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1A prophecy concerning Egypt:[#19:1 Egypt is a recognized symbol of the world and its temptations and snares.]
Behold! The Lord Yahweh is riding on a swift-soaring cloud!
He is on his way to Egypt!
The god-idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence,
and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them!
2“I will stir up civil strife
and cause the Egyptians to fight against one another—
one against the other, neighbor against neighbor,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
3The spirit of the Egyptians will be in panic,
and I will confuse their strategies.
They will seek guidance from their idols
and by the spirits of the dead
and consult with mediums and wizards.
4I will give over the Egyptians into the hands of a cruel master;[#19:4 Or “lord of severity”; that is, the king of Assyria.]
a brutal king will rule over them,” says the sovereign God,
the Lord Yahweh , Commander of Angel Armies.
5The Nile delta will dry up[#19:5 Or “The waters of the sea.” Waters could be viewed as an emblem of life-giving ministries.]
and the riverbed will become parched and dry.
6Its canals will become stagnant and stink with rotting reeds,
and the streams of Egypt will dry up, from a trickle to nothing.
7All that is planted by the mouth of the river will dry up,[#19:7 “All that is planted” could point to the teaching of the Word, sown as seeds into hearts. See Matt. 13:19–23.]
and the fields along the brooks will wither
and turn to dust blown away by the wind.
8Fishermen will mourn. All who cast a fishhook into the river[#19:8 Fishermen can be seen as evangelists. See Matt. 4:18–19.]
and those who cast their nets will catch nothing.
9Those who make clothing from combed flax will despair,[#19:9 Flax was arduously combed to produce linen.]
and the weavers of linen will be distressed.
10The pillars of Egypt’s foundations will be shattered[#19:10 The foundations of worldliness (Egypt) will be broken off of our lives. See Ps. 11:3.]
and every worker grieved.
11The elite of Zoan are nothing but fools,[#19:11 That is, her leaders. Zoan, one of the oldest cities in the world, is in lower Egypt, known by the Greeks as Tunis. Zoan means “the place of departure” or “depressed, low region.” (See also v. 13.) In the fields of Zoan Moses worked miracles to prove to Pharaoh that God had sent him to demand the release of the Hebrews from their slavery.]
and the wisest of Pharaoh’s counselors gives foolish advice.
How in the world can you say to Pharaoh,
“I am a brilliant sage and a descendant of the ancient kings”?
12Where, oh where, are all your sages?[#19:12 See 1 Cor. 1:18–31.]
If they’re so wise , let them discover and tell you
what the Lord Yahweh , Commander of Angel Armies,
has planned for Egypt.
13Zoan’s elite have become utter fools;
the nobles of Memphis are utterly deceived,
and Egypt has been led astray by her tribal chiefs.
14The Lord Yahweh has mixed up their minds
and poured into them a distorted spirit
that will make Egypt dizzy and act like a drunk
who staggers around in his own vomit.
15There is nothing anyone in Egypt can do—
neither head nor tail, nor anyone of high or low position.
16In that day, the Egyptians will become like women who tremble in fear because the Lord Yahweh , Commander of Angel Armies, shakes his fist at them.[#19:16 See Heb. 12:26–29.; #19:16 Or “hand.” The hand with its five fingers can be a metaphor for the five ministries of the Spirit (see Eph. 4:11).]
17The land of Judah will become the dread of the Egyptians. They will quake whenever anybody even mentions it to them, because of what the Lord Yahweh , Commander of Angel Armies, has in store for them!
18In that day, there will be five Egyptian cities that speak the language of Canaan and swear their allegiance to the Lord Yahweh , Commander of Angel Armies, and one will be called the City of the Sun.[#19:18 Possibly a figurative number (i.e., the five senses).; #19:18 That is, they will speak the language (Hb. “lip”) of the people of God—a language of hope, not despair; of love, not hatred; a spiritual language of all that is sacred and holy. See Isa. 50:4; Zeph. 3:9. The Hebrew word for “Canaan” means “to be humbled” or “to bend the knee.” The language of Canaan would be the language of humility.; #19:18 Or “each one.”; #19:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts have “the City of Destruction,” but the Dead Sea scroll 1QIsa and a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts, along with the Targum and Vulgate, have “the City of the Sun” (Hierapolis). The other four Egyptian cities could be Leontopolis, Daphne, Migdol, and Memphis.]
19In that day, there will be an altar to the Lord Yahweh in the middle of Egypt and a sacred monument to honor him on her border.[#19:19 There has been conjecture that this “monument” (or “memorial”) may be the Great Pyramid in Egypt and might have been built by Job (Egyptian name Cheops). Job was a grandson of Jacob and a nephew of Joseph, who went into Egypt with the Israelites. He is mentioned in Gen. 46:13 and 1 Chron. 7:1 as Jashub or, in the Masoretic text, Job. Others view this as a future monument built to glorify God.]
20It will be a sign and a visible reminder in the land of Egypt of the Lord Yahweh , Commander of Angel Armies. And they will cry out to him when they are oppressed, and he will send a mighty deliverer and champion to their rescue![#19:20 Or “savior.”; #19:20 If God responds to the prayers of the “Egyptians” (worldly people), how much more will he rescue his own people? See 2 Chron. 6:32–33; James 4:10.]
21The Lord Yahweh will reveal to them who he really is, and the Egyptians will know him intimately . They will worship him with sacrifices and burnt offerings. They will make vows to the Lord Yahweh , and they will keep them.[#19:21 In response to the plagues (see Ex. 7–10), Pharaoh promised to let the children of Israel go but then took back that promise. Isaiah proclaims that this spirit of broken promises will be removed from Egypt.]
22The Lord Yahweh will wound the Egyptians, but when they turn back to him , he will heal them. Yes , the Lord Yahweh will listen to their hearts’ cry, and he will heal and restore them.
23In that day there will be a highway all the way from Egypt to Assyria. Like long-lost brothers , the Egyptians and the Assyrians will be joined together and they will worship and serve the Lord Yahweh ! And in that day, Israel will become the third partner with Egypt and Assyria as a blessing to all the earth. For the Lord Yahweh , Commander of Angel Armies, will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt, my people! Blessed be Assyria, my handiwork! And blessed be Israel, my inheritance!”[#19:23 The ancient Assyrian empire would include parts of northern Iraq, northwestern Iran, and southeastern Turkey.]