 1 The burden against Egypt: Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and comes into Egypt. And the idols of Egypt shall tremble at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in its midst. 2 I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians. They will each fight against his brother and against his neighbor. City against city. Kingdom against kingdom. 3 The spirit of Egypt will fail in the midst of it and I will destroy its counsel. They will seek idols and enchanters+ and mediums+ and wizards as fortune tellers. 4 But I will give the Egyptians to a cruel lord and a fierce king will rule over them, says the Lord, the Lord of hosts. 5 The waters will fail from the sea and the river will fail and dry up. 6 Rivers will be fouled. The Nile of Egypt will languish and dry up. The reed and the rush will decay. 7 Bare places will be in the Nile and by the mouth of the Nile. Everything sown by the Nile will dry up, be driven away, and be no more. 8 The fishermen will mourn. All who drop a hook into the Nile will wail and those who spread nets on the waters will droop. 9 The workers in fine flax and the weavers of white cloth will be ashamed. 10 Her foundations will be broken and all who make wages will be sad of soul. 11 Surely the rulers of Zoan are fools. The counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh has become brutish. How do you say to Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? 12 Where are they? Where are your wise men? Let them tell you now and let them know what the Lord of hosts has planned against Egypt. 13 The rulers of Zoan have become fools. The rulers of Noph are deceived. They have caused Egypt to go astray, the chief of her tribes. 14 The Lord has mixed a perverse spirit in its midst. They have caused Egypt to go astray in all its work, like a drunkard staggers in his vomit. 15 Egypt shall have no work that the head or tail, branch or rush, may do. 16 In that day, Egypt will be like women afraid and fearful because of the shaking of the hand by the Lord of hosts who shakes it. 17 The land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt. Everyone who mentions it will be afraid of it because of the purpose of the Lord of hosts who has purposed against it. 18 In that day, five cities in the land of Egypt shall speak the language of Canaan and swear to the Lord of hosts. One shall be called the City of Ruin. 19 In that day, there will be an altar to the Lord in the middle of the land of Egypt and a pillar at its border to the Lord. 20 It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. For they will cry out to the Lord because of the oppressors and He will send them a deliverer. A great one will deliver them. 21 The Lord will be known to Egypt and Egypt will know the Lord in that day and will offer sacrifice and offering and vow a vow to the Lord and repay. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt. He will strike and heal. They will return to the Lord and He will hear them and heal them. 23 In that day, there will be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria and Assyria will come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria and Egypt will serve with Assyria. 24 In that day, Israel will be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the middle of the land. 25 The Lord of hosts will bless saying, Blessed be my people Egypt, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.
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