Isa 19 | NASB1995 | STEP | The oracle concerning Egypt . Behold , the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt ; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence , And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.

Isaiah 19

Message to Egypt

1 The ^{▼▼ Or burden of
,} ^boracle concerning ^cEgypt. Behold, the Lord is ^driding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;
The ^eidols of Egypt will tremble at His presence,
And the ^fheart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
2 “So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians;
And they will ^geach fight against his brother and each against his neighbor,
City against city and kingdom against kingdom.
3 “Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them;
And I will confound their strategy,
So that ^hthey will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead
And to ^{▼▼ Or ghosts and spirits}mediums and spiritists.
4 “Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a ^jcruel master,
And a ^{▼▼ Or fierce}mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord ^{▼▼ Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord}God of hosts.

5 ^mThe waters from the sea will dry up,
And the river will be parched and dry.
6 The ^{▼▼ Lit rivers
,} ^ocanals will emit a stench,
The ^{▼▼ Or Nile branches; i.e. the delta
,} ^qstreams of Egypt will thin out and dry up;
^rThe reeds and rushes will rot away.
7 The bulrushes by the ^sNile, by the ^{▼▼ Or mouth}edge of the Nile
And all the sown fields by the Nile
Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.
8 And the ^ufishermen will lament,
And all those who cast a ^{▼▼ Lit hook}line into the Nile will mourn,
And those who spread nets on the waters will ^{▼▼ Or languish}pine away.
9 Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax
And the weavers of white ^xcloth will be ^{▼▼ Lit ashamed}utterly dejected.
10 And ^{▼▼ Lit her pillars or, her weavers}the ^aapillars of Egypt will be crushed;
All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.

11 The princes of ^{▼▼ Or Tanis
,} ^acZoan are mere fools;
The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become ^{▼▼ Or brutish}stupid.
How can you men say to Pharaoh,
“I am a son of the ^aewise, a son of ancient kings”?
12 Well then, where are your wise men?
Please let them tell you,
And let them ^{▼▼ Or know}understand what the Lord of hosts
Has ^agpurposed against Egypt.
13 The princes of ^{▼▼ Or Tanis}Zoan have acted foolishly,
The princes of ^aiMemphis are deluded;
Those who are the ^ajcornerstone of her tribes
Have ^{▼▼ Or have caused Egypt to stagger}led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of ^aldistortion;
^amThey have led Egypt astray in all ^{▼▼ Lit its work}that it does,
As a ^aodrunken man ^{▼▼ Or goes astray}staggers in his vomit.
15 There will be no work for Egypt
^aqWhich its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

16 In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in ^ardread because of the ^aswaving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. 17 The land of Judah will become a ^{▼▼ Or cause of shame}terror to Egypt; everyone ^{▼▼ Lit who mentions it will be in dread to it}to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the ^avpurpose of the Lord of hosts which He is purposing against them.

18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and ^awswearing allegiance to the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of ^{▼▼ Some ancient mss and versions read the Sun}Destruction.

19 In that day there will be an ^ayaltar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a ^azpillar to the Lord near its border. 20 It will become a sign and 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 ^baSavior and a ^{▼▼ Lit Mighty One
,} ^bcChampion, and He will deliver them. 21 Thus the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. They will even worship with ^bdsacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt, striking but ^behealing; so they will ^bfreturn to the Lord, and He will respond to them and will heal them.

23 In that day there will be a ^bghighway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will ^bhworship with the Assyrians.

24 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is ^biEgypt My people, and Assyria ^bjthe work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”