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Chapter 19

Egypt

    Oracle on Egypt:
See, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud
    on his way to Egypt;
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them.(A)
I will stir up Egypt against Egypt:
    brother will war against brother,
Neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
The courage of the Egyptians shall ebb away within them,
    and I will bring their counsel to nought;
They shall consult idols and charmers, ghosts and clairvoyants.(B)
I will deliver Egypt
    into the power of a cruel master,
A harsh king[a] who shall rule over them—
    oracle of the Lord, the Lord of hosts.(C)
The waters shall be drained from the sea,
    the river shall parch and dry up;(D)
Its streams shall become foul,
    and the canals of Egypt shall dwindle and parch.(E)
Reeds and rushes shall wither away,
    and bulrushes on the bank of the Nile;(F)
All the sown land along the Nile
    shall dry up and blow away, and be no more.
The fishermen shall mourn and lament,
    all who cast hook in the Nile;
Those who spread their nets in the water
    shall pine away.
The linen-workers shall be disappointed,
    the combers and weavers shall turn pale;(G)
10 The spinners shall be crushed,
    all the hired laborers shall be despondent.
11 Utter fools are the princes of Zoan![b]
    the wisest of Pharaoh’s advisers give stupid counsel.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am a descendant of wise men, of ancient kings”?
12 Where then are your wise men?
    Let them tell you and make known
What the Lord of hosts has planned
    against Egypt.(H)
13 The princes of Zoan have become fools,
    the princes of Memphis have been deceived.
The chiefs of its tribes
    have led Egypt astray.(I)
14 The Lord has prepared among them
    a spirit of dizziness,
And they have made Egypt stagger in whatever she does,
    as a drunkard staggers in his vomit.(J)
15 Egypt shall accomplish nothing—
    neither head nor tail, palm branch nor reed,[c] shall accomplish anything.

16 On that day the Egyptians shall be like women, trembling with fear, because of the Lord of hosts shaking his fist at them.(K) 17 And the land of Judah shall be a terror to the Egyptians. Every time they think of Judah, they shall stand in dread because of the plan the Lord of hosts has in mind for them.

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Footnotes

  1. 19:4 Cruel master…harsh king: possibly the Nubian (Ethiopian) Shabaka who gained control of all of Egypt around 712 B.C.
  2. 19:11, 13 Zoan, later known as Tanis, and Memphis (Hebrew Noph) were key cities in the Nile Delta.
  3. 19:15 Head…reed: the leaders and the people; cf. 9:13–14.

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.

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19 to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and his servants, princes, all his people

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19 Pharaoh king(A) of Egypt,(B) his attendants, his officials and all his people,

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