Isaiah 19:1-15

GOD’S WORD Translation

² “I will turn one Egyptian against another.
They will fight—
brother against brother,
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.
³ The Egyptians will lose courage.
I will unravel their plans.
They will turn to idols, ghosts,
mediums, and fortunetellers.
⁴ I will hand over the Egyptians to a harsh master.
A strong king will rule them,”
declares the Almighty Lord of Armies.

⁵ The water in the Nile River will be dried up,^[a]
and the river will be dry and empty.
⁶ The canals will stink.
Egypt’s streams will be emptied and dried up.
The reeds and cattails will wither.
⁷ The rushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile,
and all the fields planted beside the Nile
will dry up, be blown away, and disappear.
⁸ Fishermen will cry.
All who cast their lines into the Nile will mourn.
Those who spread their nets on the water will sigh.
⁹ Linenworkers and weavers will be ashamed.
¹⁰ Egypt’s weavers will be crushed.
Those who work for money will be distressed.

¹¹ The leaders of Zoan are nothing but fools.
The wisest of Pharaoh’s counselors gives stupid advice.
How can you tell Pharaoh,
“I’m a descendant of wise men,
a descendant of ancient kings”?
¹² Where are your wise men now?
Let them tell you.
Let them explain what the Lord of Armies
is planning against Egypt.
¹³ The leaders of Zoan are acting foolishly.
The leaders of Memphis are led astray.
The leaders who are the cornerstones of its tribes mislead the Egyptians.
¹⁴ The Lord mixes up their minds.
So they lead the Egyptians astray
like a drunk who staggers in his vomit.
¹⁵ No one—leaders or followers, important or unimportant—
can do anything for Egypt.