Isaiah 19

1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, YHWH is riding on a swift thick cloud, And He has entered Egypt, And the idols of Egypt have been moved at His presence, And the heart of Egypt melts in its midst.

The oracle on Egypt: Lo! Yahweh, riding upon a swift cloud, and he will enter Egypt, And the idols of Egypt shall shake at his presence, And, the heart of Egypt, shall melt within him;

2 And I armed Egyptians against Egyptians, And they fought, each against his brother, And each against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom.

And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, And they shall fight—Every one against his brother and Every one against his neighbour, —City against city, and Kingdom against kingdom.

3 And the spirit of Egypt has been emptied out in its midst. And I swallow up its counsel, And they have sought to the idols, And to the charmers, And to those having familiar spirits, And to the wizards.

And the spirit of Egypt, shall vanish, within them, Yea the sagacity thereof, will I swallow up, —And they will seek Unto the idols and Unto them that mutter, and Unto them that have familiar spirits, and Unto the wizards;

4 And I have delivered the Egyptians Into the hand of a hard lord, And a strong king rules over them, A declaration of the Lord, YHWH of Hosts.

And I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord, —And a fierce king shall rule over them, Declareth the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.

5 And waters have failed from the sea, And a river is desolated and dried up.

And the waters shall be dried up from the great stream, —And the River, shall waste and be dry;

6 And they have turned away the flowings, Brooks of the bulwark have been weak and dried up, Reed and flag have withered.

And rivers, shall stink, The canals of Egypt be shallow and waste, Reed and rush, be withered;

7 Exposed things by the brook, by the edge of the brook, And every sown thing of the brook, has withered, It has been driven away, and is not.

The meadows by the Nile, by the mouth of the Nile. And all that is sown in the Nile, Shall be dry, driven away, and not be!

8 And the fishers have lamented, And all casting a hook into the brook have mourned, And those spreading dragnets on the face of the waters have languished.

Then shall the fishers, lament, And all shall mourn who cast in the Nile a hook, —And they who spread nets on the face of the waters shall languish;

9 And makers of fine flax have been ashamed, And weavers of networks.

Then shall turn pale The workers in combed flax, —and The weavers of white linen;

10 And its foundations have been struck, All making wages [are] afflicted in soul.

Then shall her pillars be crushed, —All who make wages, be bowed down in soul.

11 Only, the princes of Zoan [are] fools, The counsel of the wise ones of the counselors of Pharaoh has become brutish. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of kings of antiquity?”

Surely, foolish, are the princes of Zoan, the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh, in counsel are brutish, —How can ye say unto Pharaoh, Son of the wise, am I Son of the kings of olden time?

12 Where [are] they now, your wise ones? Indeed, let them now tell [it] to you, And they know what YHWH of Hosts has counseled against Egypt!

Where then are thy wise men? Pray let them tell thee! And let them know what Yahweh of hosts hath purposed on Egypt!

13 Princes of Zoan have been foolish, Princes of Noph have been lifted up, And they have caused Egypt to err, The chief of her tribes.

Doting are the princes of Zoan, Deceived are the princes of Noph: They who are the corner-stone of her tribes, have led Egypt astray.

14 YHWH has mingled in her midst A spirit of perverseness, And they have caused Egypt to err in all its work, As a drunkard errs in his vomit.

Yahweh, hath infused in her midst, a spirit of perverseness, —And they have led Egypt astray into all his own doings, As a drunken man staggereth into his own vomit;

15 And there is no work to Egypt, That head or tail, branch or reed, may do.

And Egypt shall have nothing which can be done, Which head or tail, palm-top or rush, can do!

16 In that day Egypt is like women, And it has mourned, and been afraid, Because of the waving of the hand of YHWH of Hosts, That He is waving over it.

In that day, shall Egypt be like unto women, —And shall start and tremble because of the brandishing of the hand of Yahweh of hosts, which he is about to brandish over it.

17 And the land of Judah has been to Egypt for a cause of staggering, Everyone who mentions it, fears for himself, Because of the counsel of YHWH of Hosts, That He is counseling against it.

Then shall the soil of Judah become, to Egypt, a terror; Every one to whom it is mentioned, will tremble, —Because of the purpose of Yahweh of hosts, which he is purposing against it.

18 In that day there are five cities in the land of Egypt, Speaking the lip of Canaan, And swearing to YHWH of Hosts, “The city of destruction,” is said of one.

In that day, shall there be five cities in the land of Egypt Speaking the language of Canaan, And swearing unto Yahweh of hosts, —The city of destruction, shall be the name of one!

19 In that day there is an altar to YHWH In the midst of the land of Egypt, And a standing pillar to YHWH near its border,

In that day, shall there be An altar unto Yahweh, in the midst of the land of Egypt, —And a pillar near the boundary thereof unto Yahweh;

20 And it has been for a sign and for a testimony, To YHWH of Hosts in the land of Egypt, For they cry to YHWH from the face of oppressors, And He sends a Savior to them, Even a great one, and has delivered them.

And it shall become a sign and a witness unto Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt, —For they will make outcry unto Yahweh, because of oppressors, That he would send them a saviour—and a great one Then will he deliver them.

21 And YHWH has been known to Egypt, And the Egyptians have known YHWH in that day, And done sacrifice and present, And vowed a vow to YHWH, and completed [it].

Then will, Yahweh, make himself known, to the Egyptians, So shall the Egyptians know, Yahweh, in that day, —And they will offer a sacrifice and a present And will vow a vow unto Yahweh and will perform.

22 And YHWH has struck Egypt, striking and healing, And they have turned back to YHWH, And He has accepted their plea, And has healed them.

And Yahweh, will plague Egypt, plague and heal, —And they will turn unto Yahweh And he will be entreated of them and will heal them.

23 In that day a highway is out of Egypt to Asshur, And the Assyrians have come into Egypt, And the Egyptians into Asshur, And the Egyptians have served with the Assyrians.

In that day, shall there be a highway. from Egypt to Assyria, And, the Assyrians, shall come into Egypt, And, the Egyptians, into Assyria; And, the Egyptians shall serve, with the Assyrians.

24 In that day Israel is third, With Egypt, and with Asshur, A blessing in the heart of the earth.

In that day, shall, Israel, be, a third, with Egypt and with Assyria, —A blessing in the midst of the earth:

25 In that YHWH of Hosts blessed it, saying, “Blessed [is] My people—Egypt, And the work of My hands—Asshur, And My inheritance—Israel!”

Whom Yahweh of hosts hath blessed saying, —Blessed, be My people—the Egyptians, And the work of my hands—the Assyrians, And mine own inheritance—Israel.