19 This is a prophecy about Egypt:

Look! Adonai is riding a swift cloud,
on his way to Egypt.
Before him Egypt’s idols tremble,
Egypt’s courage melts within them.

² “I will incite Egypt against Egypt,
brother will fight against brother,
friend against friend, city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.
³ The courage of Egypt will ebb away within it,
I will reduce its counsel to confusion.
They will consult idols and mediums,
ghosts and spirits.
⁴ I will hand over the Egyptians to a cruel master.
A harsh king will rule them,”

says the Lord, Adonai-Tzva’ot.

⁵ The water will ebb from the sea,
the river will be drained dry.
⁶ The rivers will become foul,
the canals of Egypt’s Nile will dwindle and dry up,
the reeds and rushes will wither.
⁷ The river-plants on the banks of the Nile
and everything sown near the Nile
will dry up, blow away and be no more.
⁸ Fishermen too will lament,
all who cast hooks in the Nile will mourn,
those who spread nets on the water lose heart.
⁹ The linen-workers will be in despair,
along with the weavers of white cotton;
¹⁰ the spinners will be crushed,
the hired workers dejected.

¹¹ The princes of Tzo‘an are utter fools,
Pharaoh’s wisest counselors give stupid advice.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I’m a sage, descended from kings of old.”
¹² Where are they, then, those sages of yours?
Let them tell you, so all can know
what Adonai-Tzva’ot has planned against Egypt!
¹³ The princes of Tzo‘an have been fooled,
the princes of Nof have been duped,
Egypt’s clan chiefs have led her astray.
¹⁴ Adonai has mixed up their minds
with a spirit that distorts judgment,
so they make Egypt stagger in whatever she does,
like a drunk staggering in his vomit.
¹⁵ Nobody in Egypt
will find work to do —
neither head nor tail,
neither [tall] palm frond nor [lowly] reed.

²¹ Adonai will make himself known to Egypt;
on that day, the Egyptians will know Adonai.
They will worship him with sacrifices and offerings,
they will make vows to Adonai and keep them.
²² Yet Adonai will strike Egypt, both striking and healing,
so they will return to Adonai.
He will listen to their prayers,
and he will heal them.

²³ On that day there will be a highway
from Egypt to Ashur.
Ashur will come to Egypt and Egypt to Ashur,
and Egypt will worship with Ashur.
²⁴ On that day Isra’el will be a third partner
with Egypt and Ashur, a blessing here on earth;
²⁵ for Adonai-Tzva’ot has blessed him:
“Blessed be Egypt my people,
Ashur the work of my hands
and Isra’el my heritage.”