Isaiah 19

19 ¹ An oracle concerning Egypt. Look — our Father is riding on a swift cloud and coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble at his presence, and the heart of Egypt melts within it.

² I will stir up Egypt against Egypt, and they will fight, each against his brother and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. ³ The spirit of Egypt will be poured out within it, and I will swallow up its counsel; they will inquire of the idols and the spirit-mediums, the ghosts and the necromancers. ⁴ I will hand Egypt over into the grip of a harsh master, and a fierce king will rule over them — declares the Father of heaven's armies.

⁵ The waters of the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry. ⁶ The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up; reed and rush will wither. ⁷ The bare places along the Nile, at the mouth of the Nile, and everything sown beside the Nile will dry up, blow away, and be no more. ⁸ The fishermen will mourn; all who cast a hook into the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on the water will languish. ⁹ The workers in combed flax will be ashamed, and the weavers of white cloth. ¹⁰ Her weavers will be crushed, and all who work for wages will be sick at heart. ¹¹ The princes of Zoan are nothing but fools; Pharaoh's wisest counselors give senseless counsel. How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am a son of the wise, a son of ancient kings"? ¹² Where now are your wise men? Let them tell you and make known what the Father of heaven's armies has planned against Egypt. ¹³ The princes of Zoan have become fools, the princes of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her tribes have led Egypt astray. ¹⁴ Our Father has poured into her a spirit of confusion, and they have made Egypt stagger in all it does, like a drunkard staggering in his vomit. ¹⁵ There will be nothing Egypt can do, whether head or tail, palm branch or reed. ^a a v15 Head and tail, palm branch and reed: a Hebrew idiom covering everyone from the greatest to the least.

¹⁶ In that day the Egyptians will be like women — trembling and afraid before the Father of heaven's armies as he raises his hand against them. ¹⁷ And the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone who hears it mentioned will be afraid, because of the plan the Father of heaven's armies is making against them. ¹⁸ In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Father of heaven's armies. One of them will be called the City of the Sun. ^b b v18 The language of Canaan was Hebrew, the native tongue of Israel.

¹⁹ In that day there will be an altar to our Father in the heart of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to him at its border. ²⁰ It will be a sign and a witness to the Father of heaven's armies in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to our Father because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. ²¹ Our Father will make himself known to Egypt, and in that day the Egyptians will know him; they will worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to him and fulfill them. ²² Our Father will strike Egypt — striking and healing. They will return to him, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them. ^c c v22 When our Father disciplines, his goal is never destruction but homecoming — he strikes only to heal, and he heals the moment his children turn back to him.

²³ In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and Egypt will worship together with Assyria.

²⁴ In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth,

²⁵ for the Father of heaven's armies has blessed them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my children, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance." ^d d v25 Our Father names Egypt — Israel's ancient oppressor — as his people, alongside Assyria as the work of his hands and Israel as his inheritance. Our Father's heart reaches every nation home.