Message to Egypt

19 The ^(A)pronouncement concerning ^(B)Egypt:

¹⁶ On that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in great ^(Z)fear because of the ^(AA)waving of the hand of the Lord of armies, which He is going to wave over them. ¹⁷ The land of Judah will become a cause of shame to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in great fear because of the ^(AB)plan of the Lord of armies which He is making against them.

¹⁸ On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and ^(AC)swearing allegiance to the Lord of armies; one will be called the City of ^[q]Destruction.

¹⁹ On that day there will be an ^(AD)altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a ^(AE)memorial stone to the Lord beside its border. ²⁰ And it will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of armies in the land of Egypt; for they will cry out to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a ^(AF)Savior and a ^(AG)Champion, and He will save them. ²¹ So the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord on that day. They will even worship with ^(AH)sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. ²² And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking but ^(AI)healing; so they will ^(AJ)return to the Lord, and He will respond to their pleas and heal them.

²³ On that day there will be a ^(AK)road from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria; and the Egyptians will ^(AL)worship with the Assyrians.

²⁴ On that day Israel will be the third party to Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, ²⁵ whom the Lord of armies has blessed, saying, “Blessed is ^(AM)Egypt My people, and Assyria ^(AN)the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

Prophecy about Egypt and Ethiopia

20 In the year that the ^[r](AO)commander came to ^(AP)Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it, ² at that time the Lord spoke through ^(AQ)Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go and loosen the ^(AR)sackcloth from your hips and take your ^(AS)sandals off your feet.” And he did so, going ^(AT)naked and barefoot. ³ Then the Lord said, “Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a ^(AU)sign and symbol against Egypt and ^[s](AV)Cush, ⁴ so the ^(AW)king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, ^(AX)young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the ^[t]shame of Egypt. ⁵ Then they will be ^(AY)terrified and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their ^(AZ)pride. ⁶ So the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Behold, such is our hope, where we fled ^(BA)for help to be saved from the king of Assyria; and ^(BB)how are we ourselves to escape?’”

Growth in Christian Virtue

1 ^[a]Simon Peter, a ^(A)bond-servant and ^(B)apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received ^(C)a faith of the same ^[b]kind as ours, ^[c]by ^(D)the righteousness of ^(E)our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: ^2 (F)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in ^(G)the knowledge of God and of Jesus ^[d]our Lord, ³ for His ^(H)divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true ^(I)knowledge of Him who ^(J)called us ^[e]by His own glory and ^[f]excellence. ⁴ Through ^[g]these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent ^(K)promises, so that by them you may become ^(L)partakers of the divine nature, having ^(M)escaped the ^(N)corruption that is in ^(O)the world on account of lust. ⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith ^(P)supply ^(Q)moral ^[h]excellence, and in your moral excellence, ^(R)knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, ^(S)self-control, and in your self-control, ^(T)perseverance, and in your perseverance, ^(U)godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, ^(V)brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor ^(W)unproductive in the true ^(X)knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For the one who lacks these qualities is ^(Y)blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his ^(Z)purification from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His ^(AA)calling and ^(AB)choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never ^(AC)stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into ^(AD)the eternal kingdom of our ^(AE)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be ^(AF)abundantly ^(AG)supplied to you.

¹² Therefore, ^(AH)I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and have been established in ^(AI)the truth which is present with you. ¹³ I consider it ^(AJ)right, as long as I am in ^(AK)this earthly ^[i]dwelling, to ^(AL)stir you up by way of reminder, ¹⁴ knowing that ^(AM)the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, ^(AN)as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will also be diligent that at any time after my ^(AO)departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

Eyewitnesses

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised ^(AP)tales when we made known to you the ^(AQ)power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were ^(AR)eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a ^[j](AS)declaration as this was made to Him by the ^(AT)Majestic Glory: “This is ^[k]My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”— ¹⁸ and we ourselves heard this ^[l]declaration made from heaven when we were with Him on the ^(AU)holy mountain.

¹⁹ And so we have ^(AV)the prophetic word made more ^(AW)sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to ^(AX)a lamp shining in a dark place, until the ^(AY)day dawns and the ^(AZ)morning star arises ^(BA)in your hearts. ²⁰ But ^(BB)know this first of all, that ^(BC)no prophecy of Scripture ^[m]becomes a matter of ^[n]someone’s own interpretation, ²¹ for ^(BD)no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men ^(BE)moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.