The Burden against Egypt

1The burden of Egypt:

Behold, YHWH is riding on a swift cloud,

and He is coming into Egypt;

and the idols of Egypt will quiver before His face,

and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

2“And I will set Egyptian against Egyptian,

and a man will be fighting against his brother, and a man against his neighbor—

city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

3And the spirit of Egypt will be emptied out from among them,

and I will swallow up its counsel;

and they will resort to the idols, and to the charmers,

and to the mediums, and to the spiritists.

4And I will shut up Egypt in the hand of harsh masters,

and a fierce king will rule over them,”

a declaration of the Lord YHWH of hosts.

5And the waters of the Sea will dry up,

and the River will become parched and dried up;

6and the rivers will trickle and will become foul,

and the brooks of Egypt dried out;

the reeds and rushes will wither,

7the rushes by the River,

upon the mouth of the River,

and every sown field of the River will wither;

it will be driven away and be no more.

8And the fishermen will mourn,

and all those casting a hook into the River will lament,

and those spreading nets upon the face of the waters, they will languish.

9And those working fine flax will be put to shame,

and those weaving white cloth,

10and her weavers† have been crushed,

and all the hired workers are stagnant of soul.

11Indeed the princes of Zoan are fools,

the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh has become dull.

How can you⁺ say to Pharaoh,

“A son of wise men, I am

a son of kings from times before?

12Where then are your wise ones?

And let them declare it to you now

and make known what YHWH of Hosts has counseled for Egypt!

13The princes of Zoan have become fools,

the princes of Memphis† are deceived;

they have led Egypt astray—

the cornerstone of her tribes.

14YHWH has mixed into her midst

a spirit of distortions,

and Egypt they have led astray in all her work,

like the staggering of a drunkard in his vomit.

15And there will not be work for Egypt that one could do—

head or tail, palm branch or reed,

A Blessing upon the Earth

16In that day Egypt will become like women, and it will tremble and feel dread from the face of the waving of the hand of YHWH of Hosts, which He is waving over it. 17And the land of Judah will be to Egypt as a terror; everyone who makes mention of it will tremble in himself from the face of the counsel of YHWH of Hosts, which He is counseling against Egypt.

18In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing oaths by YHWH of Hosts. “City of the Sun”† it will be said of one.

19In that day there will be an altar to YHWH in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to YHWH at its border. 20And it will be as a sign and as a witness to YHWH of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to YHWH from the face of the oppressors, and He will send to them one saving and defending, and He will deliver them. 21And YHWH will make Himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will acknowledge YHWH on that day, and they will prepare sacrifice and offering, and they will vow a vow to YHWH and fulfill it.

22And YHWH will strike Egypt, striking and healing; and they will turn back to YHWH, and He will be entreated by them, and He will heal them.

23That in the day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and Egypt with Assyria will serve Him.

24In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, 25when YHWH of Hosts will bless him, saying, “Blessed be My people Egypt, and the work of My hands Assyria, and My inheritance Israel.”