Isaiah 19

1 A message about Egypt. Look, the Lord is riding on a fast-moving cloud on his way to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the Egyptians will become weak with fear.

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 I will encourage Egyptians to attack other Egyptians. They will fight each other, neighbor versus neighbor, town versus town, and kingdom versus 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 I will destroy the confidence of the Egyptians. I will have their plans become all mixed up. They will ask their idols and the spirits of the dead what to do through mediums and spiritists.

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 I will hand the Egyptians over to a harsh dictator. A cruel king will rule over them, declares the Lord.

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 The waters of the Nile will fail, and its riverbed will be sunbaked and dry.

And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and become dry.

6 The channels will start to stink; the branches of the Nile in Egypt will dry to a trickle and dry up; the reeds and rushes 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 vegetation along the banks of the Nile, and all the plants in the cultivated land along the Nile, will dry up and be blown away. Everything will be gone.

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 Fishermen will mourn: all of them all who use hooks to fish in the Nile will weep and wail, along with those who fish by throwing nets into the water.

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 The workers who prepare the flax for linen and the weavers of white fabric will be in despair.

Moreover those who work in combed flax, and those who weave white cloth, shall be confounded.

10 The cloth workers will be depressed, and everyone who earns a wage will feel sick inside.

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 Zoan are stupid. Pharaoh's wise counselors give advice that doesn't make sense. How can you tell Pharaoh, “I myself am a wise man, descended from ancient kings”?

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 So where are your wise counselors? Let them tell you so you can understand what the Lord Almighty has planned to do to 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 Zoan have become stupid; the leaders of Memphis have been fooled; the important leaders of Egypt have misled their 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 up a spirit of confusion for them to drink, making the Egyptians stagger around in everything they do, like a drunk slipping up on his own vomit.

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 Nobody in Egypt can do anything, whoever they are—head or tail, palm tree or reed.

Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do.

16 At that time the Egyptians will become like women. They will shake with fear when the Lord Almighty raises his arm against 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 The land of Judah will be a source of terror to Egypt for whenever Judah is mentioned, all Egyptians will tremble over what the Lord Almighty has planned to do to 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 At that time there will be five cities in Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and who have sworn to worship the Lord Almighty. One of them 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 At that time there will be an altar to the Lord right in the middle of Egypt, and a stone monument to the Lord on its border.

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 will be a sign and a witness to the presence of the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord for help because they are being oppressed, he will send them a savior to fight for them and to rescue 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 The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and at that time Egypt will come to know the Lord. They will worship him with sacrifices and offerings; they will make promises to the Lord and keep 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 The Lord will inflict a plague on Egypt. He will do this, but he will heal them. They will come back to the Lord. He will respond to their prayers and 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 At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

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 At that time Israel will be the third part of this alliance, joining with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing to the whole 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 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt, my people, Assyria, the creation of my hands, and Israel, my special possession.”

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.