Isaiah, 19

1. The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

1. An oracle concerning Egypt: Yahweh rides on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him; the heart of Egypt melts within it.

2. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, [and] kingdom against kingdom.

2. I will stir Egyptians against each other: brother will fight against brother, friend against friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

3. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

3. The Egyptians will lose heart for I will confound their plans; they will consult idols and sorcerers, ghosts and necromancers.

4. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.

4. I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a cruel master, and a tyrant will be their ruler. It is Yahweh Sabaoth who speaks.

5. And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

5. The waters of the river will dry up; the river bed will be parched.

6. And they shall turn the rivers far away; [and] the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.

6. The canals will become foul dry, the tributaries of Egypt's Nile will dwindle and cease to flow. The reeds and rushes will wither.

7. The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no [more].

7. The plants on the banks and at the mouth of the river, and all the crops along the Nile will dry up, blow away and be no more.

8. The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

8. The fishermen will mourn, all who cast hook in the Nile will groan, and those who throw nets upon the waters will lament.

9. Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.

9. The flax worker will despair, the carders, too, and white cloth weavers;

10. And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices [and] ponds for fish.

10. the spinners will be crushed; the hired laborers despondent.

11. Surely the princes of Zoan [are] fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I [am] the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?

11. The princes of Zoan are utter fools, and brutish is the counsel of the wisest of Pharaoh's counselors. How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am one of the wise men, a disciple of ancient kings?"

12. Where [are] they? where [are] thy wise [men]? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.

12. Where are your wise men? Let them come forward now, let them explain to you what Yahweh will do against Egypt.

13. The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, [even they that are] the stay of the tribes thereof.

13. The princes of Zoan have become fools; the princes of Memphis have been deceived; Egypt is led astray by the chiefs of her tribes.

14. The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken [man] staggereth in his vomit.

14. Yahweh has poured into them a spirit which makes Egypt err in all her ventures, as a vomiting drunkard errs.

15. Neither shall there be [any] work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

15. And Egypt will never succeed in anything it attempts by head or by tail, by palm or by reed.

16. In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.

16. On that day the Egyptians will be like a woman trembling in fear whenever they see the hand of Yahweh Sabaoth raised against them.

17. And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.

17. Judah will be a terror to Egypt. Whenever they think of Judah, the Egyptians will be terrified because of the terrible fate Yahweh Sabaoth has in store for them.

18. In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.

18. On that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan, in which people will call upon Yahweh Sabaoth. One of them is called the City of the Sun.

19. In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.

19. On that day there will be an altar to Yahweh in the center of the land of Egypt and a sacred pillar to Yahweh at its border.

20. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

20. It will be a sign and a remembrance of Yahweh Sabaoth in the land of Egypt, so that they may call to him when they are oppressed, and he will send a savior to defend and deliver them.

21. And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform [it].

21. Yahweh will reveal himself to the Egyptians. They will acknowledge him on that day and worship him with sacrifice and burnt offerings. They will make vows to Yahweh and perform them.

22. And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal [it]: and they shall return [even] to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

22. Yahweh will strike Egypt and then cure it. When they turn to him, he will heal them and heed their supplications.

23. In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.

23. On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyrians will come to Egypt, and Egyptians to Assyria. Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

24. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, [even] a blessing in the midst of the land:

24. On that day, Israel will be a third party with Egypt and Assyria - a blessing on earth.

25. Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed [be] Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

25. And Yahweh will bless them saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my creation, and Israel my heritage."