Isaiah 19

A Prophecy Against Egypt

1 A prophecy against Egypt:
See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud
and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.

2 "I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
brother will fight against brother,
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.

3 The Egyptians will lose heart,
and I will bring their plans to nothing;
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
the mediums and the spiritists.

4 I will hand the Egyptians over
to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king will rule over them,"
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

5 The waters of the river will dry up,
and the riverbed will be parched and dry.

6 The canals will stink;
the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.
The reeds and rushes will wither,

7 also the plants along the Nile,
at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field along the Nile
will become parched, will blow away and be no more.

8 The fishermen will groan and lament,
all who cast hooks into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
will pine away.

9 Those who work with combed flax will despair,
the weavers of fine linen 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 are nothing but fools;
the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
"I am one of the wise men,
a disciple of the ancient kings"?

12 Where are your wise men now?
Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
has planned against Egypt.

13 The officials of Zoan have become fools,
the leaders of Memphis are deceived;
the cornerstones of her peoples
have led Egypt astray.

14 The Lord has poured into them
a spirit of dizziness;
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.

15 There is nothing Egypt can do—
head or tail, palm branch or reed.

16 In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand 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, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them.

18 In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.t

19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border.20 It will be a sign and witness 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 and defender, and he will rescue them.21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.22 The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.

23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessingt on the earth.25 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance."

Isaiah 19

The Lord Will Judge Egypt

1 Here is a message about Egypt:
Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud
and approaches Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him;
the Egyptians lose their courage.t

2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt,t
brothers will fight with each other,
as will neighbors,
cities, and kingdoms.t

3 The Egyptians will panic,t
and I will confuse their strategy.t
They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,
from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians.t

4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;
a powerful king will rule over them,”
says the sovereign master,t the Lord who commands armies.

5 The water of the sea will be dried up,
and the river will dry up and be empty.t

6 The canalst will stink;t
the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up;
the bulrushes and reeds will decay,

7 along with the plants by the mouth of the river.t
All the cultivated land near the river
will turn to dust and be blown away.t

8 The fishermen will mourn and lament,
all those who cast a fishhook into the river,
and those who spread out a net on the water’s surface will grieve.t

9 Those who make clothes from combed flax will be embarrassed;
those who weave will turn pale.t

10 Those who make clotht will be demoralized;t
all the hired workers will be depressed.t

11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools;t
Pharaoh’s wise advisers give stupid advice.
How dare you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the sages,
one well-versed in the writings of the ancient kings?”t

12 But where, oh where, are your wise men?t
Let them tell you, let them find out
what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.

13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
the officials of Memphist are misled;
the rulerst of her tribes lead Egypt astray.

14 The Lord has made them undiscerning;t
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit.t

15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing,
head or tail, shoots and stalk.t
16 At that timet the Egyptianst will be like women.s They will tremble and fear because the Lord who commands armies brandishes his fist against them.t

17 The land of Judah will humiliate Egypt. Everyone who hears about Judah will be afraid because of what the Lord who commands armies is planning to do to them.t
18 At that time five citiess in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord who commands armies. One will be called the City of the Sun.s19 At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt, as well as a sacred pillart dedicated to the Lord at its border.20 Itt will become a visual reminder in the land of Egypt oft the Lord who commands armies. When they cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a deliverer and defendert who will rescue them.21 The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians, and theyt will acknowledge the Lord’s authorityt at that time.t They will present sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them.

22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will turn to the Lord and he will listen to their prayerst and heal them.
23 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will visit Egypt, and the Egyptians will visit Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.t24 At that time Israel will be the third member of the group, along with Egypt and Assyria, and will be a recipient of blessingt in the earth.t

25 The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying,t “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession,t Israel!”