Isaiah 19

An Oracle Concerning Egypt

1 An *See ch. 13:1oracle concerning *[Joel 3:19]; See Jer. 46:13-26; Ezek. 29:1–31:2; 31:18–32:32Egypt.

Behold, the Lord*Ps. 18:10,11;104:3;[Matt. 26:64;Rev. 1:7] is riding on a swift cloud

and comes to Egypt;

and *Ex. 12:12;[1 Sam. 5:3;Jer. 43:12;50:2] the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence,

and the heart of the Egyptians will *ch. 13:7;See Josh. 2:11melt within them.

2 And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians,

*[Judg. 7:22]and they will fight, each against another

and each against his neighbor,

city against city, kingdom against kingdom;

3 and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out,

and I will confound*19:3 Or I will swallow up their *ver. 11counsel;

and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers,

and *ch. 8:19the mediums and the necromancers;

4 and I will give over the Egyptians

into the hand of *ch. 20:4;Jer. 46:26;Ezek. 29:19a hard master,

and a fierce king will rule over them,

declares the Lord God of hosts.

5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up,

and the river will be dry and parched,

6 and its canals will become foul,

and the branches of Egypt’s Nile will diminish and dry up,

reeds and rushes will rot away.

7 There will be bare places by the Nile,

on the brink of the Nile,

and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched,

will be driven away, and will be no more.

8 The *[Num. 11:5]fishermen will mourn and lament,

all who cast a hook in the Nile;

and they will languish

who spread nets on the water.

9 The workers in *[Ezek. 27:7]combed flax will be in despair,

and the weavers of white cotton.

10 Those who are the *[Gal. 2:9] pillars of the land will be crushed,

and all who *Jer. 46:21work for pay will be grieved.

11 The princes of *ch. 30:4;Num. 13:22;Ps. 78:43Zoan are utterly foolish;

the wisest counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel.

How can you say to Pharaoh,

"I am a son of the wise,

a son of ancient kings"?

12 Where then are your *1 Kgs. 4:30;Acts 7:22wise men?

Let them tell you

that they might know what the Lord of hosts has purposed against Egypt.

13 The princes of *[See ver. 11above] Zoan have become fools,

and the princes of *Jer. 2:16;44:1;46:14,19;Ezek. 30:13,16Memphis are deluded;

those who are the *[Zech. 10:4]cornerstones of her tribes

have made Egypt stagger.

14 The Lord has mingled within her *[1 Kgs. 22:22] a spirit of confusion,

and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds,

*[ch. 24:20;29:9]as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

15 And there will be nothing for Egypt

that *ch. 9:14head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.

Egypt, Assyria, Israel Blessed

16 In that day the Egyptians will be *Jer. 50:37;51:30;Nah. 3:13like women, and *ch. 10:32tremble with fear before the hand that the Lord of hosts shakes over them. 17 And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear because of the purpose that the Lord of hosts has purposed against them.

18 *ver. 21In that day there will be *[ch. 30:17;2 Kgs. 7:13] five cities in the land of Egypt that *[Zeph. 3:9]speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.*19:18 Dead Sea Scroll and some other manuscripts City of the Sun

19 In that day there will be an *[2 Kgs. 5:17] altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a *[Gen. 28:18]pillar to the Lord at its border. 20 *[See ver. 19above] It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, *[Obad. 21]he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. 21 *[ver. 25] And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day *Zech. 14:16-18;[ch. 2:2]and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. 22 *Jer. 46:25,26And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.

23 *ch. 11:16In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, *[ver. 18, 21; Zeph. 3:9]and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

24 In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, *[Gen. 12:2,3]a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25 whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, "Blessed be Egypt *[Hos. 2:23] my people, and Assyria *ch. 29:23the work of my hands, and *Deut. 32:9Israel my inheritance."