Isaiah 19:1-15

1The 1pronouncement concerning 2Egypt: Behold, the Lord is 3riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The 4idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the 5heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.2“So I will incite Egyptians against Egyptians; And they will fight, 6each 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 confuse their strategy, So that 7they will resort to idols and ghosts of the dead, And to 8mediums and spiritists.4Furthermore, I will hand the Egyptians over to a 9cruel master, And a 10mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord 11God of armies.

512The waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry.6The 1314canals will emit a stench, The 1516streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up; 17The reeds and rushes will rot away.7The bulrushes by the 18Nile, by the 19edge of the Nile And all the sown fields by the Nile Will become dry, be driven away, and be no more.8And the 20fishermen will grieve, And all those who cast a 21line into the Nile will mourn, And those who spread nets on the waters will dwindle away.9Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax And the weavers of white 22cloth will be 23utterly dejected.10And 24the 25pillars of Egypt will be crushed; All the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.

11The officials of 2627Zoan are mere fools; The advice of Pharaoh’s wisest advisers has become 28stupid. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the 29wise, a son of ancient kings”?12Well then, where are your wise men? Please let them tell you, And let them 30understand what the Lord of armies Has 31planned against Egypt.13The officials of 32Zoan have turned out to be fools, The officials of 33Memphis are deluded; Those who are the 34cornerstone of her tribes Have 35led Egypt astray.14The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of 36distortion; 37They have led Egypt astray in all 38that it does, As a 39drunken person 40staggers in his vomit.15There will be no work for Egypt 41Which its head or tail, its palm branch or bulrush, may do.