17. The young men of Heliopolis and Bubastiswill fall dead in war,and the people will be taken away as captives.
18. In Tahpanhes the day will be darkwhen I break Egypt’s power.Then she will no longer be proud of her power.A cloud will cover Egypt,and her villages will be captured and taken away.
19. So I will punish Egypt,and they will know I am the Lord.’ ”
20. It was in the eleventh year of our captivity, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me, saying:
21. “Human, I have broken the powerful arm of the king of Egypt. It has not been tied up, so it will not get well. It has not been wrapped with a bandage, so it will not be strong enough to hold a sword in war.
22. So this is what the Lord God says: I am against the king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the strong arm and the broken arm, and I will make the sword fall from his hand.
23. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, spreading them among the countries.
24. I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong and put my sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of the king of Egypt. Then when he faces the king of Babylon, he will cry out in pain like a dying person.
25. So I will make the arms of the king of Babylon strong, but the arms of the king of Egypt will fall. Then people will know that I am the Lord when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he uses it in war against Egypt.
26. Then I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, spreading them among the countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”