Isaiah

Against Egypt

An oracle concerning Egypt:The Lord rides on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him; the heart of Egypt melts within it.

I will stir Egyptians against each other: brother will fight against brother, friend against friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

The Egyptians will lose heart for I will confound their plans; they will consult idols and sorcerers, ghosts and necromancers.

I will deliver the Egyptians into the hands of a cruel master, and a tyrant will be their ruler. It is the Lord Sabaoth who speaks.

The waters of the river will dry up; the river bed will be parched.

The canals will become foul dry, the tributaries of Egypt’s Nile will dwindle and cease to flow. The reeds and rushes will wither.

The plants on the banks and at the mouth of the river, and all the crops along the Nile will dry up, blow away and be no more.

The fishermen will mourn, all who cast hook in the Nile will groan, and those who throw nets upon the waters will lament.

The flax worker will despair, the carders, too, and white cloth weavers;

the spinners will be crushed; the hired laborers despondent.

The princes of Zoan are utter fools, and brutish is the counsel of the wisest of Pharaoh’s counselors. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am one of the wise men, a disciple of ancient kings?”

Where are your wise men? Let them come forward now, let them explain to you what the Lord will do against Egypt.

The princes of Zoan have become fools; the princes of Memphis have been deceived; Egypt is led astray by the chiefs of her tribes.

The Lord has poured into them a spirit which makes Egypt err in all her ventures, as a vomiting drunkard errs.

And Egypt will never succeed in anything it attempts by head or by tail, by palm or by reed.

Conversion of Egypt and Assyria

On that day, the Egyptians will be like a woman trembling in fear whenever they see the hand of the Lord Sabaoth raised against them.

Judah will be a terror to Egypt. Whenever they think of Judah, the Egyptians will be scared because of the terrible fate the Lord Sabaoth has planned for them.

On that day, five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan, and people will call upon the Lord Sabaoth. One of these cities is called the City of the Sun.

On that day, there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of Egypt and a sacred pillar to the Lord at its border.

It will be a symbol and a reminder of the Lord Sabaoth in Egypt so that they can call on him when they are oppressed, and he will send a savior to rescue and deliver them.

The Lord will reveal himself to the Egyptians. They will acknowledge him on that day and worship him with sacrifice and burnt offerings. They will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them.

The Lord will strike Egypt and then heal it. He will restore them and listen to their prayers when they turn to him.

On that day, a highway will be built from Egypt to Assyria. Assyrians will come to Egypt, and Egyptians will go to Assyria. Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

On that day, Israel will become a third party along with Egypt and Assyria—serving as a blessing to the whole earth.

And the Lord will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt, my people, Assyria, my creation, and Israel, my heritage.”