Isaiah 19:1–17

Egypt Will Be Punished

¹This is the divine revelation about Egypt. 

The Lord is riding on a fast-moving cloud and is coming to Egypt. 

Egypt’s idols will tremble in his presence. 

Egypt’s courage will fail. 

²“I will turn one Egyptian against another. 

They will fight— 

brother against brother, 

neighbor against neighbor, 

city against city, 

kingdom against kingdom. 

³The Egyptians will lose courage. 

I will unravel their plans. 

They will turn to idols, ghosts, 

mediums, and fortunetellers. 

⁴I will hand over the Egyptians to a harsh master. 

A strong king will rule them,” 

declares the Almighty Lord of Armies. 

⁵The water in the Nile River will be dried up,^a

and the river will be dry and empty. 

⁶The canals will stink. 

Egypt’s streams will be emptied and dried up. 

The reeds and cattails will wither. 

⁷The rushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile, 

and all the fields planted beside the Nile 

will dry up, be blown away, and disappear. 

⁸Fishermen will cry. 

All who cast their lines into the Nile will mourn. 

Those who spread their nets on the water will sigh. 

⁹Linenworkers and weavers will be ashamed. 

¹⁰Egypt’s weavers will be crushed. 

Those who work for money will be distressed. 

¹¹The leaders of Zoan are nothing but fools. 

The wisest of Pharaoh’s counselors gives stupid advice. 

How can you tell 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 explain what the Lord of Armies 

is planning against Egypt. 

¹³The leaders of Zoan are acting foolishly. 

The leaders of Memphis are led astray. 

The leaders who are the cornerstones of its tribes mislead the Egyptians. 

¹⁴The Lord mixes up their minds. 

So they lead the Egyptians astray 

like a drunk who staggers in his vomit. 

¹⁵No one—leaders or followers, important or unimportant— 

can do anything for Egypt. 

¹⁶At that time Egyptians will act like women. They will tremble and be terrified because the Lord of Armies will shake his fist at them. ¹⁷The land of Judah will terrify the Egyptians. Whenever they are reminded of Judah, they will be terrified of it because of what the Lord of Armies is planning against it.