< Isaiah 19 >

1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord will ascend upon a lofty cloud, and he will enter into Egypt, and the false images of Egypt will be moved before his face, and the heart of Egypt will waste away in its midst.
The burden of Egypt. Behold, Jehovah rides upon a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt. And the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
2 And I will cause Egyptian to rush against Egyptian. And they will fight: a man against his brother, and a man against his friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
And I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they shall fight each one against his brother, and each one against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
3 And the spirit of Egypt will be ruptured to its very core. And I will cast down their plan violently. And they will seek answers from their false images, and their diviners, and those led by demons, and their seers.
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it, and I will destroy the counsel of it. And they shall seek for the idols, and for the charmers, and for those who have familiar spirits, and for the wizards.
4 And I will deliver Egypt into the hand of cruel masters, and a strong king will dominate them, says the Lord, the God of hosts.
And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord. And a fierce king shall rule over them, says the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.
5 And the waters of the sea will dry up, and the river will be desolate and dry.
And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and become dry.
6 And the rivers will fail. The streams of its banks will diminish and dry up. The reed and the bulrush will wither away.
And the rivers shall become foul. The streams of Egypt shall be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags shall wither away.
7 The channel of the river will be stripped down to its source, and everything irrigated by it will dry up and wither and be no more.
The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
8 And the fishermen will grieve. And all who cast a hook into the river will mourn. And those who cast a net upon the surface of its waters will languish.
And the fishermen shall lament, and all those who cast a hook into the Nile shall mourn, and those who spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
9 Those who work with linen, combing and weaving fine textiles, will be confounded.
Moreover those who work in combed flax, and those who weave white cloth, shall be confounded.
10 And its irrigated places will begin to fail, with all those who make pools to take fish.
And the pillars of Egypt shall be broken in pieces. All those who work for hire shall be grieved in soul.
11 The leaders of Tanis are foolish. The wise counselors of Pharaoh have given foolish counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh: “I am the son of wise men, the son of the kings of antiquity?”
The rulers of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become brutish. How will ye say to Pharaoh, I am the son of wise men, the son of ancient kings?
12 Where are your wise men now? Let them announce it to you, and let them reveal what the Lord of hosts intends for Egypt.
Where then are thy wise men? And let them tell thee now, and let them know what Jehovah of hosts has purposed concerning Egypt.
13 The leaders of Tanis have become foolish. The leaders of Memphis have decayed. They have deceived Egypt, the corner of its people.
The rulers of Zoan have become fools. The rulers of Memphis are deceived. They have caused Egypt to go astray, the chief of her tribes.
14 The Lord has mixed a spirit of giddiness into its midst. And they have caused Egypt to err in all its works, like a drunken man who staggers and vomits.
Jehovah has mingled a spirit of perverseness in the midst of her, and they have caused Egypt to go astray in every work of it, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
15 And there will be no work for Egypt that would produce a head or a tail, one who bows down or one who refrains from bowing down.
Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do.
16 In that day, Egypt will be like women, and they will be stupefied and fearful before the presence of the shaking hand of the Lord of hosts, the hand which he will move over them.
In that day the Egyptians shall be like women, and they shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of Jehovah of hosts, which he shakes over them.
17 And the land of Judah will be a dread to Egypt. Everyone who thinks about it will be terrified before the presence of the plan of the Lord of hosts, the plan which he has decided concerning them.
And the land of Judah shall become a terror to Egypt. Everyone to whom mention is made of it shall be afraid because of the purpose of Jehovah of hosts, which he purposes against it.
18 In that day, there will be five cities in the land of Egypt which speak the language of Canaan, and which swear by the Lord of hosts. One will be called the City of the Sun.
In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to Jehovah of hosts. One shall be called The city of destruction.
19 In that day, there will be an altar of the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a monument of the Lord beside its borders.
In that day shall there be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Jehovah at the border of it.
20 This shall be a sign and a testimony to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. For they will cry out to the Lord before the face of the tribulation, and he will send them a savior and a defender who will free them.
And it shall be for a sign and for a witness to Jehovah of hosts in the land of Egypt. For they shall cry to Jehovah because of oppressors, and he will send them a savior, and a defender, and he will deliver them.
21 And the Lord will be acknowledged by Egypt, and the Egyptians will recognize the Lord in that day, and they will worship him with sacrifices and gifts. And they will make vows to the Lord, and they will fulfill them.
And Jehovah shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day. Yea, they shall worship with sacrifice and oblation, and shall vow a vow to Jehovah, and shall perform it.
22 And the Lord will strike Egypt with a scourge, and he will heal them. And they will return to the Lord. And he will be placated toward them, and he will heal them.
And Jehovah will smite Egypt, smiting and healing, and they shall return to Jehovah. And he will be entreated by them, and will heal them.
23 In that day, there will be a way from Egypt to the Assyrians, and the Assyrian will enter into Egypt, and the Egyptian will be with the Assyrians, and the Egyptians will serve Assur.
In that day there shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria. And the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians.
24 In that day, will Israel be the third to the Egyptian and the Assyrian, a blessing in the midst of the earth,
In that day Israel shall be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth,
25 which the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying: Blessed be my people of Egypt, and the work of my hands for the Assyrian, but Israel is my inheritance.
in that Jehovah of hosts has blessed them, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.

< Isaiah 19 >