Isaiah 19

¹ The burden of Egypt. Lo, Jehovah is riding on a swift thick cloud, And He hath entered Egypt, And moved have been the idols of Egypt at His presence, And the heart of Egypt melteth in its midst. ² And I armed Egyptians against Egyptians, And they fought, each against his brother, And each against his neighbour, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. ³ And emptied out hath been in its midst the spirit of Egypt. And its counsel I swallow up, And they have sought unto the idols, And unto the charmers, And unto those having familiar spirits, And unto the wizards. ⁴ And I have delivered the Egyptians Into the hand of a hard lord, And a strong king doth rule over them, An affirmation of the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts. ⁵ And failed have waters from the sea, And a river is wasted and dried up. ⁶ And they have turned away the flowings, Weak and dried up have been brooks of the bulwark, Reed and flag have withered. ⁷ Exposed things by the brook, by the edge of the brook, And every sown thing of the brook, hath withered, It hath been driven away, and is not. ⁸ And lamented have the fishers, And mourned have all casting angle into a brook, And those spreading nets on the face of the waters have languished. ⁹ And ashamed have been makers of fine flax, And weavers of net-works. ¹⁰ And its foundations have been smitten, All making wages [are] afflicted in soul. ¹¹ Only, fools [are] the princes of Zoan, The counsel of the wise ones of the counsellors of Pharaoh hath become brutish. How say ye unto Pharaoh, `A son of the wise am I, a son of kings of antiquity?' <sup>12</sup> Where [are] they now, thy wise ones? Yea, let them tell to thee, I pray thee, And they know what Jehovah of Hosts hath counselled against Egypt! <sup>13</sup> Foolish have been princes of Zoan, Lifted up have been princes of Noph, And they have caused Egypt to err, The chief of her tribes. <sup>14</sup> Jehovah hath mingled in her midst A spirit of perverseness, And they have caused Egypt to err in all its work, As a drunkard erreth in his vomit. <sup>15</sup> And there is no work to Egypt, That head or tail, branch or reed, may do. <sup>16</sup> In that day is Egypt like women, And it hath mourned, and been afraid, Because of the waving of the hand of Jehovah of Hosts, That He is waving over it. <sup>17</sup> And the land of Judah hath been to Egypt for a cause of staggering, Every one who doth mention it, for himself feareth, Because of the counsel of Jehovah of Hosts, That He is counselling against it. <sup>18</sup> In that day there are five cities in the land of Egypt, Speaking the lip of Canaan, And swearing to Jehovah of Hosts, `The city of destruction,' is said of one. ¹⁹ In that day there is an altar to Jehovah In the midst of the land of Egypt, And a standing pillar near its border to Jehovah, ²⁰ And it hath been for a sign and for a testimony, To Jehovah of Hosts in the land of Egypt, For they cry unto Jehovah from the face of oppressors, And He sendeth to them a saviour, Even a great one, and hath delivered them. ²¹ And known hath been Jehovah to Egypt, And the Egyptians have known Jehovah in that day, And done sacrifice and present, And vowed a vow to Jehovah, and completed [it]. ²² And Jehovah hath smitten Egypt, smiting and healing, And they have turned back unto Jehovah, And He hath been entreated of them, And hath healed them. ²³ In that day is a highway out of Egypt to Asshur, And come in have the Assyrians to Egypt, And the Egyptians into Asshur, And the Egyptians have served with the Assyrians. ²⁴ In that day is Israel third, After Egypt, and after Asshur, A blessing in the heart of the earth. ²⁵ In that Jehovah of Hosts did bless it, saying, `Blessed [is] My people -- Egypt, And the work of My hands -- Asshur, And Mine inheritance -- Israel!'