CHAPTER 30 Oct. 4 
Lamentation over Egypt
The word of Yahweh came again to me saying, 2Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Wail, Alas for the day! 3For the day is near, even the day of Yahweh is near; it shall be a day of clouds, a time of the nations. 4A sword shall come on Egypt and anguish shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt; and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. 5Ethiopia, Put and Lud, and all the mixed people, and Cub, and the children of the land that is allied with them, shall fall with them by the sword. 6Thus says Yahweh: They also who uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Seveneh shall they fall in it by the sword, says the Lord Yahweh. 7They shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. 8They shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and all her helpers are destroyed. 9In that day shall messengers go forth from before Me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid; and there shall be anguish on them, as in the day of Egypt; for, behold, it comes. 10Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 11He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought in to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. 12I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men; and I will make the land desolate, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I, Yahweh, have spoken it. 13Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I will also destroy the idols and I will cause the images to cease from Memphis; there shall be no more a prince from the land of Egypt: and I will put a fear in the land of Egypt. 14I will make Pathros desolate, will set a fire in Zoan and will execute judgments on No. 15I will pour My wrath on Sin, the stronghold of Egypt; and I will cut off the multitude of No. 16I will set a fire in Egypt; Sin shall be in great anguish, No shall be broken up and Memphis shall have adversaries in the daytime. 17The young men of Aven and of Pibeseth shall fall by the sword; and these cities shall go into captivity. 18At Tehaphnehes also the day shall withdraw itself, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt, and the pride of her power shall cease in her: as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. 19Thus will I execute judgments on Egypt; and they shall know that I am Yahweh. 20It happened in the eleventh year, in the first month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 21Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and behold, it has not been bound up, to apply healing medicines, to put a bandage to bind it that it be strong to hold the sword. 22Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong arm, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. 24I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand: but I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man. 25I will hold up the arms of the king of Babylon; and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am Yahweh, when I shall put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out on the land of Egypt. 26I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.

Commentary

30:2 The wailing and lamentation for the fate of Gentile nations, even those who had been enemies of God’s people, really shows how neither God nor Ezekiel had the slightest pleasure in the punishment of the wicked. God’s desire is to positively manifest and develop His Name; this is His focus, rather than hitting back against those who rebel against Him.
30:13 I will put a fear in the land of Egypt- God often punishes people by sending attitudes of mind upon them.
30:18 The day shall withdraw itself- A reference to the collapse of the meaning of time as we know it around the period of Christ’s return? This verse speaks of the time when Egypt comes to know the Lord through His judgments (:19)- and this must have some reference to the last days. 
30:21 I have broken the arm of Pharaoh- One arm of Pharaoh had already been broken when Babylon defeated Pharaoh-Necho at Carchemish (Jer. 46:2) and took away from Egypt all her territory from the Nile to the Euphrates (2 Kings 24:7).  This breaking of Pharaoh’s arms one by one is likely because God wished them to repent after the first arm was broken. God doesn’t afflict just to be cruel, but because He has a purpose, to His glory.
30:23,24 The language of scattering amongst the nations after being attacked by a Babylon empowered by God is exactly the sort of thing the prophets said would happen to Israel. There is a Biblical theme that God’s people suffer the same judgments as the world, Egypt, if they act like the world. Hence we are warned to beware lest we be condemned with the world (1 Cor. 11:32). In our hearts and actions, there must be a chasmic difference between us and this world.