Isaiah 19:1-15
World English Bible
19 The burden of Egypt.
“Behold, Yahweh rides on a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt will melt within it. 2 I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they will fight everyone against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3 The spirit of the Egyptians will fail within them. I will destroy their counsel. They will seek the idols, the charmers, those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards. 4 I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord. A fierce king will rule over them,” says the Lord, Yahweh of Armies.
5 The waters will fail from the sea, and the river will be wasted and become dry. 6 The rivers will become foul. The streams of Egypt will be diminished and dried up. The reeds and flags will wither away. 7 The meadows by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all the sown fields of the Nile, will become dry, be driven away, and be no more. 8 The fishermen will lament, and all those who fish in the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will languish. 9 Moreover those who work in combed flax, and those who weave white cloth, will be confounded. 10 The pillars will be broken in pieces. All those who work for hire will be grieved in soul.
11 The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish. The counsel of the wisest counselors of Pharaoh has become stupid. How do you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?” 12 Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you now; and let them know what Yahweh of Armies has purposed concerning Egypt. 13 The princes of Zoan have become fools. The princes of Memphis are deceived. They have caused Egypt to go astray, who are the cornerstone of her tribes. 14 Yahweh has mixed a spirit of perverseness in the middle of her; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in all of its works, like a drunken man staggers in his vomit. 15 Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which head or tail, palm branch or rush, may do.
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Isaiah 19:1-15
International Standard Version
A Rebuke to Egypt
19 A message[a] about Egypt:
“Watch out! The Lord rides on a swift cloud,
and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them.
2 I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians,
and everyone will fight against his brother,
everyone against his neighbor,
city[b] against city,
kingdom against kingdom.
3 The spirits of the Egyptians within them will be drained of courage,[c]
and I will bring their plans to nothing.
They will consult idols[d] and spirits of the dead,
and mediums and spiritists.
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king will rule over them,”
declares the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.
A Rebuke to Egypt’s Ecology and Industry
5 “The water sources[e] of the Nile[f] will be dried up,
and the river[g] will become dry and parched.
6 The canals will stink,
and[h] the tributaries of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.
Reeds and rushes will wither away.[i]
7 And the bulrushes along the Nile,[j]
along the mouth of the Nile,[k] will wither away.
All the sown fields of the Nile will become parched,
and[l] they will be blown away;
there will be nothing left.[m]
8 The fishermen will groan,
and all who cast hooks into the Nile will lament;
those who spread nets upon the water
will become weaker and weaker.
9 The workers[n] in combed flax
and the weavers of white linen
will be in despair.
10 Egypt’s[o] workers in cloth[p] will be crushed,
and all who work for wages will be sick at heart.”
A Rebuke to Egypt’s Leaders
11 Zoan’s princes are nothing but fools;
the wisest advisors of Pharaoh give stupid advice.
How can you say to 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 make known
what the Lord[q] has planned against Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan have become fools,
and the princes of Memphis deluded;
the leaders[r] of its tribes
have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has mixed[s] within them[t] a spirit of confusion;
so they make Egypt stagger in all that it does,
like a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.
15 As a result, there will be nothing for Egypt
that head or tail, palm branch or reed, can do.[u]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 19:1 Lit. An oracle
- Isaiah 19:2 So 1QIsaa; MT LXX lack and
- Isaiah 19:3 1QIsaa MT lack of courage
- Isaiah 19:3 So 1QIsaa; MT reads consult the idols; LXX reads consult their idols
- Isaiah 19:5 1QIsaa MT lack sources
- Isaiah 19:5 Or the sea
- Isaiah 19:5 I.e. the Nile
- Isaiah 19:6 So 1QIsaa LXX; the Heb. lacks and
- Isaiah 19:6 So 4QIsab MT; 1QIsaa lacks this line
- Isaiah 19:7 So 1QIsaa MT; LXX lacks this line
- Isaiah 19:7 Lit. the River
- Isaiah 19:7 So 1QIsaa; the Heb. lacks and
- Isaiah 19:7 So 1QIsaa; 4QIsab MT read and will be no more; LXX lacks this line
- Isaiah 19:9 So 1QIsaa 4QIsab; MT LXX read And the workers
- Isaiah 19:10 Lit. Its
- Isaiah 19:10 Lit. Its weavers
- Isaiah 19:12 So 1QIsaa; 1QIsaa corrector MT LXX read Lord of the Heavenly Armies
- Isaiah 19:13 Or cornerstones
- Isaiah 19:14 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsab reads has poured
- Isaiah 19:14 Lit. it
- Isaiah 19:15 So 1QIsaa MT LXX; 4QIsab reads do at that time
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