12-16 And he’ll raise that rallying banner high, visible to all nations,
    gather in all the scattered exiles of Israel,
Pull in all the dispersed refugees of Judah
    from the four winds and the seven seas.
The jealousy of Ephraim will dissolve,
    the hostility of Judah will vanish—
Ephraim no longer the jealous rival of Judah,
    Judah no longer the hostile rival of Ephraim!
Blood brothers united, they’ll pounce on the Philistines in the west,
    join forces to plunder the people in the east.
They’ll attack Edom and Moab.
    The Ammonites will fall into line.
God will once again dry up Egypt’s Red Sea,
    making for an easy crossing.
He’ll send a blistering wind
    down on the great River Euphrates,
Reduce it to seven mere trickles.
    None even need get their feet wet!
In the end there’ll be a highway all the way from Assyria,
    easy traveling for what’s left of God’s people—
A highway just like the one Israel had
    when he marched up out of Egypt.

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13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
    and Judah’s enemies[a] will be destroyed;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
    nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.(A)
14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia(B) to the west;
    together they will plunder the people to the east.(C)
They will subdue Edom(D) and Moab,(E)
    and the Ammonites(F) will be subject to them.(G)
15 The Lord will dry up(H)
    the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind(I) he will sweep his hand(J)
    over the Euphrates River.(K)
He will break it up into seven streams
    so that anyone can cross over in sandals.(L)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 11:13 Or hostility