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19 The massa (burden) of Mitzrayim. Hinei, Hashem rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Mitzrayim; and the elilim (idols) of Mitzrayim shall tremble at His presence, and the levav Mitzrayim shall melt within him.

And I will set the Mitzrayim against the Mitzrayim; and they shall fight every ish against his brother, and every ish against his neighbor; ir against ir, and mamlachah against mamlachah.

And the ruach Mitzrayim shall be disheartened within him; and I will frustrate the etzah thereof; and they shall consult the elilim (idols, false g-ds), and to the ittim (sorcerers, necromancers), and to the ovot (mediums with familiar spirits), and to the wizards.

And the Mitzrayim will I give over into the yad adonim kasheh (power of hard taskmasters); and a fierce melech shall rule over them, saith HaAdon Hashem Tzva’os.

And the mayim shall roll back from the yam, and the Nile shall be parched and dried up.

And the neharot (streams, canals) shall turn foul; and the moats shall be emptied and dried up; the reeds and rushes shall wither.

The bare places by the Nile, by the mouth of the Nile, and everything sown by the Nile, shall wither, be blown away, v’einenu (and be no more).

The dayagim (fishermen) also shall mourn, and all they that cast hooks into the Nile shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the mayim shall languish.

Moreover they that work in pishtan (flax), and they that weave fine linen, shall be in despair.

10 And its foundations shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sachir (wages) shall be agmei nefesh (grieved).

11 Surely the sarim of Tzoan are fools, the etzah (advice) of the wise counselors of Pharaoh is become senseless; how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the Ben Chachamim, the Ben Malchei Kedem?

12 Where are they? Where are thy chachamim? And let them tell thee now, and let them know what Hashem Tzva’os hath planned against Mitzrayim.

13 The sarim of Tzoan are become fools, the sarim of Noph are deceived; they have also led Mitzrayim astray, even they that are the mainstay of the tribes thereof.

14 Hashem hath poured a ruach iv’im (spirit of dizziness) in the midst thereof, causing Mitzrayim to go astray in every ma’aseh thereof, as a shikkor staggereth in his vomit.

15 Neither shall there be any ma’aseh for Mitzrayim, which the head or tail, branch or stalk, may do.

16 In that day shall Mitzrayim be like nashim; and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the yad Hashem Tzva’os, which He shaketh against it.

17 And Admat Yehudah shall be a terror unto Mitzrayim, every one that maketh mention of Yehudah shall be afraid in himself, because of the etzah (plan) of Hashem Tzva’os, which He hath determined against it.

18 In that day shall five cities in Eretz Mitzrayim speak the sefat (language) of Kena’an, and swear allegiance to Hashem Tzva’os; one shall be called, Ir HaHeres (The City of the Sun).

19 In that day shall there be a mizbe’ach to Hashem in the midst of Eretz Mitzrayim, and a matzevah at the border thereof to Hashem.

20 And it shall be for an ot (sign) and for an ed (witness) unto Hashem Tzva’os in Eretz Mitzrayim; for they shall cry out unto Hashem because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a Moshi’a, and a Rav (leader), and he shall save them.

21 And Hashem shall make Himself known to Mitzrayim, and Mitzrayim shall know Hashem in that day, and shall worship and make zevach and minchah; indeed, they shall vow a neder unto Hashem, and perform it.

22 And Hashem shall strike Mitzrayim; He shall strike and heal it; and they shall make teshuvah even to Hashem, and He shall be entreated of them and shall heal them.

23 In that day shall there be a mesillah (highway) out of Mitzrayim to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Mitzrayim, and the Mitzrayim into Assyria, and the Mitzrayim shall worship with the Assyrians.

24 In that day shall Yisroel be the third with Mitzrayim and with Assyria, even a brocha in the midst of ha’aretz;

25 Whom Hashem Tzva’os shall bless, saying, Baruch Ami Mitzrayim, Ma’aseh Yadai Assyria, and Yisroel Mine nachalah.

A Prophecy Against Egypt

19 A prophecy(A) against Egypt:(B)

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud(C)
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt(D) with fear.

“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,(E)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.(F)
The Egyptians will lose heart,(G)
    and I will bring their plans(H) to nothing;(I)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.(J)
I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king(K) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

The waters of the river will dry up,(L)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.(M)
The canals will stink;(N)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.(O)
The reeds(P) and rushes will wither,(Q)
    also the plants(R) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field(S) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.(T)
The fishermen(U) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks(V) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
Those who work with combed flax(W) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen(X) will lose hope.
10 The workers in cloth will be dejected,
    and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

11 The officials of Zoan(Y) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors(Z) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.(AA)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,(AB)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

12 Where are your wise men(AC) now?
    Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
    has planned(AD) against Egypt.
13 The officials of Zoan(AE) have become fools,
    the leaders of Memphis(AF) are deceived;
the cornerstones(AG) of her peoples
    have led Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has poured into them
    a spirit of dizziness;(AH)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
    as a drunkard staggers(AI) around in his vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do—
    head or tail, palm branch or reed.(AJ)

16 In that day(AK) the Egyptians will become weaklings.(AL) They will shudder with fear(AM) at the uplifted hand(AN) that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,(AO) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning(AP) against them.

18 In that day(AQ) five cities(AR) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance(AS) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[a](AT)

19 In that day(AU) there will be an altar(AV) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,(AW) and a monument(AX) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness(AY) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior(AZ) and defender, and he will rescue(BA) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge(BB) the Lord. They will worship(BC) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.(BD) 22 The Lord will strike(BE) Egypt with a plague;(BF) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn(BG) to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal(BH) them.

23 In that day(BI) there will be a highway(BJ) from Egypt to Assyria.(BK) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship(BL) together. 24 In that day(BM) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,(BN) a blessing[b](BO) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless(BP) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people,(BQ) Assyria my handiwork,(BR) and Israel my inheritance.(BS)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
  2. Isaiah 19:24 Or Assyria, whose names will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or Assyria, who will be seen by others as blessed