Isaiah 19
Legacy Standard Bible
An Oracle Concerning Egypt
19 The [a](A)oracle concerning (B)Egypt.
Behold, Yahweh is (C)riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt;
The (D)idols of Egypt will shake at His presence,
And the (E)heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.
2 “So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians;
And they will (F)each 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 emptied to destruction within them;
And I will confuse their counsel,
So that (G)they will seek idols and ghosts of the dead
And to [b]mediums and spiritists.
4 Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a (H)cruel master,
And a [c]strong king will rule over them,” declares the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.
5 (I)The waters from the sea will dry up,
And the river will be parched and dry.
6 The (J)rivers will emit a stench,
The [d](K)streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up;
(L)The reeds and rushes will rot away.
7 The bulrushes by the (M)Nile, by the [e]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 (N)fishermen will lament,
And all those who cast a [f]line into the Nile will mourn,
And those who spread nets on the waters will [g]languish.
9 Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax
And the weavers of white (O)cloth will be ashamed.
10 And [h]the (P)pillars of Egypt will be crushed;
All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.
11 The princes of [i](Q)Zoan are merely ignorant fools;
The counsel of Pharaoh’s wisest counselors has become [j]senseless.
How can you men say to Pharaoh,
“I am a son of the (R)wise, a son of the kings of old”?
12 Well then, where are your wise men?
Please let them tell you,
And let them [k]understand what Yahweh of hosts
Has (S)counseled against Egypt.
13 The princes of [l]Zoan have acted as ignorant fools,
The princes of (T)Memphis are deluded;
Those who are the (U)cornerstone of her tribes
[m]Have led Egypt astray.
14 Yahweh has mixed within her a spirit of (V)distortion;
(W)They have led Egypt astray in all [n]that it does,
As a (X)drunken man [o]strays into his vomit.
15 There will be no work for Egypt
(Y)Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.
Yahweh Will Bless Egypt, Assyria, and Israel
16 In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in (Z)dread because of the (AA)waving of the hand of Yahweh of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a [p]terror to Egypt; everyone [q]to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it because of the (AB)counsel of Yahweh of hosts which He is counseling against them.
18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and (AC)swearing allegiance to Yahweh of hosts; one will be called the City of [r]Destruction.
19 In that day there will be an (AD)altar to Yahweh in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a (AE)pillar to Yahweh near its border. 20 And it will become a sign and a witness to Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, and He will send them a (AF)Savior and a [s](AG)Champion, and He will deliver them. 21 Thus Yahweh will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know Yahweh in that day. They will even worship with (AH)sacrifice and offering, and they will make a vow to Yahweh and pay it. 22 And Yahweh will smite Egypt, smiting but (AI)healing; so they will (AJ)return to Yahweh, and He will be moved by their entreaty and will heal them.
23 In that day there will be a (AK)highway 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 In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom Yahweh of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is (AM)Egypt My people, and Assyria (AN)the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 19:1 Or burden of
- Isaiah 19:3 Or ghosts and spirits
- Isaiah 19:4 Or fierce
- Isaiah 19:6 The delta; or Nile branches
- Isaiah 19:7 Or mouth
- Isaiah 19:8 Lit hook
- Isaiah 19:8 Or pine away
- Isaiah 19:10 Lit her pillars
- Isaiah 19:11 Or Tanis
- Isaiah 19:11 Or brutish
- Isaiah 19:12 Or know
- Isaiah 19:13 Or Tanis
- Isaiah 19:13 Or Have caused Egypt to stagger
- Isaiah 19:14 Lit its work
- Isaiah 19:14 Or goes astray
- Isaiah 19:17 Or cause of shame
- Isaiah 19:17 Lit who mentions it will be in dread to it
- Isaiah 19:18 Some ancient mss and versions the Sun
- Isaiah 19:20 Lit Mighty One
Isaiah 19
New King James Version
Proclamation Against Egypt
19 The (A)burden[a] against Egypt.
Behold, the Lord (B)rides on a swift cloud,
And will come into Egypt;
(C)The idols of Egypt will [b]totter at His presence,
And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.
2 “I will (D)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 (E)consult the idols and the charmers,
The mediums and the sorcerers.
4 And the Egyptians I will give
(F)Into the hand of a cruel master,
And a fierce king will rule over them,”
Says the Lord, the Lord of hosts.
5 (G)The waters will fail from the sea,
And the river will be wasted and dried up.
6 The rivers will turn foul;
The brooks (H)of defense will be emptied and dried up;
The reeds and rushes will wither.
7 The papyrus reeds by [c]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 (I)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 (J)Zoan are fools;
Pharaoh’s wise counselors give foolish counsel.
(K)How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise,
The son of ancient kings?”
12 (L)Where are they?
Where are your wise men?
Let them tell you now,
And let them know what the Lord of hosts has (M)purposed against Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan have become fools;
(N)The princes of [d]Noph are deceived;
They have also [e]deluded Egypt,
Those who are the [f]mainstay of its tribes.
14 The Lord has mingled (O)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 (P)the head or tail,
Palm branch or bulrush, may do.
16 In that day Egypt will (Q)be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, (R)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 (S)determined against it.
Egypt, Assyria, and Israel Blessed
18 In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will (T)speak the language of Canaan and (U)swear by the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of [g]Destruction.
19 In that day (V)there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the (W)Lord at its border. 20 And (X)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 (Y)Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. 21 Then the Lord will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will (Z)know the Lord in that day, and (AA)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 (AB)heal it; they will return to the Lord, and He will be entreated by them and heal them.
23 In that day (AC)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 (AD)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 (AE)the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”
Footnotes
- 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 19
English Standard Version
An Oracle Concerning Egypt
19 An (A)oracle concerning (B)Egypt.
Behold, the Lord (C)is riding on a swift cloud
and comes to Egypt;
and (D)the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence,
and the heart of the Egyptians will (E)melt within them.
2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians,
(F)and they will fight, each against another
and each against his neighbor,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom;
3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out,
and I will confound[a] their (G)counsel;
and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers,
and (H)the mediums and the necromancers;
4 and I will give over the Egyptians
into the hand of (I)a hard master,
and a fierce king will rule over them,
declares the Lord God of hosts.
5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up,
and the river will be dry and parched,
6 and its canals will become foul,
and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up,
reeds and rushes will rot away.
7 There will be bare places by the Nile,
on the brink of the Nile,
and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched,
will be driven away, and will be no more.
8 The (J)fishermen will mourn and lament,
all who cast a hook in the Nile;
and they will languish
who spread nets on the water.
9 The workers in (K)combed flax will be in despair,
and the weavers of white cotton.
10 Those who are the (L)pillars of the land will be crushed,
and all who (M)work for pay will be grieved.
11 The princes of (N)Zoan are utterly foolish;
the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am a son of the wise,
a son of ancient kings”?
12 Where then are your (O)wise men?
Let them tell you
that they might know what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.
13 The princes of (P)Zoan have become fools,
and the princes of (Q)Memphis are deluded;
those who are the (R)cornerstones of her tribes
have made Egypt stagger.
14 The Lord has mingled within her (S)a spirit of confusion,
and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds,
(T)as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
15 And there will be nothing for Egypt
that (U)head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.
Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed
16 In that day the Egyptians will be (V)like women, and (W)tremble with fear before the hand that the Lord of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the Lord of hosts has purposed against them.
18 (X)In that day there will be (Y)five cities in the land of Egypt that (Z)speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.[b]
19 In that day there will be an (AA)altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a (AB)pillar to the Lord at its border. 20 (AC)It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, (AD)he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 (AE)And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day (AF)and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. 22 (AG)And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.
23 (AH)In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, (AI)and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, (AJ)a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt (AK)my people, and Assyria (AL)the work of my hands, and (AM)Israel my inheritance.”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 19:3 Or I will swallow up
- Isaiah 19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
