A Rebuke to Egypt

1A messagea about Egypt:

“Watch out! The LORD rides on a swift cloud,

and is coming to Egypt.

The idols of Egypt tremble before him,

and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them.

2I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians,

and everyone will fight against his brother,

everyone against his neighbor,

cityb against city,

kingdom against kingdom.

3The spirits of the Egyptians within them will be drained of courage,c

and I will bring their plans to nothing.

They will consult idolsd and spirits of the dead,

and mediums and spiritists.

4I will hand the Egyptians over

to the power of a cruel master,

and a fierce king will rule over them,”

declares the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies.

A Rebuke to Egypt’s Ecology and Industry

5“The water sourcese of the Nilef will be dried up,

and the riverg will become dry and parched.

6The canals will stink,

andh the tributaries of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.

Reeds and rushes will wither away.i

7And the bulrushes along the Nile,j

along the mouth of the Nile,k will wither away.

All the sown fields of the Nile will become parched,

andl they will be blown away;

there will be nothing left.m

8The fishermen will groan,

and all who cast hooks into the Nile will lament;

those who spread nets upon the water

will become weaker and weaker.

9The workersn in combed flax

and the weavers of white linen

will be in despair.

10Egypt’so workers in clothp will be crushed,

and all who work for wages will be sick at heart.”

A Rebuke to Egypt’s Leaders

11Zoan’s princes are nothing but fools;

the wisest advisors of Pharaoh give stupid advice.

How can you say to Pharaoh,

“I’m a descendant of wise men,

a descendant of ancient kings”?

12Where are your wise men now?

Let them tell you,

let them make known

what the LORDq has planned against Egypt.

13The princes of Zoan have become fools,

and the princes of Memphis deluded;

the leadersr of its tribes

have led Egypt astray.

14The LORD has mixeds within themt a spirit of confusion;

so they make Egypt stagger in all that it does,

like a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.

15As a result, there will be nothing for Egypt

that head or tail, palm branch or reed, can do.u

Egypt and Syria Will Worship God

16At that time,v the Egyptians will be like women—theyw will shudder and be afraid before the uplifted hand of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, when he brandishes his hand against her.x 17And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will be afraid, because of the uplifted handy of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies thatz is turning in their direction.

18At that time,aa there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.bb

19At that time,cc there will be an altar to the LORD of the Heavenly Armiesdd in the heart of the land of Egypt, and a monument to the LORDee at its border. 20It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of the Heavenly Armies in the land of Egypt; when they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior, and he will come downff and rescue them. 21So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will acknowledge the LORD.

At that time,gg they will worshiphh with sacrifices and offerings, and they will make vows to the LORD and carry them out. 22The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague, striking but then healing. Then they will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.

23At that time,ii there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will come into Egypt, and the Egyptians into Assyria, and theyjj will worship with the Assyrians.

24At that time,kk Israel will be in a triple alliancell with Egypt and Assyria; they will bemm a blessing in the midst of the earth. 25The LORD of the Heavenly Armies has blessed them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”