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 prophecy concerning Egypt. Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud, And cometh to Egypt; The gods of Egypt tremble at his presence, And the heart of Egypt melteth within her.

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.

“I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians; Brother shall fight against brother, And neighbor against neighbor; City against city, And 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.

The spirit of Egypt shall fail within her, And her devices I will bring to naught. Then shall they consult the idols, and the sorcerers, And the necromancers, and 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.

But I will give up the Egyptians to the hands of a cruel lord, And a fierce king shall rule over them,” Saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.

5 And the waters of the sea will dry up, and the river will be desolate and dry.

Then shall the waters fail from the river, Yea, the river shall be wasted and dried up.

6 And the rivers will fail. The streams of its banks will diminish and dry up. The reed and the bulrush will wither away.

The streams shall become putrid; The canals of Egypt shall be emptied and dried up; The reed and the rush shall wither.

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 river, by the borders of the river, And all that groweth by the river, Shall wither, be blasted, 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.

Then shall the fishermen mourn; All they that cast the hook into the river shall lament, And they that spread nets upon the face of the waters shall languish.

9 Those who work with linen, combing and weaving fine textiles, will be confounded.

They, also, that work in flax, And they that weave white linen, shall be confounded.

10 And its irrigated places will begin to fail, with all those who make pools to take fish.

Her pillars are broken down, And all who labor for hire are grieved in heart.

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?”

Surely the princes of Zoan are fools; The wise counsellors of Pharaoh have been stupid in their counsels. How, then, can ye say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, 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 are they now, thy wise men? Let them tell thee now, so that men may know it, What Jehovah of hosts hath determined 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 princes of Zoan are become fools; The princes of Noph are deceived, Even the chiefs of her tribes have caused Egypt to err.

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 hath mingled within her a spirit of perverseness, And they have caused Egypt to err in all her works, As a drunkard staggereth 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.

There shall be nothing which can be done by Egypt, By the head, or the tail, the palm-branch, or the rush.

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 shall the Egyptians be like women; They shall tremble and fear On account of the shaking of the hand of Jehovah of hosts, Which he shall shake against 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.

The land of Judah shall be a terror to Egypt; Every one to whom it is mentioned shall tremble On account of the purpose of Jehovah of hosts, Which he hath determined against them.

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 Speaking the language of Canaan, And swearing by Jehovah of hosts; One of them shall be called the City of the Sun.

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 there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of the land of Egypt, And in the border of it a pillar to Jehovah,

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.

Which shall be a sign and a witness For Jehovah of hosts in the land of Egypt, That they cried to Jehovah on account of their oppressors, And he sent them a saviour, and a defender, who delivered 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.

Thus shall Jehovah be made known to Egypt, And the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day, And shall offer him sacrifices and oblations; They shall make vows to Jehovah, and perform them.

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.

Thus Jehovah will smite Egypt; he will smite and heal her; They shall return to Jehovah; Therefore will he hear and 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 shall there he a highway from 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 shall Israel be the third In connection with Egypt and 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.

Jehovah of hosts shall bless them, and say, Blessed be Egypt, my people, And Assyria, the work of my hands, And Israel, my inheritance!