Isaiah 19
19
God will Punish Egypt
1 #
Jer 46.2–26; Ezek 29.1—32.32 This is a message about Egypt.
The LORD is coming to Egypt, riding swiftly on a cloud. The Egyptian idols tremble before him, and the people of Egypt lose their courage. 2The LORD says, “I will stir up civil war in Egypt and turn brother against brother and neighbour against neighbour. Rival cities will fight each other, and rival kings will struggle for power. 3I am going to frustrate the plans of the Egyptians and destroy their morale. They will ask their idols to help them, and they will go and consult mediums and ask the spirits of the dead for advice. 4I will hand the Egyptians over to a tyrant, to a cruel king who will rule them. I, the LORD Almighty, have spoken.”
5The water will be low in the Nile, and the river will gradually dry up. 6The channels of the river will stink as they slowly go dry. Reeds and rushes will wither, 7and all the crops sown along the banks of the Nile will dry up and be blown away. 8Everyone who earns his living by fishing in the Nile will groan and cry; their hooks and their nets will be useless. 9Those who make linen cloth will be in despair; 10weavers and skilled workers will be broken and depressed.
11The leaders of the city of Zoan are fools! Egypt's wisest people give stupid advice! How dare they tell the king that they are successors to the ancient scholars and kings? 12King of Egypt, where are those clever advisers of yours? Perhaps they can tell you what plans the LORD Almighty has for Egypt. 13The leaders of Zoan and Memphis are fools. They were supposed to lead the nation, but they have misled it. 14The LORD has made them give confusing advice. As a result, Egypt does everything wrong and staggers like a drunken man slipping on his own vomit. 15No one in Egypt, rich or poor, important or unknown, can offer help.
Egypt will Worship the LORD
16A time is coming when the people of Egypt will be as timid as women. They will tremble in terror when they see that the LORD Almighty has stretched out his hand to punish them. 17The people of Egypt will be terrified of Judah every time they are reminded of the fate that the LORD Almighty has prepared for them.
18When that time comes, the Hebrew language will be spoken in five Egyptian cities. The people there will take their oaths in the name of the LORD Almighty. One of the cities will be called, “City of the Sun”.
19When that time comes, there will be an altar to the LORD in the land of Egypt and a stone pillar dedicated to him at the Egyptian border. 20They will be symbols of the LORD Almighty's presence in Egypt. When the people there are oppressed and call out to the LORD for help, he will send someone to rescue them. 21The LORD will reveal himself to the Egyptian people, and then they will acknowledge and worship him, and bring him sacrifices and offerings. They will make solemn promises to him and do what they promise. 22The LORD will punish the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will turn to him, and he will hear their prayers and heal them.
23When that time comes, there will be a highway between Egypt and Assyria. The people of those two countries will travel to and fro between them, and the two nations will worship together. 24When that time comes, Israel will rank with Egypt and Assyria, and these three nations will be a blessing to all the world. 25The LORD Almighty will bless them and say, “I will bless you, Egypt, my people; you, Assyria, whom I created; and you, Israel, my chosen people.”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Isaiah 19
19
A Pronouncement against Egypt
1A pronouncement#Is 13:1 concerning Egypt:#Jr 46:13–26; Ezk 29:1–31:2; 31:18–32:32; Jl 3:19
Look, the Lord rides on a swift cloud#Ps 18:9–10; 104:3; Mt 26:64; Rv 1:7
and is coming to Egypt.
Egypt’s worthless idols will tremble before him,#Ex 12:12; Jr 43:12; 44:8
and Egypt will lose heart.#Jos 2:11; Is 13:7
2I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians;
each will fight against his brother#Mk 13:12
and each against his friend,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom.#Jdg 7:22; 1Sm 14:20; 2Ch 20:23; Mt 10:21,36; Mk 13:8; Lk 21:10
3Egypt’s spirit will be disturbed within it,
and I will frustrate its plans.
Then they will inquire of worthless idols, ghosts,
mediums, and spiritists.#1Ch 10:13; Is 8:19; Dn 2:2
4I will hand over Egypt to harsh masters,#Is 20:4; Jr 46:26; Ezk 29:19
and a strong king will rule it.
This is the declaration of the Lord God of Armies.
5The water of the sea will dry up,
and the river will be parched and dry.
6The channels will stink;
they will dwindle, and Egypt’s canals will be parched.
Reed and rush will wilt.
7The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river,
and all the cultivated areas of the Nile
will wither, blow away, and vanish.
8Then the fishermen will mourn.
All those who cast hooks into the Nile will lament,
and those who spread nets on the water will give up.
9Those who work with flax will be dismayed;#Pr 7:16; Ezk 27:7
those combing it and weaving linen will turn pale.#19:9 DSS, Tg; MT reads weavers of white cloth
10Egypt’s weavers#19:10 Or foundations will be dejected;
all her wage earners will be demoralized.
11The princes of Zoan are complete fools;#Nm 13:22; Ps 78:12,43; Is 30:4
Pharaoh’s wisest advisers give stupid advice!
How can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am one#19:11 Lit a son of the wise,
a student of eastern#19:11 Lit a son of ancient kings”?
12Where then are your wise men?
Let them tell you and reveal
what the Lord of Armies has planned against Egypt.
13The princes of Zoan have been fools;
the princes of Memphis are deceived.#Jr 2:16; 46:14,19; Ezk 30:13
Her tribal chieftains have led Egypt astray.
14The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of confusion.
The leaders have made Egypt stagger in all she does,
as a drunkard staggers in his vomit.
15No head or tail, palm or reed,#Is 9:14–16
will be able to do anything for Egypt.
Egypt Will Know the Lord
16On that day Egypt will be like women and will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the Lord of Armies when he raises it against them. 17The land of Judah will terrify Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what the Lord of Armies has planned#Is 5:19 against it.
18On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the Lord of Armies. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun.#19:18 Some Hb mss, DSS, Sym, Tg, Vg, Arabic; other Hb mss read of Destruction; LXX reads of Righteousness#19:18 = the ancient Egyptian city Heliopolis
19On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord near her border.#Gn 28:18; Ex 24:4; Jos 22:10,26–27 20It will be a sign and witness to the Lord of Armies in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them.#Jdg 3:9,15; 6:7; 10:10 21The Lord will make himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the Lord on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings;#Is 56:7; 60:7; Zch 14:16–18 they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them. 22The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will turn to the Lord, and he will be receptive to their prayers and heal them.
23On that day there will be a highway#Is 11:16; 35:8; 49:11; 62:10 from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will worship with Assyria.
24On that day Israel will form a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria — a blessing within the land. 25The Lord of Armies will bless them, saying, “Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork,#Ps 100:3; Is 29:23; 45:11; 60:21; 64:8; Eph 2:10 and Israel my inheritance are blessed.”#Dt 9:26,29; 32:9; Ps 28:9; Is 47:6; 63:17
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