Isaiah 19

Proclamation Against Egypt

1 The burden against Egypt. The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.2 I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom.3 The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers.4 And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them, Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.5 The waters will fail from the sea, And the river will be wasted and dried up.6 The rivers will turn foul; The brooks of defense will be emptied and dried up; The reeds and rushes will wither.7 The papyrus reeds by the River, by the mouth of the River, And everything sown by the River, Will wither, be driven away, and be no more.8 The fishermen also will mourn; All those will lament who cast hooks into the River, And they will languish who spread nets on the waters.9 Moreover those who work in fine flax And those who weave fine fabric will be ashamed;10 And its foundations will be broken. All who make wages will be troubled of soul.11 Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; Pharaohs wise counselors give foolish counsel. How do you say to Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings?12 Where are they? Where are your wise men? Let them tell you now, And let them know what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.13 The princes of Zoan have become fools; The princes of Noph are deceived; They have also deluded Egypt, Those who are the mainstay of its tribes.14 The Lord has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst; And they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, As a drunken man staggers in his vomit.15 Neither will there be any work for Egypt, Which the head or tail, Palm branch or bulrush, may do.16 In that day Egypt will be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He waves over it.17 And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts which He has determined against it.

Egypt, Assyria, and Israel Blessed

18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border.20 And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them.21 Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day, and will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians.24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyriaa blessing in the midst of the land,25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, 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!”