I will cause your multitude to fall by the swords of mighty ones, all of them most terrible among the nations: God will cause the Babylonian soldiers to come and kill the people of Egypt in war. In this context your multitude refers to the people of Egypt (see the comments on 30.10). Swords is used to represent warfare here (see 11.8). Mighty ones may be rendered “mighty soldiers” (New International Reader’s Version, New Century Version), “[mighty] warriors” (New King James Version , Jerusalem Bible/New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Christian Community Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt), or “strong fighting men.” God again describes these Babylonian soldiers as the most terrible, “most ruthless” (New International Version), “cruelest” (Contemporary English Version) of all people (see the comments on 28.7). They “will not show … any pity” (New International Reader’s Version) to the Egyptians. It may help to use two sentences here, for example, “I will make the people of Egypt die in war. I will send the soldiers who are the cruelest of all the nations to attack them.”

They shall bring to nought the pride of Egypt: The Egyptians had become arrogant and confident in their military strength and political power (see 30.6), and the Babylonian soldiers will bring to nought, that is, “destroy” (New Century Version), “shatter” (New International Version, New Living Translation, Christian Community Bible), “ruin” (Moffatt), that pride. New Century Version makes it clear that what the enemy will destroy is pride by saying “They will destroy the pride of Egypt.” However, Good News Translation understands that the enemy will destroy the things the Egyptians were proud of by saying “everything else you are proud of will be destroyed.” Translators will do well to find the most appropriate way in their language to refer to proud and arrogant people and to use an appropriate verb to describe the downfall of such people.

And all its multitude shall perish repeats the same idea as the first clause of this verse, and may be rendered “and all your people will die.”

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .