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A message about Egypt

19 This is a message about Egypt.

Look! The Lord is coming to Egypt! He is riding quickly on a cloud and he will soon arrive! The idols of Egypt will shake with fear when he comes. All the people in Egypt will be very afraid.

2 ‘I will cause Egypt's people to fight against each other. People will fight against their own family. They will fight against their neighbours. Cities and kingdoms will fight against each other. 3 The Egyptians will become afraid, so that they do not know what to do. They will ask for help from their idols. They will ask the spirits of dead people to tell them what to do. They will ask magicians to talk to those spirits on their behalf. 4 I will cause a cruel master to have power over Egypt. A powerful king will rule over its people.’

That is what the Lord, the Almighty Lord .

5 The water of the sea will become dry. The Nile river will also become dry and it will have no water in it. 6 The streams will have a bad smell. All the streams and rivers will slowly become dry. The reeds and the river grasses will die. 7 The plants beside the river will die, as well as the crops in the fields along the shore. Everything will become dry and the wind will blow it all away.

8 The people who catch fish in the Nile river will be very sad. Yes, everyone who throws a hook into the river will cry. The people who throw nets into the river will not catch any fish.

9 The people who make linen cloth will not know what to do. There will be no flax for them to use. 10 They will be very upset. All the people who work to get money will be sad.

11 The royal officers in Zoan are fools! Pharaoh's wise leaders tell him to do stupid things! They should not boast to Pharaoh that they are wise. They should not say that they are descendants of wise kings from long ago.

12 Pharaoh, where have your wise men gone? Call them to come! Ask them to tell you what the Lord Almighty has decided to do against Egypt.

13 The officers in Zoan are fools. The officers in Memphis have confused each other. The leaders of Egypt's clans have led their people in the wrong direction.

14 The Lord has sent among the people in Egypt a spirit that confuses them. They go the wrong way in everything that they do. They are like drunk people who have been sick. They cannot walk in a straight line.

15 Nobody in Egypt will be able to do anything. They may be Egypt's head or its tail, a palm branch or a reed. [ a ] There is nothing that anyone can do.

16 At that time, the Egyptians will be weak, like women. They will shake with fear because the Lord Almighty is ready to punish them. 17 The people of Judah will frighten the Egyptians very much. If anyone says Judah's name, everyone who hears it will be afraid. They will be very afraid of the punishment that the Lord Almighty will bring to them.

18 At that time, five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan. [ b ] The people in those cities will promise to obey the Lord Almighty. One of the cities will have the name ‘Sun City’.

19 At that time, there will be an altar in the middle of Egypt's land, where people will worship the Lord . There will also be a tall stone for the Lord at Egypt's border. 20 Those two things will be signs to tell everyone in Egypt about the Lord Almighty. Because of those signs, the Egyptians will remember that the Lord is powerful. When their enemies are cruel to them, they will call out to the Lord for help. Then he will send a strong saviour to rescue them. 21 The Lord will cause the Egyptians to know him. They will agree to serve him. They will worship the Lord with sacrifices and offerings. They will make promises to the Lord , and they will do what they have promised to do. 22 The Lord himself will punish the Egyptians. But after that, they will turn to the Lord . He will answer their prayers, and he will make them well again.

23 At that time, there will be a road from Egypt to Assyria. People from Assyria will travel to Egypt and Egyptians will travel to Assyria. Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

24 At that time, Israel will join Egypt and Assyria as a third important nation. They will bring blessing to the whole world. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless them all. He will say, ‘I will bless Egypt, who are now my people. I will bless Assyria, the people that I have made. And I will bless Israel, the people that I have chosen to belong to me.’

Footnotes

  1. 19:15 See Isaiah 9:14 .
  2. 19:18 ‘The language of Canaan’ here means the Israelites' language, Hebrew.

God’s Message to Egypt

19 A message [ a ] about Egypt: Look, the Lord is coming on a fast cloud. He will enter Egypt, and all the false gods of Egypt will shake with fear. Egypt’s courage will melt away like hot wax.

2 The Lord says, “I will cause the Egyptians to fight against themselves. Men will fight their brothers. Neighbors will be against neighbors. Cities will be against cities. Kingdoms will be against kingdoms. [ b ] 3 The Egyptians will be afraid and confused. They will ask their false gods and wise men what they should do. They will ask their wizards and magicians, but I will ruin their plans.” 4 The Lord God All-Powerful says, “I will give Egypt to a hard master. A powerful king will rule over the people.”

5 The water in the Nile River will dry up and disappear. 6 All the rivers will smell very bad. [ c ] The canals in Egypt will be dry, and the water will be gone. All the water plants will rot. 7 All the plants along the riverbanks will die and blow away. Even the plants at the widest part of the river will dry up, blow away, and disappear.

8 The fishermen, all those who catch fish from the Nile River, will become sad and they will cry. They depend on the Nile River for their food, but it will be dry. 9 Those who make cloth from flax, who weave it into linen, will all be sad. 10 Those who weave cloth will be broken, and those who work for money will be depressed.

11 The leaders of the city of Zoan [ d ] are fools. Pharaoh’s “wise advisors” give bad advice. They say they are wise. They say they are from the old family of the kings, but they are not as smart as they think. 12 Egypt, where are your wise men? They should learn what the Lord All-Powerful has planned for Egypt. They should be the ones to tell you what will happen.

13 The leaders of Zoan have been fooled. The leaders of Noph [ e ] have believed lies, so they lead Egypt the wrong way. 14 The Lord confused them, so they wander around and lead Egypt the wrong way. Everything they do is wrong. They are like drunks rolling in their vomit. 15 There is nothing the leaders can do. (They are “the heads and the tails.” They are “the tops and the stalks of plants.” [ f ] )

16 At that time the Egyptians will be like frightened women. They will be afraid of the Lord All-Powerful, because he will raise his arm to punish the people. 17 The land of Judah brings fear to everyone in Egypt. Anyone in Egypt who hears the name Judah will be afraid. This will happen because the Lord All-Powerful has planned terrible things to happen to Egypt. 18 At that time there will be five cities in Egypt where people speak Hebrew. [ g ] One of these cities will be named “Destruction City.” [ h ] The people in these cities will promise to follow the Lord All-Powerful.

19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of Egypt. At the border of Egypt there will be a monument to show honor to the Lord . 20 This will be a sign to show that the Lord All-Powerful does amazing things. Any time the people cry for help from the Lord , he will send help. He will send someone to save and defend the people—to rescue the people from those who hurt them.

21 At that time the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and they really will know the Lord . They will serve him and give him many sacrifices. They will make promises [ i ] to the Lord , and they will do what they promise. 22 The Lord will punish the Egyptians, but then he will heal them, and they will come back to him. The Lord will listen to their prayers and heal them.

23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Then the Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. Egypt will work with Assyria. [ j ] 24 Then Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together and control the land. This will be a blessing for the land. 25 The Lord All-Powerful will bless these countries. He will say, “Egypt, you are my people. Assyria, I made you. Israel, I own you. You are all blessed!”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 19:1 message Or “burden.”
  2. Isaiah 19:2 Kingdoms will be against kingdoms Or “States will be against states.” This means Egyptians will fight other Egyptians.
  3. Isaiah 19:6 smell very bad In Hebrew this is like a name for the Nile River.
  4. Isaiah 19:11 Zoan A city in Egypt. Also in verse 13.
  5. Isaiah 19:13 Noph Or “Memphis,” a city in Egypt.
  6. Isaiah 19:15 the heads and … stalks of plants See Isa. 9:14-15.
  7. Isaiah 19:18 Hebrew Literally, “the language of Canaan.”
  8. Isaiah 19:18 Destruction City This is a wordplay on the name meaning “Sun City,” which is also called On or Heliopolis.
  9. Isaiah 19:21 promises A special kind of promise to God. See Lev. 22:18-24.
  10. Isaiah 19:23 Egypt will work with Assyria Or “Egypt will serve Assyria.”

19 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

2 And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

3 And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

4 And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts.

5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

6 And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.

7 The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.

8 The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

9 Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.

10 And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.

11 Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?

12 Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the Lord of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.

13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.

14 The Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

15 Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he shaketh over it.

17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he hath determined against it.

18 In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.

19 In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord .

20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

21 And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord , and perform it.

22 And the Lord shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the Lord , and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.

24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:

25 Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Message to Egypt

19 The ( A ) pronouncement concerning ( B ) Egypt:

Behold, the Lord is ( C ) riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;
The ( D ) idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence,
And the ( E ) heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
2 “So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians;
And they will fight, ( F ) each against his brother and each against his neighbor,
City against city and kingdom against kingdom.
3 Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them;
And I will confuse their strategy,
So that ( G ) they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead,
And to [ a ] mediums and spiritists.
4 Furthermore, I will hand the Egyptians over to a ( H ) cruel master,
And a [ b ] mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord [ c ] God of armies.

5 ( I ) The waters from the sea will dry up,
And the river will be parched and dry.
6 The [ d ] ( J ) canals will emit a stench,
The [ e ] ( K ) streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up;
( L ) The reeds and rushes will rot away.
7 The bulrushes by the ( M ) Nile, by the [ f ] edge of the Nile
And all the sown fields by the Nile
Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
8 And the ( N ) fishermen will grieve,
And all those who cast a [ g ] line into the Nile will mourn,
And those who spread nets on the waters will dwindle away.
9 Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax
And the weavers of white ( O ) cloth will be [ h ] utterly dejected.
10 And [ i ] the ( P ) pillars of Egypt will be crushed;
All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.

11 The officials of [ j ] ( Q ) Zoan are mere fools;
The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become [ k ] stupid.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am a son of the ( R ) wise, a son of ancient kings”?
12 Well then, where are your wise men?
Please let them tell you,
And let them [ l ] understand what the Lord of armies
Has ( S ) planned against Egypt.
13 The officials of [ m ] Zoan have turned out to be fools,
The officials of ( T ) Memphis are deluded;
Those who are the ( U ) cornerstone of her tribes
Have [ n ] led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of ( V ) distortion;
( W ) They have led Egypt astray in all [ o ] that it does,
As a ( X ) drunken person [ p ] staggers in his vomit.
15 There will be no work for Egypt
( Y ) Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

16 On that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in great ( Z ) fear because of the ( AA ) waving of the hand of the Lord of armies, which He is going to wave over them. 17 The land of Judah will become a cause of shame to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in great fear because of the ( AB ) plan of the Lord of armies which He is making against them.

18 On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and ( AC ) swearing allegiance to the Lord of armies; one will be called the City of [ q ] Destruction.

19 On that day there will be an ( AD ) altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a ( AE ) memorial stone to the Lord beside its border. 20 And it will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of armies in the land of Egypt; for they will cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a ( AF ) Savior and a ( AG ) Champion, and He will save them. 21 So the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord on that day. They will even worship with ( AH ) sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking but ( AI ) healing; so they will ( AJ ) return to the Lord , and He will respond to their pleas and heal them.

23 On that day there will be a ( AK ) road from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria; and the Egyptians will ( AL ) worship with the Assyrians.

24 On that day Israel will be the third party to Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of armies has blessed, saying, “Blessed is ( AM ) Egypt My people, and Assyria ( AN ) the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 19:3 Or ghosts and spirits
  2. Isaiah 19:4 Or fierce
  3. Isaiah 19:4 Heb YHWH , usually rendered Lord
  4. Isaiah 19:6 Lit rivers
  5. Isaiah 19:6 Or Nile branches ; i.e., the delta
  6. Isaiah 19:7 Or mouth
  7. Isaiah 19:8 Lit hook
  8. Isaiah 19:9 Lit ashamed
  9. Isaiah 19:10 Lit her pillars ; or her weavers
  10. Isaiah 19:11 Or Tanis
  11. Isaiah 19:11 Or brutish
  12. Isaiah 19:12 Or know
  13. Isaiah 19:13 Or Tanis
  14. Isaiah 19:13 Or have caused Egypt to stagger
  15. Isaiah 19:14 Lit its work
  16. Isaiah 19:14 Or goes astray
  17. Isaiah 19:18 Some mss and ancient versions the Sun

A Prophecy Against Egypt

19 A prophecy ( A ) against Egypt: ( B )

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud ( C )
and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt ( D ) with fear.

2 “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
brother will fight against brother, ( E )
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
kingdom against kingdom. ( F )
3 The Egyptians will lose heart, ( G )
and I will bring their plans ( H ) to nothing; ( I )
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
the mediums and the spiritists. ( J )
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king ( K ) will rule over them,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

5 The waters of the river will dry up, ( L )
and the riverbed will be parched and dry. ( M )
6 The canals will stink; ( N )
the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. ( O )
The reeds ( P ) and rushes will wither, ( Q )
7 also the plants ( R ) along the Nile,
at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field ( S ) along the Nile
will become parched, will blow away and be no more. ( T )
8 The fishermen ( U ) will groan and lament,
all who cast hooks ( V ) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
will pine away.
9 Those who work with combed flax ( W ) will despair,
the weavers of fine linen ( X ) will lose hope.
10 The workers in cloth will be dejected,
and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

11 The officials of Zoan ( Y ) are nothing but fools;
the wise counselors ( Z ) of Pharaoh give senseless advice. ( AA )
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the wise men, ( AB )
a disciple of the ancient kings”?

12 Where are your wise men ( AC ) now?
Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
has planned ( AD ) against Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan ( AE ) have become fools,
the leaders of Memphis ( AF ) are deceived;
the cornerstones ( AG ) of her peoples
have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has poured into them
a spirit of dizziness; ( AH )
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
as a drunkard staggers ( AI ) around in his vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do—
head or tail, palm branch or reed. ( AJ )

16 In that day ( AK ) the Egyptians will become weaklings. ( AL ) They will shudder with fear ( AM ) at the uplifted hand ( AN ) that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, ( AO ) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning ( AP ) against them.

18 In that day ( AQ ) five cities ( AR ) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance ( AS ) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun. [ a ] ( AT )

19 In that day ( AU ) there will be an altar ( AV ) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, ( AW ) and a monument ( AX ) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness ( AY ) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior ( AZ ) and defender, and he will rescue ( BA ) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge ( BB ) the Lord . They will worship ( BC ) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. ( BD ) 22 The Lord will strike ( BE ) Egypt with a plague; ( BF ) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn ( BG ) to the Lord , and he will respond to their pleas and heal ( BH ) them.

23 In that day ( BI ) there will be a highway ( BJ ) from Egypt to Assyria. ( BK ) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship ( BL ) together. 24 In that day ( BM ) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, ( BN ) a blessing [ b ] ( BO ) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless ( BP ) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, ( BQ ) Assyria my handiwork, ( BR ) and Israel my inheritance. ( BS )

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
  2. Isaiah 19:24 Or Assyria, whose names will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or Assyria, who will be seen by others as blessed