Isaiah 19

Message to Egypt

1The 12oracle concerning 3Egypt. Behold, the Lord is 4riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The 5idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the 6heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.2“So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; And they will 7each fight against his brother and each against his neighbor, City against city and kingdom against kingdom.3Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them; And I will confound their strategy, So that 8they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead And to 9mediums and spiritists.4Moreover, I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a 10cruel master, And a 11mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord 12God of hosts.

513The waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry.6The 1415canals will emit a stench, The 1617streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up; 18The reeds and rushes will rot away.7The bulrushes by the 19Nile, by the 20edge of the Nile And all the sown fields by the Nile Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.8And the 21fishermen will lament, And all those who cast a 22line into the Nile will mourn, And those who spread nets on the waters will 23pine away.9Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax And the weavers of white 24cloth will be 25utterly dejected.10And 26the 27pillars of Egypt will be crushed; All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.

11The princes of 2829Zoan are mere fools; The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become 30stupid. How can you men say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the 31wise, a son of ancient kings”?12Well then, where are your wise men? Please let them tell you, And let them 32understand what the Lord of hosts Has 33purposed against Egypt.13The princes of 34Zoan have acted foolishly, The princes of 35Memphis are deluded; Those who are the 36cornerstone of her tribes Have 37led Egypt astray.14The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of 38distortion; 39They have led Egypt astray in all 40that it does, As a 41drunken man 42staggers in his vomit.15There will be no work for Egypt 43Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.

16In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in 44dread because of the 45waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which He is going to wave over them. 17The land of Judah will become a 46terror to Egypt; everyone 47to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it, because of the 48purpose of the Lord of hosts which He is purposing against them.

18In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and 49swearing allegiance to the Lord of hosts; one will be called the City of 50Destruction.

19In that day there will be an 51altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a 52pillar to the Lord near its border. 20It will become a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the Lord because of oppressors, and He will send them a 53Savior and a 5455Champion, and He will deliver them. 21Thus the Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day. They will even worship with 56sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. 22The Lord will strike Egypt, striking but 57healing; so they will 58return to the Lord, and He will respond to them and will heal them.

23In that day there will be a 59highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will 60worship with the Assyrians.

24In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is 61Egypt My people, and Assyria 62the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”