18 Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:

That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!

All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.

In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion.

19 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

18 1 Of the enemies of the Church. 7 And of the vocation of the Gentiles.

Oh, the [a]land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,

Sending ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of [b]reeds upon the waters, saying, [c]Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation that is scattered abroad, and spoiled, unto a terrible [d]people from their beginning even hitherto: a nation by little and little even trodden under foot: whose land the [e]floods have spoiled.

All ye the inhabitants of the world, and dwellers in the earth, shall see when [f]he setteth up a sign in the mountains, and when he bloweth the trumpet, ye shall hear.

For so the Lord said unto me, I will [g]rest and behold in my tabernacle, as [h]the heat drying up the rain, and as a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

For afore the harvest, when the flour is finished, and the fruit is ripening in the flour, then he shall cut down the branches with hooks, and shall take away, and cut off the boughs:

They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the [i]beasts of the earth: for the fowl shall summer upon it, and every beast of the earth shall winter upon it.

At that time shall a [j]present be brought unto the Lord of hosts (a people that is scattered abroad, and spoiled, and of a terrible people from their beginning hitherto, a nation by little and little even trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled) to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, even the mount Zion.

19 1 The destruction of the Egyptians by the Assyrians. 18 Of their conversion to the Lord.

The [k]burden of Egypt. Behold, the Lord [l]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 her.

And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: so everyone shall [m]fight against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

And the [n]spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of her, and I will destroy their counsel, and they shall seek at the idols, and at the sorcerers, and at them that have spirits of divination, and at the soothsayers.

And I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of the cruel lords, and a mighty king shall rule over them, saith the Lord God of hosts.

Then the waters of the sea shall [o]fail, and the river shall be dried up, and wasted.

And the [p]rivers shall go far away: the rivers of defense shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall be cut down.

The grass in the river, and at the [q]head of the rivers, and all that groweth by the river shall wither, and be driven away, and be no more.

The fishers also shall [r]mourn, and all they that cast angle into the river, shall lament, and they that spread their net upon the waters, shall be weakened.

Moreover, they that work in flax of divers sorts, shall be confounded, and they that weave nets.

10 For their nets shall be broken, and all they that make ponds shall be heavy in heart.

11 Surely the princes of [s]Zoan are fools: the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh, is become foolish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I [t]am the son of the wise? I am the son of the ancient kings?

12 Where are now the wise men, that they may tell thee, or may know what the Lord of hosts hath determined against Egypt?

13 The princes of Zoan are become fools: the princes of [u]Noph are deceived, they have deceived Egypt, even the [v]corners of the tribes thereof.

14 The Lord hath mingled among them the spirits [w]of errors: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man erreth in his vomit.

15 Neither shall there be any work in Egypt, which the head may [x]do, nor the tail, the branch nor the rush.

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

17 And the land of Judah shall be a fear [y]unto Egypt: everyone that maketh mention of it, shall be afraid thereat, because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts, which he hath determined upon it.

18 In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt [z]speak the language of Canaan, and shall [aa]swear by the Lord of hosts: one shall be called the city of [ab]destruction.

19 In that day shall the altar of the Lord be in the midst of the land of Egypt, and [ac]a pillar by the border thereof unto the Lord.

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 [ad]a Savior, and a great man, and shall deliver them.

21 And the Lord shall be known of the Egyptians, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and do [ae]sacrifice and oblation, and shall vow vows unto the Lord, and perform them.

22 So the Lord shall smite Egypt, he shall smite and heal it: for he shall return unto the Lord, and he shall be entreated of them and shall heal them.

23 In that day shall there be a path from [af]Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria: so the Egyptians shall worship with Assyria.

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

25 For the Lord of hosts shall bless it, saying, Blessed be my people Egypt and Assyria, the work of mine hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 He meaneth that part of Ethiopia, which lieth toward the sea, which was so full of ships that the sails (which he compareth to wings) seemed to shadow the sea.
  2. Isaiah 18:2 Which in those countries were great, insomuch as they made ships of them for swiftness.
  3. Isaiah 18:2 This may be taken, that they sent others to comfort the Jews, and to promise them help against their enemies, and so the Lord did threaten to take away their strength, that the Jews should not trust therein: or that they did solicit the Egyptians, and promised them aid to go against Judah.
  4. Isaiah 18:2 To wit, the Jews, who because of God’s plague, made all other nations afraid of the like, as God threatened, Deut. 28:37.
  5. Isaiah 18:2 Meaning, the Assyrians, as Isa. 8:7.
  6. Isaiah 18:3 When the Lord prepared to fight against the Ethiopians.
  7. Isaiah 18:4 I will stay a while from punishing the wicked.
  8. Isaiah 18:4 Which two seasons are most profitable for the ripening of fruits, whereby he meaneth, that he will seem to favor them, and give them abundance for a time, but he will suddenly cut them off.
  9. Isaiah 18:6 Not only men shall contemn them, but the brute beasts.
  10. Isaiah 18:7 Meaning, that God will pity his Church, and receive that little remnant as an offering unto himself.
  11. Isaiah 19:1 Read Isa. 13:7.
  12. Isaiah 19:1 Because the Egyptians trusted in the defense of their country, in the multitude of their idols, and in the valiantness of their men, the Lord showeth that he will come over all their munitions in a swift cloud, and that their idols shall tremble at his coming and that men’s hearts shall faint.
  13. Isaiah 19:2 As he caused the Ammonites, Moabites and Idumeans to kill one another, when they came to destroy the Church of God, 2 Chron. 20:22; Isa. 49:26.
  14. Isaiah 19:3 Meaning, their policy and wisdom.
  15. Isaiah 19:5 He showeth that the sea and Nile their great river, whereby they thought themselves most sure, should not be able to defend them from his anger, but that he would send the Assyrians among them, that should keep them under as slaves.
  16. Isaiah 19:6 For the Nile ran into the sea by seven streams, as though they were so many rivers.
  17. Isaiah 19:7 The Hebrew word is mouth, whereby they mean the spring out of the which the water gusheth as out of a mouth.
  18. Isaiah 19:8 The Scriptures used to describe the destruction of a country by taking away of the commodities thereof, as by vines, flesh, fish, and such other things, whereby countries are enriched.
  19. Isaiah 19:11 Called also Tanis, a famous city upon the Nile.
  20. Isaiah 19:11 He noteth the flatterers of Pharaoh: who persuaded the king that he was wise and noble, and that his house was most ancient, and so he flattered himself, saying, I am wise.
  21. Isaiah 19:13 Or, Memphis, others Alexandria, and now called the great Cairo.
  22. Isaiah 19:13 The principal upholders thereof are the chiefest cause of their destruction.
  23. Isaiah 19:14 For the spirit of wisdom he hath made them drunken and giddy with the spirit of error.
  24. Isaiah 19:15 Neither the great nor the small, the strong nor the weak.
  25. Isaiah 19:17 Considering that through their occasion the Jews made not God their defense: but put their trust in them, and were therefore now punished, they shall fear lest the like light upon them.
  26. Isaiah 19:18 Shall make one confession of faith with the people of God: by the speech of Canaan, meaning the language wherein God was then served.
  27. Isaiah 19:18 Shall renounce their superstitions and protest to serve God aright.
  28. Isaiah 19:18 Meaning, of six cities, five should serve God, and the sixth remain in their wickedness: and so of the sixth part there should be but one lost.
  29. Isaiah 19:19 There shall be evident signs and tokens, that God’s religion is there: which manner of speech is taken of the Patriarchs and ancient times, when God hath not as yet appointed the place, and full manner how he would be worshipped.
  30. Isaiah 19:20 This declareth that this prophecy should be accomplished in the time of Christ.
  31. Isaiah 19:21 By these ceremonies he comprehendeth the spiritual service under Christ.
  32. Isaiah 19:23 By these two nations, which were then chief enemies of the Church, he showeth that the Gentiles and the Jews should be joined together in one faith and religion, and should be all one fold under Christ their shepherd.

A Prophecy Against Cush

18 Woe(A) to the land of whirring wings[a]
    along the rivers of Cush,[b](B)
which sends envoys(C) by sea
    in papyrus(D) boats over the water.

Go, swift messengers,
to a people tall and smooth-skinned,(E)
    to a people feared far and wide,
an aggressive(F) nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers.(G)

All you people of the world,(H)
    you who live on the earth,
when a banner(I) is raised on the mountains,
    you will see it,
and when a trumpet(J) sounds,
    you will hear it.
This is what the Lord says to me:
    “I will remain quiet(K) and will look on from my dwelling place,(L)
like shimmering heat in the sunshine,(M)
    like a cloud of dew(N) in the heat of harvest.”
For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone
    and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will cut off(O) the shoots with pruning knives,
    and cut down and take away the spreading branches.(P)
They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey(Q)
    and to the wild animals;(R)
the birds will feed on them all summer,
    the wild animals all winter.

At that time gifts(S) will be brought to the Lord Almighty

from a people tall and smooth-skinned,(T)
    from a people feared(U) far and wide,
an aggressive nation of strange speech,
    whose land is divided by rivers(V)

the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.(W)

A Prophecy Against Egypt

19 A prophecy(X) against Egypt:(Y)

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

“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,(AB)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.(AC)
The Egyptians will lose heart,(AD)
    and I will bring their plans(AE) to nothing;(AF)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.(AG)
I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king(AH) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

The waters of the river will dry up,(AI)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.(AJ)
The canals will stink;(AK)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.(AL)
The reeds(AM) and rushes will wither,(AN)
    also the plants(AO) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field(AP) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.(AQ)
The fishermen(AR) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks(AS) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
Those who work with combed flax(AT) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen(AU) 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(AV) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors(AW) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.(AX)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,(AY)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

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

16 In that day(BH) the Egyptians will become weaklings.(BI) They will shudder with fear(BJ) at the uplifted hand(BK) 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,(BL) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning(BM) against them.

18 In that day(BN) five cities(BO) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance(BP) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[c](BQ)

19 In that day(BR) there will be an altar(BS) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,(BT) and a monument(BU) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness(BV) 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(BW) and defender, and he will rescue(BX) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge(BY) the Lord. They will worship(BZ) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.(CA) 22 The Lord will strike(CB) Egypt with a plague;(CC) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn(CD) to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal(CE) them.

23 In that day(CF) there will be a highway(CG) from Egypt to Assyria.(CH) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship(CI) together. 24 In that day(CJ) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,(CK) a blessing[d](CL) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless(CM) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people,(CN) Assyria my handiwork,(CO) and Israel my inheritance.(CP)

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 18:1 Or of locusts
  2. Isaiah 18:1 That is, the upper Nile region
  3. Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
  4. 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