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Isaiah 18-20
New King James Version
Isaiah 18-20
New King James Version
Proclamation Against Ethiopia
18 Woe (A)to the land shadowed with buzzing wings,
Which is beyond the rivers of [a]Ethiopia,
2 Which sends ambassadors by sea,
Even in vessels of reed on the waters, saying,
“Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth of skin,
To a people terrible from their beginning onward,
A nation powerful and treading down,
Whose land the rivers divide.”
3 All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth:
(B)When he lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it;
And when he blows a trumpet, you hear it.
4 For so the Lord said to me,
“I will take My rest,
And I will [b]look from My dwelling place
Like clear heat in sunshine,
Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
5 For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect
And the sour grape is ripening in the flower,
He will both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks
And take away and cut down the branches.
6 They will be left together for the mountain birds of prey
And for the beasts of the earth;
The birds of prey will summer on them,
And all the beasts of the earth will winter on them.
7 In that time (C)a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts
[c]From a people tall and smooth of skin,
And from a people terrible from their beginning onward,
A nation powerful and treading down,
Whose land the rivers divide—
To the place of the name of the Lord of hosts,
To Mount Zion.
Proclamation Against Egypt
19 The (D)burden[d] against Egypt.
Behold, the Lord (E)rides on a swift cloud,
And will come into Egypt;
(F)The idols of Egypt will [e]totter at His presence,
And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.
2 “I will (G)set Egyptians against Egyptians;
Everyone will fight against his brother,
And everyone against his neighbor,
City against city, kingdom against kingdom.
3 The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst;
I will destroy their counsel,
And they will (H)consult the idols and the charmers,
The mediums and the sorcerers.
4 And the Egyptians I will give
(I)Into the hand of a cruel master,
And a fierce king will rule over them,”
Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.
5 (J)The waters will fail from the sea,
And the river will be wasted and dried up.
6 The rivers will turn foul;
The brooks (K)of defense will be emptied and dried up;
The reeds and rushes will wither.
7 The papyrus reeds by [f]the River, by the mouth of the River,
And everything sown by the River,
Will wither, be driven away, and be no more.
8 The fishermen also will mourn;
All those will lament who cast hooks into the River,
And they will languish who spread nets on the waters.
9 Moreover those who work in (L)fine flax
And those who weave fine fabric will be ashamed;
10 And its foundations will be broken.
All who make wages will be troubled of soul.
11 Surely the princes of (M)Zoan are fools;
Pharaoh’s wise counselors give foolish counsel.
(N)How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise,
The son of ancient kings?”
12 (O)Where are they?
Where are your wise men?
Let them tell you now,
And let them know what the Lord of hosts has (P)purposed against Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan have become fools;
(Q)The princes of [g]Noph are deceived;
They have also [h]deluded Egypt,
Those who are the [i]mainstay of its tribes.
14 The Lord has mingled (R)a perverse spirit in her midst;
And they have caused Egypt to err in all her work,
As a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
15 Neither will there be any work for Egypt,
Which (S)the head or tail,
Palm branch or bulrush, may do.
16 In that day Egypt will (T)be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, (U)which He waves over it. 17 And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts which He has (V)determined against it.
Egypt, Assyria, and Israel Blessed
18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will (W)speak the language of Canaan and (X)swear by the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of [j]Destruction.
19 In that day (Y)there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the (Z)Lord at its border. 20 And (AA)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 the oppressors, and He will send them a (AB)Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. 21 Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will (AC)know the Lord in that day, and (AD)will make sacrifice and offering; yes, they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22 And the Lord will strike Egypt, He will strike and (AE)heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.
23 In that day (AF)there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will (AG)serve with the Assyrians.
24 In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing in the midst of the land, 25 whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria (AH)the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
The Sign Against Egypt and Ethiopia
20 In the year that (AI)Tartan[k] came to Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it, 2 at the same time the Lord spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and remove (AJ)the sackcloth from your [l]body, and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, (AK)walking naked and barefoot.
3 Then the Lord said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years (AL)for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, 4 so shall the (AM)king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, (AN)with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. 5 (AO)Then they shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and Egypt their glory. 6 And the inhabitant of this territory will say in that day, ‘Surely such is our expectation, wherever we flee for (AP)help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape?’ ”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 18:1 Heb. Cush
- Isaiah 18:4 watch
- Isaiah 18:7 So with DSS, LXX, Vg.; MT omits From; Tg. To
- Isaiah 19:1 oracle, prophecy
- Isaiah 19:1 Lit. shake
- Isaiah 19:7 The Nile
- Isaiah 19:13 Ancient Memphis
- Isaiah 19:13 Lit. caused to stagger
- Isaiah 19:13 cornerstone
- Isaiah 19:18 Some Heb. mss., Arab., DSS, Tg., Vg. Sun; LXX Asedek, lit. Righteousness
- Isaiah 20:1 Or the Commander in Chief
- Isaiah 20:2 Lit. loins
Isaiah 18-20
New International Version
Isaiah 18-20
New International Version
A Prophecy Against Cush
18 Woe(A) to the land of whirring wings[a]
along the rivers of Cush,[b](B)
2 which sends envoys(C) by sea
in papyrus(D) boats over the water.
Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,(E)
to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive(F) nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers.(G)
3 All you people of the world,(H)
you who live on the earth,
when a banner(I) is raised on the mountains,
you will see it,
and when a trumpet(J) sounds,
you will hear it.
4 This is what the Lord says to me:
“I will remain quiet(K) and will look on from my dwelling place,(L)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,(M)
like a cloud of dew(N) in the heat of harvest.”
5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off(O) the shoots with pruning knives,
and cut down and take away the spreading branches.(P)
6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey(Q)
and to the wild animals;(R)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
the wild animals all winter.
7 At that time gifts(S) will be brought to the Lord Almighty
from a people tall and smooth-skinned,(T)
from a people feared(U) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
whose land is divided by rivers(V)—
the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.(W)
A Prophecy Against Egypt
19 A prophecy(X) against Egypt:(Y)
See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud(Z)
and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt(AA) with fear.
2 “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
brother will fight against brother,(AB)
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.(AC)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,(AD)
and I will bring their plans(AE) to nothing;(AF)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
the mediums and the spiritists.(AG)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king(AH) will rule over them,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
5 The waters of the river will dry up,(AI)
and the riverbed will be parched and dry.(AJ)
6 The canals will stink;(AK)
the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.(AL)
The reeds(AM) and rushes will wither,(AN)
7 also the plants(AO) along the Nile,
at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field(AP) along the Nile
will become parched, will blow away and be no more.(AQ)
8 The fishermen(AR) will groan and lament,
all who cast hooks(AS) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
will pine away.
9 Those who work with combed flax(AT) will despair,
the weavers of fine linen(AU) will lose hope.
10 The workers in cloth will be dejected,
and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.
11 The officials of Zoan(AV) are nothing but fools;
the wise counselors(AW) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.(AX)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one of the wise men,(AY)
a disciple of the ancient kings”?
12 Where are your wise men(AZ) now?
Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
has planned(BA) against Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan(BB) have become fools,
the leaders of Memphis(BC) are deceived;
the cornerstones(BD) of her peoples
have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has poured into them
a spirit of dizziness;(BE)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
as a drunkard staggers(BF) around in his vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do—
head or tail, palm branch or reed.(BG)
16 In that day(BH) the Egyptians will become weaklings.(BI) They will shudder with fear(BJ) at the uplifted hand(BK) that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,(BL) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning(BM) against them.
18 In that day(BN) five cities(BO) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance(BP) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[c](BQ)
19 In that day(BR) there will be an altar(BS) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,(BT) and a monument(BU) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness(BV) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior(BW) and defender, and he will rescue(BX) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge(BY) the Lord. They will worship(BZ) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.(CA) 22 The Lord will strike(CB) Egypt with a plague;(CC) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn(CD) to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal(CE) them.
23 In that day(CF) there will be a highway(CG) from Egypt to Assyria.(CH) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship(CI) together. 24 In that day(CJ) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,(CK) a blessing[d](CL) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless(CM) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people,(CN) Assyria my handiwork,(CO) and Israel my inheritance.(CP)”
A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush
20 In the year that the supreme commander,(CQ) sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod(CR) and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.(CS) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth(CT) from your body and the sandals(CU) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped(CV) and barefoot.(CW)
3 Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant(CX) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,(CY) as a sign(CZ) and portent(DA) against Egypt(DB) and Cush,[e](DC) 4 so the king(DD) of Assyria will lead away stripped(DE) and barefoot the Egyptian captives(DF) and Cushite(DG) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared(DH)—to Egypt’s shame.(DI) 5 Those who trusted(DJ) in Cush(DK) and boasted in Egypt(DL) will be dismayed and put to shame.(DM) 6 In that day(DN) the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened(DO) to those we relied on,(DP) those we fled to for help(DQ) and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?(DR)’”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 18:1 Or of locusts
- Isaiah 18:1 That is, the upper Nile region
- Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
- Isaiah 19:24 Or Assyria, whose names will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or Assyria, who will be seen by others as blessed
- Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5
Proverbs 9
New King James Version
Proverbs 9
New King James Version
The Way of Wisdom
9 Wisdom has (A)built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 (B)She has slaughtered her meat,
(C)She has mixed her wine,
She has also [a]furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
4 “Whoever(D) is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5 “Come,(E) eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.
7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 (F)Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
(G)Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, (H)and he will increase in learning.
10 “The(I) fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 (J)For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 (K)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”
The Way of Folly
13 (L)A foolish woman is [b]clamorous;
She is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat (M)by the highest places of the city,
15 To call to those who pass by,
Who go straight on their way:
16 “Whoever(N) is [c]simple, let him turn in here”;
And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
17 “Stolen(O) water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that (P)the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of [d]hell.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:2 arranged
- Proverbs 9:13 boisterous
- Proverbs 9:16 naive
- Proverbs 9:18 Or Sheol
Proverbs 9
New International Version
Proverbs 9
New International Version
Invitations of Wisdom and Folly
9 Wisdom has built(A) her house;
she has set up[a] its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;(B)
she has also set her table.(C)
3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls(D)
from the highest point of the city,(E)
4 “Let all who are simple(F) come to my house!”
To those who have no sense(G) she says,
5 “Come,(H) eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.(I)
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;(J)
walk in the way of insight.”(K)
7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.(L)
8 Do not rebuke mockers(M) or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.(N)
9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.(O)
10 The fear of the Lord(P) is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One(Q) is understanding.(R)
11 For through wisdom[b] your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.(S)
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
13 Folly is an unruly woman;(T)
she is simple and knows nothing.(U)
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,(V)
15 calling out(W) to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way,
16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense(X) she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!(Y)”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.(Z)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:1 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew has hewn out
- Proverbs 9:11 Septuagint, Syriac and Targum; Hebrew me
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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