Isaiah 19
1 The Vision of Egypt.
Behold, the Lord sits on a swift cloud, and shall come to Egypt: and the idols
of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and their heart shall faint within
them. 2 And the Egyptians shall be
stirred up against the Egyptians: and a man shall fight against his brother,
and a man against his neighbour, city against city, and
aAlex. ‘district,’ the accent being different.law against
bAlex. ‘district,’ the accent being different.law. 3 And the spirit of the
Egyptians shall be troubled within them; and I will frustrate their counsel:
and they shall enquire of their gods and their images, and
cGr. the ventriloquists.them that speak out of the earth, and them that have in them a divining
spirit. 4 And I will deliver Egypt
into the hands of men, of cruel lords; and cruel kings shall rule over them:
thus saith the Lord of hosts. 5 And
the Egyptians shall drink the water that is by the sea, but the river shall
fail, and be dried up. 6 And the
streams shall fail, and the canals of the river; and every
dLit. gathering; See Gen. 1. 9. also Jer. 28. 32.reservoir of water shall be dried up, in every marsh also of reed and
papyrus. 7 And all the green herbage
round about the river, and everything sown by the side of the river, shall be
blasted with the wind and dried up.
8 And the fishermen shall groan, and
all that cast a hook into the river shall groan; they also that cast nets, and
the anglers shall mourn. 9 And shame
shall come upon them that work fine flax, and them that
eGr. work at.make fine linen. 10 And they that
work at them shall be in pain, and all that make beer shall be grieved, and be
pained in their souls. 11 And the
princes of Tanis shall be fools: as for the king's
wise counsellors, their counsel shall be turned into folly: how will ye say to
the king, We are sons of wise men, sons of ancient kings?
12 Where are now thy wise men? and
let them declare to thee, and say, What has the Lord of hosts purposed upon
Egypt? 13 The princes of Tanis have
failed, and the princes of Memphis are lifted up
with pride, and they shall cause Egypt to wander by
tribes. 14 For the Lord has prepared
for them a spirit of error, and they have caused Egypt to err in all their
works, as one staggers who is drunken and vomits also.
15 And there shall be no work to the
Egyptians, which shall make head or tail, or beginning or end.
16 But in that day the Egyptians
shall be as women, in fear and in trembling because of the hand of the Lord of
hosts, which he shall bring upon them.
17 And the land of the Jews shall be
for a terror to the Egyptians: whosoever shall name it to them, they shall
fear, because of the counsel which the Lord of hosts has purposed concerning
it. 18 In that day there shall be
five cities in Egypt speaking the language of Chanaan, and swearing by the
name of the Lord of hosts; one city shall be called the
fHeb. city of destruction.city of Asedec. 19 In that day there
shall be an altar to the Lord in the land of the Egyptians, and a pillar to
the Lord by its border. 20 And it
shall be for a sign to the Lord for ever in the land of Egypt: for they shall
presently cry to the Lord by reason of them that afflict them, and he shall
send them a man who shall save them; he shall judge and save them.
21 And the Lord shall be known to the
Egyptians, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day; and they shall
offer sacrifices, and shall vow vows to the Lord, and pay
them. 22 And
the Lord shall smite the Egyptians with a stroke, and shall completely heal
them: and they shall return to the Lord, and he shall hear them, and
thoroughly heal them. 23 In that day
there shall be a way from Egypt to the Assyrians, and the Assyrians shall
enter into Egypt, and the Egyptians shall go to the Assyrians, and the
Egyptians shall serve the Assyrians.
24 In that day shall Israel be third
with the Egyptians and the Assyrians, blessed in the land which the Lord of
hosts has blessed, 25 saying, Blessed
be my people that is in Egypt, and that is among the Assyrians, and Israel
mine inheritance.