Isaiah 19

1 The burden of Egypt: "Look, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

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.

2 I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they will fight everyone against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

I will encourage Egyptians to attack other Egyptians. They will fight each other, neighbor versus neighbor, town versus town, and kingdom versus kingdom.

3 The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst. I will destroy its counsel. They will seek the idols, spirits of the dead, mediums, and spiritists.

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.

4 I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord. A fierce king will rule over them," says the LORD of hosts.

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

5 The waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry.

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

6 The rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away.

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.

7 The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.

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.

8 The fishermen will lament, and all those who fish in the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will languish.

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.

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

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

10 The pillars will be broken in pieces. All those who work for hire will be grieved in soul.

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

11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become stupid. How do you say to Pharaoh, "I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?"

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”?

12 Where then are your sages? And let them tell you now; and let them know what the LORD of hosts has purposed concerning Egypt.

So where are your wise counselors? Let them tell you so you can understand what the Lord Almighty has planned to do to Egypt.

13 The princes of Zoan have become fools. The princes of Memphis are deceived. They have caused Egypt to go astray, who are the cornerstone of her tribes.

The leaders of Zoan have become stupid; the leaders of Memphis have been fooled; the important leaders of Egypt have misled their people.

14 The LORD has mixed a spirit of perverseness in the midst of her; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in all of its works, like a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

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.

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

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

16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shakes over them.

At that time the Egyptians will become like women. They will shake with fear when the Lord Almighty raises his arm against them.

17 The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt. Everyone to whom mention is made of it will be afraid, because of the plans of the LORD of hosts, which he determines against it.

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.

18 In that day, there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear loyalty to the LORD of hosts. One will be called the City of the Sun.

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.

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.

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.

20 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 oppressors, and he will send them a savior and a defender, and he will deliver them.

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.

21 The LORD will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day. Yes, they will worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make vows to the LORD, and will perform them.

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.

22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing. They will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas, and will heal them.

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.

23 In that day there will be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

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.

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

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.

25 because the LORD of hosts has blessed them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance."

The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt, my people, Assyria, the creation of my hands, and Israel, my special possession.”