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Isaiah 19-21
Contemporary English Version
Isaiah 19-21
Contemporary English Version
Egypt Will Be Punished
19 (A) This is a message about Egypt:
The Lord comes to Egypt,
riding swiftly on a cloud.
The people are weak from fear.
Their idols tremble
as he approaches and says,
2 “I will punish Egypt
with civil war—
neighbors, cities, and kingdoms
will fight each other.
3 “Egypt will be discouraged
when I confuse their plans.
They will try to get advice
from their idols,
from the spirits of the dead,
and from fortunetellers.
4 I will put the Egyptians
under the power of a cruel,
heartless king.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
have promised this.”
Trouble along the Nile
5 The Nile River will dry up
and become parched land.
6 Its streams will stink,
Egypt will have no water,
and the reeds and tall grass
will dry up.
7 Fields along the Nile
will be completely barren;
every plant will disappear.
8 Those who fish in the Nile
will be discouraged
and mourn.
9 None of the cloth makers[a]
will know what to do,
and they will turn pale.[b]
10 Weavers will be confused;
paid workers will cry and mourn.
Egypt's Helpless Leaders
11 The king's officials in Zoan[c]
are foolish themselves
and give stupid advice.
How can they say to him,
“We are very wise,
and our families go back
to kings of long ago?”
12 Where are those wise men now?
If they can, let them say
what the Lord All-Powerful
intends for Egypt.
13 The royal officials in Zoan
and in Memphis
are foolish and deceived.
The leaders in every state
have given bad advice
to the nation.
14 The Lord has confused Egypt;
its leaders have made it stagger
and vomit like a drunkard.
15 No one in Egypt can do a thing,
no matter who they are.
16 When the Lord All-Powerful punishes Egypt with his mighty arm, the Egyptians will become terribly weak and will tremble with fear. 17 They will be so terrified of Judah that they will be frightened by the very mention of its name. This will happen because of what the Lord All-Powerful is planning against Egypt.
The Lord Will Bless Egypt, Assyria, and Israel
18 The time is coming when Hebrew will be spoken in five Egyptian cities, and their people will become followers of the Lord. One of these cities will be called City of the Sun.[d]
19 In the heart of Egypt an altar will be set up for the Lord; at its border a shrine will be built to honor him. 20 These will remind the Egyptians that the Lord All-Powerful is with them. And when they are in trouble and ask for help, he will send someone to rescue them from their enemies. 21 The Lord will show the Egyptians who he is, and they will know and worship the Lord. They will bring him sacrifices and offerings, and they will keep their promises to him. 22 After the Lord has punished Egypt, the people will turn to him. Then he will answer their prayers, and the Egyptians will be healed.
23 At that time a good road will run from Egypt to Assyria. The Egyptians and the Assyrians will travel back and forth from Egypt to Assyria, and they will worship together. 24 Israel will join with these two countries. They will be a blessing to everyone on earth, 25 then the Lord All-Powerful will bless them by saying,
“The Egyptians are my people.
I created the Assyrians
and chose the Israelites.”
Isaiah Acts Out the Defeat of Egypt and Ethiopia
20 King Sargon of Assyria gave orders for his army commander to capture the city of Ashdod.[e] 2 About this same time the Lord had told me, “Isaiah, take off everything, including your sandals!” I did this and went around naked and barefoot 3 for three years.
Then the Lord said:
What Isaiah has done is a warning to Egypt and Ethiopia.[f] 4 Everyone in these two countries will be led away naked and barefoot by the king of Assyria. Young or old, they will be taken prisoner, and Egypt will be disgraced. 5 They will be confused and frustrated, because they depended on Ethiopia and bragged about Egypt. 6 When this happens, the people who live along the coast[g] will say, “Look what happened to them! We ran to them for safety, hoping they would protect us from the king of Assyria. But now, there is no escape for us.”
The Fall of Babylonia[h]
21 This is a message about a desert beside the sea:[i]
Enemies from a hostile nation
attack like a whirlwind
from the Southern Desert.
2 What a horrible vision
was shown to me—
a vision of betrayal
and destruction.
Tell Elam and Media[j]
to surround and attack
the Babylonians.
The Lord has sworn to end
the suffering they caused.
3 I'm in terrible pain
like a woman giving birth.
I'm shocked and hurt so much
that I can't hear or see.
4 My head spins; I'm horrified!
Early evening, my favorite time,
has become a nightmare.
5 In Babylon the high officials
were having a feast.
They were eating and drinking,
when someone shouted,
“Officers, take your places!
Grab your shields.”
6 The Lord said to me,
“Send guards
to find out
what's going on.
7 When they see cavalry troops
and columns of soldiers
on donkeys and camels,
tell them to be ready!”
8 Then a guard[k] said,
“I have stood day and night
on this watchtower, Lord.
9 (B) Now I see column after column
of cavalry troops.”
At once someone shouted,
“Babylon has fallen!
Every idol in the city
lies broken on the ground.”
10 Then I said, “My people,
you have suffered terribly,
but I have a message for you
from the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel.”
How Much Longer?
11 This is a message about Dumah:
From the country of Seir,[l]
someone shouts to me,
“Guard, how much longer
before daylight?”
12 From my guard post, I answered,
“Morning will soon be here,
but night will return.
If you want to know more,
come back later.”
13 This is a message for Arabs who live in the barren desert in the region of Dedan:[m]
You must order your caravans
14 to bring water for those
who are thirsty.
You people of Tema[n]
must bring food
for the hungry refugees.
15 They are worn out and weary
from being chased by enemies
with swords and arrows.
16 The Lord said to me:
A year from now the glory of the people of Kedar[o] will all come to an end, just as a worker's contract ends after a year. 17 Only a few of their warriors will be left with bows and arrows. This is a promise that I, the Lord God of Israel, have made.
Footnotes
- 19.9 cloth makers: Cloth was made from several kinds of plants that grew in the fields along the Nile.
- 19.9 turn pale: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 19.11 Zoan: The city of Tanis in the Nile delta.
- 19.18 City of the Sun: Some manuscripts of the Standard Hebrew Text, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and one ancient translation; most manuscripts of the Standard Hebrew Text have “City of Destruction.” This probably refers to Heliopolis which means “City of the Sun” (see Jeremiah 43.13).
- 20.1 Ashdod: King Sargon II of Assyria captured this Philistine city in 711 b.c.
- 20.3 Ethiopia: See the note at 11.11.
- 20.6 people … coast: Probably the Philistines.
- 21 Title Babylonia: King Cyrus and his army of Medes and Persians captured the city of Babylon in 539 b.c.
- 21.1 This … sea: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. The prophet may be speaking of Babylonia as a desert, because of the terrible punishment God will bring on it. The southern part of Babylonia on the Persian Gulf was sometimes called “the land beside the sea.”
- 21.2 Elam and Media: People from the Iranian highlands; the capital of Elam was Susa, in the hill country east of Babylon.
- 21.8 guard: The Dead Sea Scrolls and one ancient translation; the Standard Hebrew Text has “lion.”
- 21.11 Dumah … Seir: Dumah was an oasis in the Arabian desert. One ancient translation has “Edom,” which may be what is meant. Seir is a mountainous region of Edom southwest of the Dead Sea.
- 21.13 Dedan: A region in northwest Arabia.
- 21.14 Tema: A region in north Arabia.
- 21.16 Kedar: A region in the Arabian desert.
Isaiah 19-21
New International Version
Isaiah 19-21
New International Version
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.
2 “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
brother will fight against brother,(E)
neighbor against neighbor,
city against city,
kingdom against kingdom.(F)
3 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)
4 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.
5 The waters of the river will dry up,(L)
and the riverbed will be parched and dry.(M)
6 The canals will stink;(N)
the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.(O)
The reeds(P) and rushes will wither,(Q)
7 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)
8 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.
9 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.
18 In that day(AQ) five cities(AR) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance(AS) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.[a](AT)
19 In that day(AU) there will be an altar(AV) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,(AW) and a monument(AX) to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness(AY) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior(AZ) and defender, and he will rescue(BA) them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge(BB) the Lord. They will worship(BC) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.(BD) 22 The Lord will strike(BE) Egypt with a plague;(BF) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn(BG) to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal(BH) them.
23 In that day(BI) there will be a highway(BJ) from Egypt to Assyria.(BK) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship(BL) together. 24 In that day(BM) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,(BN) a blessing[b](BO) on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless(BP) them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people,(BQ) Assyria my handiwork,(BR) and Israel my inheritance.(BS)”
A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush
20 In the year that the supreme commander,(BT) sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod(BU) and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.(BV) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth(BW) from your body and the sandals(BX) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped(BY) and barefoot.(BZ)
3 Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant(CA) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,(CB) as a sign(CC) and portent(CD) against Egypt(CE) and Cush,[c](CF) 4 so the king(CG) of Assyria will lead away stripped(CH) and barefoot the Egyptian captives(CI) and Cushite(CJ) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared(CK)—to Egypt’s shame.(CL) 5 Those who trusted(CM) in Cush(CN) and boasted in Egypt(CO) will be dismayed and put to shame.(CP) 6 In that day(CQ) the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened(CR) to those we relied on,(CS) those we fled to for help(CT) and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?(CU)’”
A Prophecy Against Babylon
21 A prophecy(CV) against the Desert(CW) by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds(CX) sweeping through the southland,(CY)
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.
2 A dire(CZ) vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays,(DA) the looter takes loot.
Elam,(DB) attack! Media,(DC) lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
3 At this my body is racked with pain,(DD)
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;(DE)
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered(DF) by what I see.
4 My heart(DG) falters,
fear makes me tremble;(DH)
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror(DI) to me.
5 They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!(DJ)
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields!(DK)
6 This is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, post a lookout(DL)
and have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots(DM)
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels,(DN)
let him be alert,
fully alert.”
8 And the lookout[d](DO) shouted,
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot(DP)
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
‘Babylon(DQ) has fallen,(DR) has fallen!
All the images of its gods(DS)
lie shattered(DT) on the ground!’”
10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,(DU)
I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
from the God of Israel.
A Prophecy Against Edom
11 A prophecy against Dumah[e]:(DV)
Someone calls to me from Seir,(DW)
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
and come back yet again.”
A Prophecy Against Arabia
13 A prophecy(DX) against Arabia:(DY)
You caravans of Dedanites,(DZ)
who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14 bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,(EA)
bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee(EB) from the sword,(EC)
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and from the heat of battle.
16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract(ED) would count it, all the splendor(EE) of Kedar(EF) will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.(EG)” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.(EH)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 19:18 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, Symmachus and Vulgate; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text City of Destruction
- Isaiah 19:24 Or Assyria, whose names will be used in blessings (see Gen. 48:20); or Assyria, who will be seen by others as blessed
- Isaiah 20:3 That is, the upper Nile region; also in verse 5
- Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
- Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.
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