-20; Zeph 1:5.