Isaiah 19:1-13 ▼

1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, And cometh unto Egypt; And the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, And the heart of Egypt shall melt within it.

2 And I will spur Egypt against Egypt; And they shall fight every one against his brother, And everyone against his neighbour; City against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

3 And the spirit of Egypt shall be made empty within it; And I will make void the counsel thereof; And they shall seek unto the idols, and to the whisperers, And to the ghosts, and to the familiar spirits.

4 And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; And a fierce king shall rule over them, Saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.

5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, And the river shall be drained dry,

6 And the rivers shall become foul; The streams of Egypt shall be minished and dried up; The reeds and flags shall wither.

7 The mosses by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, And all that is sown by the Nile, Shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more.

8 The fishers also shall lament, And all they that cast angle into the Nile shall mourn, And they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

9 Moreover they that work in combed flax, And they that weave cotton, shall be ashamed.

10 And her foundations shall be crushed, All they that make dams shall be grieved in soul.

11 The princes of Zoan are utter fools; The wisest counsellors of Pharaoh are a senseless counsel; How can ye say unto Pharaoh: 'I am the son of the wise, The son of ancient kings'?

12 Where are they, then, thy wise men? And let them tell thee now; And let them know what the LORD of hosts Hath purposed concerning Egypt.

13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, The princes of Noph are deceived; They have caused Egypt to go astray, That are the corner-stone of her tribes.