Isaiah 19
19
God’s Message to Egypt
1A message#19:1 message Or “burden.” about Egypt: Look, the Lord is coming on a fast cloud. He will enter Egypt, and all the false gods of Egypt will shake with fear. Egypt’s courage will melt away like hot wax.
2The Lord says, “I will cause the Egyptians to fight against themselves. Men will fight their brothers. Neighbors will be against neighbors. Cities will be against cities. Kingdoms will be against kingdoms.#19:2 Kingdoms will be against kingdoms Or “States will be against states.” This means Egyptians will fight other Egyptians. 3The Egyptians will be afraid and confused. They will ask their false gods and wise men what they should do. They will ask their wizards and magicians, but I will ruin their plans.” 4The Lord GOD All-Powerful says, “I will give Egypt to a hard master. A powerful king will rule over the people.”
5The water in the Nile River will dry up and disappear. 6All the rivers will smell very bad.#19:6 smell very bad In Hebrew this is like a name for the Nile River. The canals in Egypt will be dry, and the water will be gone. All the water plants will rot. 7All the plants along the riverbanks will die and blow away. Even the plants at the widest part of the river will dry up, blow away, and disappear.
8The fishermen, all those who catch fish from the Nile River, will become sad and they will cry. They depend on the Nile River for their food, but it will be dry. 9Those who make cloth from flax, who weave it into linen, will all be sad. 10Those who weave cloth will be broken, and those who work for money will be depressed.
11The leaders of the city of Zoan#19:11 Zoan A city in Egypt. Also in verse 13. are fools. Pharaoh’s “wise advisors” give bad advice. They say they are wise. They say they are from the old family of the kings, but they are not as smart as they think. 12Egypt, where are your wise men? They should learn what the Lord All-Powerful has planned for Egypt. They should be the ones to tell you what will happen.
13The leaders of Zoan have been fooled. The leaders of Noph#19:13 Noph Or “Memphis,” a city in Egypt. have believed lies, so they lead Egypt the wrong way. 14The Lord confused them, so they wander around and lead Egypt the wrong way. Everything they do is wrong. They are like drunks rolling in their vomit. 15There is nothing the leaders can do. (They are “the heads and the tails.” They are “the tops and the stalks of plants.”#19:15 the heads and … stalks of plants See Isa. 9:14-15.)
16At that time the Egyptians will be like frightened women. They will be afraid of the Lord All-Powerful, because he will raise his arm to punish the people. 17The land of Judah brings fear to everyone in Egypt. Anyone in Egypt who hears the name Judah will be afraid. This will happen because the Lord All-Powerful has planned terrible things to happen to Egypt. 18At that time there will be five cities in Egypt where people speak Hebrew.#19:18 Hebrew Literally, “the language of Canaan.” One of these cities will be named “Destruction City.”#19:18 Destruction City This is a wordplay on the name meaning “Sun City,” which is also called On or Heliopolis. The people in these cities will promise to follow the Lord All-Powerful.
19At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of Egypt. At the border of Egypt there will be a monument to show honor to the Lord. 20This will be a sign to show that the Lord All-Powerful does amazing things. Any time the people cry for help from the Lord, he will send help. He will send someone to save and defend the people—to rescue the people from those who hurt them.
21At that time the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and they really will know the Lord. They will serve him and give him many sacrifices. They will make promises#19:21 promises A special kind of promise to God. See Lev. 22:18-24. to the Lord, and they will do what they promise. 22The Lord will punish the Egyptians, but then he will heal them, and they will come back to him. The Lord will listen to their prayers and heal them.
23At that time there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Then the Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. Egypt will work with Assyria.#19:23 Egypt will work with Assyria Or “Egypt will serve Assyria.” 24Then Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together and control the land. This will be a blessing for the land. 25The Lord All-Powerful will bless these countries. He will say, “Egypt, you are my people. Assyria, I made you. Israel, I own you. You are all blessed!”
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Isaiah 19: ERV
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Isaiah 19
19
XIX
1THE ORACLE CONCERNING EGYPT.
Behold, Jehovah rideth
Upon a swift cloud, and cometh to Egypt:
And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence,
And the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of her.
2And I will excite the Egyptians against the Egyptians,
And they shall fight, every man against his brother, and every man against his neighbour:
City against city, kingdom against kingdom.
3And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof;
And I will destroy her counsel:
And they shall seek to the idols, and to the sorcerers,
And to the necromancers, and to the soothsayers.
4And I will deliver up the Egyptians into the hands of a cruel lord,
And a fierce king shall rule over them:
Saith the Lord Jehovah of hosts.
5Then shall the waters fail from the sea,
And the river shall be wasted and dried up:
6And the rivers shall send forth stench,
The canals of Egypt shall waste away and become dry,
The reed and the rush shall wither:
7The meadows by the river, even at the mouth of the river,
And every thing sown by the river,
Shall be dried up, scattered by the wind, and be no more.
8The fishers also shall mourn,
And all they that cast angle into the river shall lament;
And they that spread nets upon the face of the waters shall languish.
9And the workers of combed flax shall be confounded,
And they that weave white linen.
10And her foundations are broken in pieces,
And all workers for hire are afflicted in soul.
11Surely, the princes of Zoan are fools:
As for the wise counsellors of Pharaoh,
Their counsel is become foolish.
How will ye say unto Pharaoh,
I am the son of the wise, a son of ancient kings?
12Where now are they, thy wise men?
And let them tell thee now, if they know,
What Jehovah of hosts hath determined against Egypt.
13The princes of Zoan are become foolish, the princes of Noph are deceived;
And they, even the heads of her tribes, have caused Egypt to err.
14 Jehovah hath mingled in the midst of her a spirit of giddiness;
And they have caused Egypt to err in all her works,
As a drunkard staggereth in his vomit.
15Neither shall there be done by Egypt any work,
Which the head or tail, the branch or rush, may do.
16In that day the Egyptians shall be as women;
And they shall tremble and fear,
At the shaking of the hand of Jehovah of hosts,
Which he shall shake over them.
17And the land of Judah shall become a terror to the Egyptians:
Every one to whom a mention is made of it shall fear;
Because of the counsel of Jehovah of hosts,
Which he hath counselled against them.
18In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt,
Speaking the language of Canaan,
And swearing by Jehovah of hosts:
One of them shall be called, The city of Destruction.
19In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah
In the midst of the land of Egypt;
And a pillar at the boundary thereof to Jehovah:
20And it shall be for a sign, and for a witness,
To Jehovah of hosts in the land of Egypt;
For that they cried unto Jehovah because of oppressors,
And he sent unto them a saviour, and a defender, and he delivered them.
21And Jehovah shall be known to Egypt,
And the Egyptians shall know Jehovah in that day;
And they shall offer up sacrifice and oblation,
Yea they shall vow a vow unto Jehovah, and shall perform it.
22And Jehovah shall smite Egypt, smiting and healing her;
And they shall turn unto Jehovah, and he will be entreated by them, and will heal them.
23In that day there shall be a highway from Egypt towards Assyria;
And the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria:
And the Egyptian shall worship with the Assyrian.
24In that day shall Israel be the third
With Egypt and with Assyria,
Even a blessing in the midst of the earth:
25Whom Jehovah of hosts shall bless, saying:
Blessed be Egypt my people,
And Assyria, the work of my hands;
And Israel mine inheritance.
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Translated by Rev John Jones (Ioan Tegid).Published at Oxford in 1830, second edition 1842.