Isaiah 19
Expanded Bible
God’s Message to Egypt
19 This is a ·message [prophecy; oracle; burden] about Egypt:
Look, the Lord is coming on a ·fast [swift] cloud
to enter Egypt.
The idols of Egypt will tremble before him,
and Egypt’s ·courage [heart] will melt away.
2 The Lord says, “I will ·cause the Egyptians to fight against themselves [L provoke Egypt against Egypt].
People will fight with their ·relatives [brothers];
neighbors will fight neighbors;
cities will fight cities;
kingdoms will fight kingdoms.
3 The Egyptians will ·be afraid [lose heart],
and I will ·ruin their plans [confuse their counsel].
They will ·ask advice from [consult] their idols and spirits of the dead,
from their mediums and ·fortune-tellers [magicians; necromancers].”
4 The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says,
“I will hand Egypt ·over to [L into the hand of] a hard master,
and a ·powerful [fierce] king will rule over them.”
5 The ·sea [or river; L waters] will become dry,
and the ·water will disappear from the Nile River [L river will be parched and dry].
6 The canals will stink;
the streams of Egypt will decrease and dry up.
All the ·water plants [L reeds and bulrushes] will rot;
7 all the plants along the banks of the Nile will die.
Even the ·planted [cultivated] fields by the Nile
will dry up, blow away, and disappear [C catastrophic, since the Nile was essential to Egypt’s existence].
8 The fishermen, all those who ·catch fish from [L cast hooks into] the Nile,
will groan and ·cry [lament];
those who ·fish in the Nile [L spread nets on the water] will ·be sad [grieve; lose heart].
9 All the people who make cloth from flax will ·be sad [despair; or be ashamed],
and those who weave linen will ·lose hope [turn pale].
10 Those who ·weave cloth [or are its foundations] will be broken.
All those who work for ·money [wages] will be ·sad [L grieved in their soul].
11 The officers of the city of Zoan [C probably Tanis, the Egyptian city nearest Israel] are fools;
the wise ·men who advise the king of Egypt [counselors/advisors of Pharaoh] give ·wrong [senseless; stupid] advice.
How can you say to him, ‘I am ·wise [L a son of the wise]’?
How can you say, ‘I am ·from the old family of the kings [a son of ancient kings; C “son of” may mean “an expert in the ways of”]’?
12 Egypt, where are your wise men?
Let them show you
what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has planned for Egypt.
13 The officers of Zoan [v. 11] have ·been fooled [become fools];
the ·leaders [princes] of Memphis [C prominent city in northern Egypt] ·have believed false things [are deceived/deluded].
So the ·leaders of Egypt [L cornerstones of her tribes]
lead that nation ·the wrong way [astray].
14 The Lord has ·made the leaders confused [L mixed into them a spirit of distortion].
They have led Egypt to ·wander in the wrong ways [or err in all it does],
like drunk people stumbling in their own vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do;
·no one there can help [L head or tail, palm branch or reed; C no one, high or low, could help Egypt].
16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women [C physically weak and vulnerable]. They will ·be afraid of [tremble with fear at] the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], because he will raise his hand to strike them down. 17 The land of Judah will ·bring fear [be a terror] to Egypt. Anyone there who hears the name Judah will be afraid, because the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has planned terrible things for them. 18 ·At that time [L In that day] five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan [C Hebrew or Aramaic, evidence of Israel’s dominance over Egypt], and they will ·promise to be loyal [swear allegiance] to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. One of these cities will be named the City of Destruction.[a] 19 ·At that time [L In that day] there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of Egypt and a ·monument [or sacred pillar] to the Lord at the border of Egypt. 20 This will be a sign and a witness to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord for help, he will send a savior and defender, who will rescue them.
21 So the Lord will ·show himself [make himself known] to the Egyptians, and ·then [L in that day] they will ·know he is [acknowledge; know] the Lord. They will ·worship [serve] God ·and offer many sacrifices [with sacrifices and offerings]. They will make ·promises [vows] to the Lord and will keep them. 22 The Lord will ·punish [L strike] the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will ·come back [return] to the Lord, and he will listen to their ·prayers [pleas] and heal them.
23 ·At that time [L In that day] there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship God together. 24 ·At that time [L In that day] ·Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together [L Israel will be the third, with Egypt and Assyria; C a great power like them], which will be a blessing for the earth. 25 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will bless them, saying, “Egypt, you are my people. Assyria, ·I made you [L the work of my hands]. Israel, ·I own you [my inheritance]. You are all blessed!”
Footnotes
- Isaiah 19:18 City of Destruction Most Hebrew copies read “City of Destruction.” The Dead Sea Scrolls, some Hebrew copies and other translations read “City of the Sun.”
以赛亚书 19
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
关于埃及的预言
19 以下是关于埃及的预言：
看啊，耶和华驾着疾驰的云来到埃及。
埃及的偶像在祂面前颤抖，
埃及人胆战心惊。
2 “我必使埃及人彼此为敌——手足相残，
邻居互斗，城邑相争，
邦国互攻。
3 埃及人必灰心丧志，
我必破坏他们的计谋。
他们必求问偶像、巫师、灵媒和术士。
4 我必将埃及人交给一位残忍的主人，
一位暴君必统治他们。”
这是主——万军之耶和华说的。
5 尼罗河必枯竭，
河床必干涸。
6 河流必发臭，
埃及的河流逐渐枯竭。
芦荻和灯心草必枯死，
7 尼罗河两岸青草枯黄，
田地龟裂，庄稼被风吹去，
荡然无存。
8 所有在尼罗河下钩的渔夫都哀哭悲伤，
在河上撒网的人都伤痛。
9 纺纱织布的人一筹莫展，
感到绝望。
10 埃及的显贵都没落，
靠工钱维生的人都忧心忡忡。
11 埃及王聪明的谋士——琐安的首领们变得愚不可及。
他们怎敢在埃及王面前自称是古圣先贤的子孙呢？
12 埃及王啊，你的智者在哪里呢？
让他们把万军之耶和华对付埃及的计划告诉你吧！
13 琐安的首领愚昧，
挪弗的首领糊涂。
他们是埃及的房角石，
却把埃及人引入歧途。
14 耶和华使错谬的灵进入他们当中，
使他们像又呕又吐、东倒西歪的醉汉，
做什么都错误百出。
15 埃及从首领到平民，
从权贵到草根必一筹莫展。
16 到那日，当万军之耶和华挥拳惩罚的时候，埃及人必恐惧战抖，如柔弱的女子。 17 他们必对犹大充满恐惧，一听见犹大的名字就害怕，因为万军之耶和华定下计划要对付他们。 18 到那日，埃及必有五座城的人讲迦南的语言，并信奉万军之耶和华，其中有一座必叫灭亡城[a]。
19 到那日，埃及的中央必有一座为耶和华筑的祭坛，边境必有一根为耶和华立的石柱。 20 这是万军之耶和华在埃及的记号和凭据。埃及人因受到欺压就呼求耶和华，祂必差遣一位救主保护、拯救他们。 21 耶和华必向埃及人彰显自己。到那日，埃及人必认识祂，带着祭物和供品来敬拜祂，向祂许愿还愿。 22 耶和华必击打他们，也必医治他们。他们必归向耶和华，祂必应允他们的祷告，医治他们。
23 到那日，必有一条大道连接埃及和亚述，两国人民可以互相往来，一同敬拜耶和华。 24 到那日，以色列必与埃及和亚述一同成为世人的祝福。 25 万军之耶和华必赐福给他们，说：“我的子民埃及、我手中的杰作亚述、我的产业以色列都有福了！”
Footnotes
- 19:18 “灭亡城”有些抄本作“太阳城”。
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.