Isaiah 19:2-16

2‘I will cause Egypt's people to fight against each other. People will fight against their own family. They will fight against their neighbours. Cities and kingdoms will fight against each other.

3The Egyptians will become afraid, so that they do not know what to do. They will ask for help from their idols. They will ask the spirits of dead people to tell them what to do. They will ask magicians to talk to those spirits on their behalf.

4I will cause a cruel master to have power over Egypt. A powerful king will rule over its people.’ That is what the Lord, the Almighty Lord.

5The water of the sea will become dry. The Nile river will also become dry and it will have no water in it.

6The streams will have a bad smell. All the streams and rivers will slowly become dry. The reeds and the river grasses will die.

7The plants beside the river will die, as well as the crops in the fields along the shore. Everything will become dry and the wind will blow it all away.

8The people who catch fish in the Nile river will be very sad. Yes, everyone who throws a hook into the river will cry. The people who throw nets into the river will not catch any fish.

9The people who make linen cloth will not know what to do. There will be no flax for them to use.

10They will be very upset. All the people who work to get money will be sad.

11The royal officers in Zoan are fools! Pharaoh's wise leaders tell him to do stupid things! They should not boast to Pharaoh that they are wise. They should not say that they are descendants of wise kings from long ago.

12Pharaoh, where have your wise men gone? Call them to come! Ask them to tell you what the Lord Almighty has decided to do against Egypt.

13The officers in Zoan are fools. The officers in Memphis have confused each other. The leaders of Egypt's clans have led their people in the wrong direction.

14The Lord has sent among the people in Egypt a spirit that confuses them. They go the wrong way in everything that they do. They are like drunk people who have been sick. They cannot walk in a straight line.

15Nobody in Egypt will be able to do anything. They may be Egypt's head or its tail, a palm branch or a reed. There is nothing that anyone can do.

16At that time, the Egyptians will be weak, like women. They will shake with fear because the Lord Almighty is ready to punish them.