Isaiah 19

The Burden against Egypt

1This is the burden against Egypt:

Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud;

He is coming to Egypt.

The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him,

and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them.

1The burden of Egypt: Behold, YHWH is riding on a swift cloud, and He is coming into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will quiver before His face, and the heart of Egypt will melt within them.

2“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian;

brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor,

city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

2“And I will set Egyptian against Egyptian, and a man will be fighting against his brother, and a man against his neighbor—city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

3Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them,

and I will frustrate their plans,

so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead,

to mediums and spiritists.

3And the spirit of Egypt will be emptied out from among them, and I will swallow up its counsel; and they will resort to the idols, and to the charmers, and to the mediums, and to the spiritists.

4I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a harsh master,

and a fierce king will rule over them,”

declares the Lord GOD of Hosts.

4And I will shut up Egypt in the hand of harsh masters, and a fierce king will rule over them,” a declaration of the Lord YHWH of hosts.

5The waters of the Nile will dry up,

and the riverbed will be parched and empty.

5And the waters of the Sea will dry up, and the River will become parched and dried up;

6The canals will stink;

the streams of Egypt will trickle and dry up;

the reeds and rushes will wither.

6and the rivers will trickle and will become foul, and the brooks of Egypt dried out; the reeds and rushes will wither,

7The bulrushes by the Nile,

by the mouth of the river,

and all the fields sown along the Nile,

will wither, blow away, and be no more.

7the rushes by the River, upon the mouth of the River, and every sown field of the River will wither; it will be driven away and be no more.

8Then the fishermen will mourn,

all who cast a hook into the Nile will lament,

and those who spread nets on the waters will pine away.

8And the fishermen will mourn, and all those casting a hook into the River will lament, and those spreading nets upon the face of the waters, they will languish.

9The workers in flax will be dismayed,

and the weavers of fine linen will turn pale.

9And those working fine flax will be put to shame, and those weaving white cloth,

10The workers in cloth will be dejected,

and all the hired workers will be sick at heart.

10and her weavers have been crushed, and all the hired workers are stagnant of soul.

11The princes of Zoan are mere fools;

Pharaoh’s wise counselors give senseless advice.

How can you say to Pharaoh,

“I am one of the wise,

a son of eastern kings”?

11Indeed the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh has become dull. How can you say to Pharaoh, “A son of wise men, I am a son of kings from times before?

12Where are your wise men now?

Let them tell you and reveal

what the LORD of Hosts has planned against Egypt.

12Where then are your wise ones? And let them declare it to you now and make known what YHWH of Hosts has counseled for Egypt!

13The princes of Zoan have become fools;

the princes of Memphis are deceived.

The cornerstones of her tribes

have led Egypt astray.

13The princes of Zoan have become fools, the princes of Memphis are deceived; they have led Egypt astray—the cornerstone of her tribes.

14The LORD has poured into her

a spirit of confusion.

Egypt has been led astray in all she does,

as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit.

14YHWH has mixed into her midst a spirit of distortions, and Egypt they have led astray in all her work, like the staggering of a drunkard in his vomit.

15There is nothing Egypt can do—

head or tail, palm or reed.

15And there will not be work for Egypt that one could do—head or tail, palm branch or reed,

A Blessing upon the Earth

16In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble with fear beneath the uplifted hand of the LORD of Hosts, when He brandishes it against them.

16In that day Egypt will become like women, and it will tremble and feel dread from the face of the waving of the hand of YHWH of Hosts, which He is waving over it.

17The land of Judah will bring terror to Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble over what the LORD of Hosts has planned against it.

17And the land of Judah will be to Egypt as a terror; everyone who makes mention of it will tremble in himself from the face of the counsel of YHWH of Hosts, which He is counseling against Egypt.

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

18In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing oaths by YHWH of Hosts. “City of the Sun” it will be said of one.

19In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near her border.

19In that day there will be an altar to YHWH in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to YHWH at its border.

20It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and defender to rescue them.

20And it will be as a sign and as a witness to YHWH of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to YHWH from the face of the oppressors, and He will send to them one saving and defending, and He will deliver them.

21The LORD will make Himself known to Egypt, and on that day Egypt will acknowledge the LORD. They will worship with sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and fulfill them.

21And YHWH will make Himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will acknowledge YHWH on that day, and they will prepare sacrifice and offering, and they will vow a vow to YHWH and fulfill it.

22And the LORD will strike Egypt with a plague; He will strike them but heal them. They will turn to the LORD, and He will hear their prayers and heal them.

22And YHWH will strike Egypt, striking and healing; and they will turn back to YHWH, and He will be entreated by them, and He will heal them.

23In 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.

23That in the day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt with Assyria will serve Him.

24In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing upon the earth.

24In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth,

25The LORD of Hosts will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”

25when YHWH of Hosts will bless him, saying, “Blessed be My people Egypt, and the work of My hands Assyria, and My inheritance Israel.”