Beginning

18 Oy to the Eretz Tziltzal Kenafayim (Land of Whirring Wings, i.e., Ethiopia), which is beyond the rivers of Kush;

² That sendeth envoys by the yam, even in vessels of gomeh (papyrus) upon the mayim, saying, Go, ye swift malachim, to a Goy (nation) tall and smooth of skin, to an Am Norah far away on the other side; a Goy powerful and treading down, whose land the neharim (rivers) divide!

³ All ye inhabitants of the Tevel, and dwellers of Eretz, when a nes (battle flag) is lifted up on the harim, look; and when a shofar is blown, listen!

⁴ For so Hashem said unto me, I will remain quiet in My rest, and I will consider from My dwelling place like shimmering chom (heat) in the ohr, and like a cloud of tal (dew) in the chom katzir (heat of harvest).

⁵ For before katzir (harvest), when the bud is perfect, and the boser (sour grape, ripening grape) is ripening in the flower, He shall both cut off the zalzallim (shoots) with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the netishot (tendrils, branches).

⁶ They shall be left together unto the birds of prey of the harim, and to the behemat ha’aretz; and the birds of prey shall summer upon them, and all the behemat ha’aretz shall winter upon them.

⁷ In that time shall there be offered in homage to Hashem Tzva’os an Am (people) tall and smooth of skin, an Am Norah far away on the other side; a Goy powerful and treading down under foot, whose land the neharim (rivers) divide, even at the makom (place) of the Shem Hashem Tzva’os, Har Tziyon.

19 The massa (burden) of Mitzrayim. Hinei, Hashem rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Mitzrayim; and the elilim (idols) of Mitzrayim shall tremble at His presence, and the levav Mitzrayim shall melt within him.

² And I will set the Mitzrayim against the Mitzrayim; and they shall fight every ish against his brother, and every ish against his neighbor; ir against ir, and mamlachah against mamlachah.

³ And the ruach Mitzrayim shall be disheartened within him; and I will frustrate the etzah thereof; and they shall consult the elilim (idols, false g-ds), and to the ittim (sorcerers, necromancers), and to the ovot (mediums with familiar spirits), and to the wizards.

⁴ And the Mitzrayim will I give over into the yad adonim kasheh (power of hard taskmasters); and a fierce melech shall rule over them, saith HaAdon Hashem Tzva’os.

⁵ And the mayim shall roll back from the yam, and the Nile shall be parched and dried up.

⁶ And the neharot (streams, canals) shall turn foul; and the moats shall be emptied and dried up; the reeds and rushes shall wither.

⁷ The bare places by the Nile, by the mouth of the Nile, and everything sown by the Nile, shall wither, be blown away, v’einenu (and be no more).

⁸ The dayagim (fishermen) also shall mourn, and all they that cast hooks into the Nile shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the mayim shall languish.

⁹ Moreover they that work in pishtan (flax), and they that weave fine linen, shall be in despair.

¹⁰ And its foundations shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sachir (wages) shall be agmei nefesh (grieved).

¹¹ Surely the sarim of Tzoan are fools, the etzah (advice) of the wise counselors of Pharaoh is become senseless; how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the Ben Chachamim, the Ben Malchei Kedem?

¹² Where are they? Where are thy chachamim? And let them tell thee now, and let them know what Hashem Tzva’os hath planned against Mitzrayim.

¹³ The sarim of Tzoan are become fools, the sarim of Noph are deceived; they have also led Mitzrayim astray, even they that are the mainstay of the tribes thereof.

¹⁴ Hashem hath poured a ruach iv’im (spirit of dizziness) in the midst thereof, causing Mitzrayim to go astray in every ma’aseh thereof, as a shikkor staggereth in his vomit.

¹⁵ Neither shall there be any ma’aseh for Mitzrayim, which the head or tail, branch or stalk, may do.

¹⁶ In that day shall Mitzrayim be like nashim; and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the yad Hashem Tzva’os, which He shaketh against it.

¹⁷ And Admat Yehudah shall be a terror unto Mitzrayim, every one that maketh mention of Yehudah shall be afraid in himself, because of the etzah (plan) of Hashem Tzva’os, which He hath determined against it.

¹⁸ In that day shall five cities in Eretz Mitzrayim speak the sefat (language) of Kena’an, and swear allegiance to Hashem Tzva’os; one shall be called, Ir HaHeres (The City of the Sun).

¹⁹ In that day shall there be a mizbe’ach to Hashem in the midst of Eretz Mitzrayim, and a matzevah at the border thereof to Hashem.

²⁰ And it shall be for an ot (sign) and for an ed (witness) unto Hashem Tzva’os in Eretz Mitzrayim; for they shall cry out unto Hashem because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a Moshi’a, and a Rav (leader), and he shall save them.

²¹ And Hashem shall make Himself known to Mitzrayim, and Mitzrayim shall know Hashem in that day, and shall worship and make zevach and minchah; indeed, they shall vow a neder unto Hashem, and perform it.

²² And Hashem shall strike Mitzrayim; He shall strike and heal it; and they shall make teshuvah even to Hashem, and He shall be entreated of them and shall heal them.

²³ In that day shall there be a mesillah (highway) out of Mitzrayim to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Mitzrayim, and the Mitzrayim into Assyria, and the Mitzrayim shall worship with the Assyrians.

²⁴ In that day shall Yisroel be the third with Mitzrayim and with Assyria, even a brocha in the midst of ha’aretz;

²⁵ Whom Hashem Tzva’os shall bless, saying, Baruch Ami Mitzrayim, Ma’aseh Yadai Assyria, and Yisroel Mine nachalah.

20 In the year [711 B.C.E.] that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon Melech Ashur sent him,) and fought against Ashdod, and took it;

² At the same time spoke Hashem by Yeshayah Ben Amotz, saying, Go and remove the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy sandal from thy regel. And he did so, going arom (naked, stripped) and barefoot.

³ And Hashem said, Just as Avdi Yeshayah hath walked arom (naked) and barefoot shalosh shanim for an ot and mofet against Mitzrayim and Kush;

⁴ So shall Melech Ashur (Assyria) lead away captive Mitzrayim and Golus-exiled Kush, ne’arim and zekenim, aron (naked) and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Mitzrayim.

⁵ And they shall be afraid and ashamed of Kush their expectation, and of Mitzrayim their tiferet (glory, boast).

⁶ And the inhabitant of this coast shall say in that day, Hinei, such is our expectation, where we fled for ezrah (help) to be delivered from Melech Ashur; and how shall we escape?

21 The massa (burden) concerning the Midbar Yam (desert by the sea). As sufot (whirlwinds) in the Negev sweep through; so it cometh from the midbar, from eretz nora’ah.

² A chazut kashah (harsh vision) is declared unto me; the boged (traitor) dealeth treacherously, and the shoded (destroyer) destroyeth. Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media; all the groaning she [Babylon] caused have I made to cease.

³ Therefore are my loins filled with pain; tzirim (pangs) have taken hold upon me, as the tzirim (pangs) of a woman in labor; I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.

⁴ My lev panted, fearfulness seized upon me; the neshef (twilight) of my longing hath become unto me as kharadah (shuddering horror).

⁵ [They are] setting the shulchan, spreading the tzafit (dining carpet), to eat, to drink; arise, ye sarim (princes), and anoint the mogen.

⁶ For thus hath Adonoi said unto me, Go, post the metzapeh (watchman), let him report what he seeth.

⁷ When he sees riders with a pair of parashim, donkey riders and camel riders, then he pays heed diligently with great care;

⁸ And the one seeing cried out, Adoni, I stand continually on the mitzpeh (watchtower) in the daytime, and I am set in my mishmeret (guard duty) kol halailot (every night),

⁹ And, hinei, here cometh a merkavah with a man, a pair of parashim. And he answered and said, Bavel (Babylon) is fallen, is fallen; and all the pesilim (images) of her elohim (g-ds) hath been shattered on the ground.

¹⁰ O my threshed [people], and the grain of my goren (threshing floor); that which I have heard of Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel, have I declared unto you.

¹¹ The massa (burden) of Dumah [Edom]. One calleth to me out of Seir [Edom], Shomer (watchman), what of the lailah? Shomer, what of the lailah?

¹² The shomer said, The boker cometh, and also the lailah; if ye will inquire, inquire ye; shuvu (return), come.

¹³ The massa (burden) concerning Arabia. In the ya’ar (forest) of Arabia shall ye encamp O ye caravans of Dedanim.

¹⁴ The inhabitants of Eretz Tema brought mayim to him that was tzameh (thirsty), they met with their lechem him that fled.

¹⁵ For they fled from the charavot (swords), from the drawn cherev, and from the bent keshet (bow), and from the grievousness of milchamah (war).

¹⁶ For thus hath Hashem said unto me, Within a shanah (year), according to the way a year is counted by a sakhir (hireling, hired servant), all the kavod of Kedar shall end;

¹⁷ And the remainder of the mispar (number) of archers, the gibborim (mighty men) of the Bnei Kedar, shall be few; for Hashem Elohei Yisroel hath spoken.

22 The massa (burden) of the Gey Chizayon (Valley of Vision). What is it to thee now, that thou art all gone up to the rooftops?

² Thou that art full of noise, a tumultuous city, exultant city; thy slain men are not slain with the cherev, nor dead in milchamah.

³ All thy rulers are fled together, they are captured by the keshet (bow); all that are found in thee are captured together, which have fled far away.

⁴ Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labor not to comfort me, because of the shod (catastrophe) of Bat Ami.

⁵ For it is a day of tumult, and of treading down, and of confusion by Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os in the Gey Chizayon (valley of vision), battering down the walls, and of crying to the har.

⁶ And Elam bore the ashpah (quiver) with chariots of adam and parashim, and Kir uncovered the mogen (shield).

⁷ And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the parashim shall set themselves in array at the sha’ar.

⁸ And He removed the masakh Yehudah (covering of Yehudah, defense, protection) and thou didst look in that day to the armor of the bais of the forest [the King’s armory].

⁹ Ye have seen also the damage of Ir Dovid, that they are many; and ye gathered together the waters of the Lower Pool.

¹⁰ And ye have numbered the batim (buildings) of Yerushalayim, and the batim (houses) have ye torn down to fortify the chomah (wall).

¹¹ Ye made also a mikveh (reservoir) between the two walls for the mayim of the Old Pool; but ye have not looked unto the Maker thereof, neither had respect unto her Yotzer from long ago.

¹² And in that day did Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os call to weeping, and to wailing, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth;

¹³ And hinei sasson and simchah, slaughter of bakar and ritual slaughter of tzon, eating basar, and drinking yayin; let us eat and drink; for makhar we shall die.

¹⁴ And it was revealed in mine oznayim by Hashem Tzva’os, Till ye die for this avon there will be no kapporah, saith Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os.

¹⁵ Thus saith Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os, Go, get thee unto this sochen (steward) even unto Shevna, which is over the Bais (palace), and say,

¹⁶ What hast thou here? And whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a kever here, as he that heweth him out a kever on high, and that carveth a mishkan for himself in the rock?

¹⁷ Hinei, Hashem will throw thee out, gever, and will surely seize thee.

¹⁸ He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a kadoor (ball) into a wide country; there shalt thou die, and there the merkevot (chariots) of thy kavod shall be the disgrace of the Bais Adonecha.

¹⁹ And I will drive thee from thy matzav (position) and from thy position shall He pull thee down.

²⁰ And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will summon My eved Elyakim Ben Chilkiyah;

²¹ And I will clothe him with thy kesones, and strengthen him with thy avnet (sash) and I will commit thy memshelet (authority) into his yad; and he shall be an av to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, and to the Bais Yehudah.

²² And the mafte’ach Bais Dovid (key of the House of Dovid) will I lay upon his shekhem (shoulder); so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

²³ And I will fasten him as a yated (peg) in a makom ne’eman (firm place); and he shall be for a kisse kavod to the Bais Aviv.

²⁴ And they shall hang upon him kol kavod Bais Aviv, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of bowls, even to all that of large vessels.

²⁵ In that day, saith Hashem Tzva’os, shall the yated (peg) that is fastened in the makom ne’eman give away, and be cut down, and fall; and the massa (burden) that was upon it shall be [violently] cut off; for Hashem hath spoken.