Isaiah 19

1The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

2And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.footnote a

3And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.footnote bfootnote c

4And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.footnote d

5And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

6And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.

7The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.footnote e

8The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

9Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.footnote f

10And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.footnote gfootnote h

11Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?

12Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.

13The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.footnote i

14The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.footnote j

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

16In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.

17And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.

18In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.footnote kfootnote l

19In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.

20And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

21And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it.

22And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

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

24In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:

25Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

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.

2“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian;brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor,city against city, and 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. 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. 5The waters of the Nile will dry up,and the riverbed will be parched and empty. 6The canals will stink;the streams of Egypt will trickle and dry up;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.

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. 9The workers in flax will be dismayed,and the weavers of fine linen will turn pale. 10The workers in clothfootnote awill be dejected,and all the hired workers will be sick at heart.

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”? 12Where are your wise men now?Let them tell you and revealwhat the LORD of Hosts has planned against Egypt.

13The princes of Zoan have become fools;the princes of Memphisfootnote bare deceived.The cornerstones of her tribeshave led Egypt astray. 14The LORD has poured into hera spirit of confusion.Egypt has been led astray in all she does,as a drunkard staggers through his own vomit. 15There is nothing Egypt can do—head or tail, palm 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. 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.

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.footnote c

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. 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. 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.

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.

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.

24In that day Israel will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing upon the earth. 25The LORD of Hosts will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”