Ésaïe 19

¹ The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, And cometh unto Egypt; And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, And the heart of Egypt shall melt within it. ² And I will spur Egypt against Egypt; And they shall fight every one against his brother, And everyone against his neighbour; City against city, and kingdom against kingdom. ³ And the spirit of Egypt shall be made empty within it; And I will make void the counsel thereof; And they shall seek unto the idols, and to the whisperers, And to the ghosts, and to the familiar spirits. ⁴ And I will give over the Egyptians Iinto the hand of a cruel lord; And a fierce king shall rule over them, Saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts. ⁵ And the waters shall fail from the sea, And the river shall be drained dry, ⁶ And the rivers shall become foul; The streams of Egypt shall be minished and dried up; The reeds and flags shall wither. ⁷ The mosses by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, And all that is sown by the Nile, Shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more. ⁸ The fishers also shall lament, And all they that cast angle into the Nile shall mourn, And they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. ⁹ Moreover they that work in combed flax, And they that weave cotton, shall be ashamed. ¹⁰ And her foundations shall be crushed, All they that make dams shall be grieved in soul. ¹¹ The princes of Zoan are utter fools; The wisest counsellors of Pharaoh are a senseless counsel; How can ye say unto Pharaoh: "I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings"? ¹² Where are they, then, thy wise men? And let them tell thee now; And let them know what the LORD of hosts Hath purposed concerning Egypt. ¹³ The princes of Zoan are become fools, The princes of Noph are deceived; They have caused Egypt to go astray, That are the corner-stone of her tribes. ¹⁴ The LORD hath mingled within her A spirit of dizziness; And they have caused Egypt to stagger in every work thereof, As a drunken man staggereth in his vomit. ¹⁵ Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, Which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do. ¹⁶ In that day shall Egypt be like unto women; and it shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He shaketh over it. ¹⁷ And the land of Judah shall become a terror unto Egypt, whensoever one maketh mention thereof to it; it shall be afraid, because of the purpose of the LORD of hosts, which He purposeth against it. ¹⁸ In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called The city of destruction. ¹⁹ In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. ²⁰ And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and He will send them a saviour, and a defender, who will deliver them. ²¹ And the LORD shall make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day; yea, they shall worship with sacrifice and offering, and shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and shall perform it. ²² And the LORD will smite Egypt, smiting and healing; and they shall return unto the LORD, and He will be entreated of them, and will heal them. ²³ In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall worship with the Assyrians. ²⁴ In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; ²⁵ for that the LORD of hosts hath blessed him, saying: "Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance."