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God’s Message to Egypt

19 This is a ·message [prophecy; oracle; burden] about Egypt:

Look, the Lord is coming on a ·fast [swift] cloud
    to enter Egypt.
The idols of Egypt will tremble before him,
    and Egypt’s ·courage [heart] will melt away.

The Lord says, “I will ·cause the Egyptians to fight against themselves [L provoke Egypt against Egypt].
    People will fight with their ·relatives [brothers];
    neighbors will fight neighbors;
    cities will fight cities;
    kingdoms will fight kingdoms.
The Egyptians will ·be afraid [lose heart],
    and I will ·ruin their plans [confuse their counsel].
They will ·ask advice from [consult] their idols and spirits of the dead,
    from their mediums and ·fortune-tellers [magicians; necromancers].”
The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says,
“I will hand Egypt ·over to [L into the hand of] a hard master,
and a ·powerful [fierce] king will rule over them.”

The ·sea [or river; L waters] will become dry,
    and the ·water will disappear from the Nile River [L river will be parched and dry].
The canals will stink;
    the streams of Egypt will decrease and dry up.
All the ·water plants [L reeds and bulrushes] will rot;
    all the plants along the banks of the Nile will die.
Even the ·planted [cultivated] fields by the Nile
    will dry up, blow away, and disappear [C catastrophic, since the Nile was essential to Egypt’s existence].
The fishermen, all those who ·catch fish from [L cast hooks into] the Nile,
    will groan and ·cry [lament];
those who ·fish in the Nile [L spread nets on the water] will ·be sad [grieve; lose heart].
All the people who make cloth from flax will ·be sad [despair; or be ashamed],
    and those who weave linen will ·lose hope [turn pale].
10 Those who ·weave cloth [or are its foundations] will be broken.
    All those who work for ·money [wages] will be ·sad [L grieved in their soul].

11 The officers of the city of Zoan [C probably Tanis, the Egyptian city nearest Israel] are fools;
    the wise ·men who advise the king of Egypt [counselors/advisors of Pharaoh] give ·wrong [senseless; stupid] advice.
How can you say to him, ‘I am ·wise [L a son of the wise]’?
    How can you say, ‘I am ·from the old family of the kings [a son of ancient kings; C “son of” may mean “an expert in the ways of”]’?
12 Egypt, where are your wise men?
    Let them show you
what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has planned for Egypt.
13 The officers of Zoan [v. 11] have ·been fooled [become fools];
    the ·leaders [princes] of Memphis [C prominent city in northern Egypt] ·have believed false things [are deceived/deluded].
So the ·leaders of Egypt [L cornerstones of her tribes]
    lead that nation ·the wrong way [astray].
14 The Lord has ·made the leaders confused [L mixed into them a spirit of distortion].
    They have led Egypt to ·wander in the wrong ways [or err in all it does],
    like drunk people stumbling in their own vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do;
    ·no one there can help [L head or tail, palm branch or reed; C no one, high or low, could help Egypt].

16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women [C physically weak and vulnerable]. They will ·be afraid of [tremble with fear at] the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], because he will raise his hand to strike them down. 17 The land of Judah will ·bring fear [be a terror] to Egypt. Anyone there who hears the name Judah will be afraid, because the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has planned terrible things for them. 18 ·At that time [L In that day] five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan [C Hebrew or Aramaic, evidence of Israel’s dominance over Egypt], and they will ·promise to be loyal [swear allegiance] to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. One of these cities will be named the City of Destruction.[a] 19 ·At that time [L In that day] there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of Egypt and a ·monument [or sacred pillar] to the Lord at the border of Egypt. 20 This will be a sign and a witness to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord for help, he will send a savior and defender, who will rescue them.

21 So the Lord will ·show himself [make himself known] to the Egyptians, and ·then [L in that day] they will ·know he is [acknowledge; know] the Lord. They will ·worship [serve] God ·and offer many sacrifices [with sacrifices and offerings]. They will make ·promises [vows] to the Lord and will keep them. 22 The Lord will ·punish [L strike] the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will ·come back [return] to the Lord, and he will listen to their ·prayers [pleas] and heal them.

23 ·At that time [L In that day] there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship God together. 24 ·At that time [L In that day] ·Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together [L Israel will be the third, with Egypt and Assyria; C a great power like them], which will be a blessing for the earth. 25 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will bless them, saying, “Egypt, you are my people. Assyria, ·I made you [L the work of my hands]. Israel, ·I own you [my inheritance]. You are all blessed!”

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 19:18 City of Destruction Most Hebrew copies read “City of Destruction.” The Dead Sea Scrolls, some Hebrew copies and other translations read “City of the Sun.”

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