Isaiah 19:1-13 ▼

1 The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Egypt: Listen carefully, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.

2 “So I will provoke Egyptians against Egyptians; And they will fight, each one against his brother and each one against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom.

3 “Then the spirit of the Egyptians will become exhausted within them and emptied out; And I will confuse their strategy, So that they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, And mediums and soothsayers.

4 “And I will hand over the Egyptians to a hard and cruel master, And a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.

5 The waters from the sea will dry up, And the river will be parched and dry.

6 The canals will become foul-smelling, The streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up, The reeds and the rushes will rot away.

7 The meadows by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile, And all the sown fields of the Nile Will become dry, be blown away, and be no more.

8 The fishermen will lament (cry out in grief), And all those who cast a hook into the Nile will mourn, And those who spread nets upon the waters will languish.

9 Moreover, those who make linen from combed flax And those who weave white cloth will be ashamed.

10 [Those who are] the pillars and foundations of Egypt will be crushed; And all those who work for wages will be grieved in soul.

11 The princes of Zoan are complete fools; The counsel of the Pharaoh’s wisest advisors has become stupid. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings?”

12 Where then are your wise men? Please let them tell you, And let them understand what the LORD of hosts Has purposed against Egypt [if they can].

13 The princes of Zoan have acted like fools, The princes of Memphis are deluded [and entertain false hope]; Those who are the cornerstone of her tribes Have led Egypt astray.