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Isaiah 19:13-15
New English Translation
Isaiah 19:13-15
New English Translation
13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
the officials of Memphis[a] are misled;
the rulers[b] of her tribes lead Egypt astray.
14 The Lord has made them undiscerning;[c]
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit.[d]
15 Egypt will not be able to do a thing,
head or tail, shoots or stalk.[e]
Footnotes
- Isaiah 19:13 tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”
- Isaiah 19:13 tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.
- Isaiah 19:14 tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”
- Isaiah 19:14 tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”
- Isaiah 19:15 tn Heb “And there will not be for Egypt a deed, which head and tail, shoot and stalk, can do.” In 9:14-15 the phrase “head or tail” refers to leaders and prophets, respectively. This interpretation makes good sense in this context, where both leaders and advisers (probably including prophets and diviners) are mentioned (vv. 11-14). Here, as in 9:14, “shoots or stalk” picture a reed, which symbolizes the leadership of the nation in its entirety.
New English Translation (NET)
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