| Holman Christian Standard Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1An oracle against Egypt: Look, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt's idols will tremble before Him, and Egypt's heart will melt within it. | 1A message about Egypt: "Watch out! The LORD rides on a swift cloud, and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them. |
| 2I will provoke Egypt against Egypt; each will fight against his brother and each against his friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. | 2I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and everyone will fight against his brother, everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. |
| 3Egypt's spirit will be disturbed within it, and I will frustrate its plans. Then they will seek idols, ghosts, spirits of the dead, and spiritists. | 3The spirits of the Egyptians within them will be drained of courage, and I will bring their plans to nothing. They will consult idols and spirits of the dead, and mediums and spiritists. |
| 4I will deliver Egypt into the hands of harsh masters, and a strong king will rule it. This is the declaration of the Lord GOD of Hosts. | 4I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them," declares the Lord GOD of the Heavenly Armies. |
| 5The waters of the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry. | 5"The water sources of the Nile will be dried up, and the river will become dry and parched. |
| 6The channels will stink; they will dwindle, and Egypt's canals will be parched. Reed and rush will die. | 6The canals will stink, and the tributaries of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. Reeds and rushes will wither away. |
| 7The reeds by the Nile, by the mouth of the river, and all the cultivated areas of the Nile will wither, blow away, and vanish. | 7And the bulrushes along the Nile, along the mouth of the Nile, will wither away. All the sown fields of the Nile will become parched, and they will be blown away; there will be nothing left. |
| 8Then the fishermen will mourn. All those who cast hooks into the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets on the water will shrivel up. | 8The fishermen will groan, and all who cast hooks into the Nile will lament; those who spread nets upon the water will become weaker and weaker. |
| 9Those who work with flax will be dismayed; the combers and weavers will turn pale. | 9The workers in combed flax and the weavers of white linen will be in despair. |
| 10Egypt's weavers will be dejected; all her wage earners will be demoralized. | 10Egypt's workers in cloth will be crushed, and all who work for wages will be sick at heart." |
| 11The princes of Zoan are complete fools; Pharaoh's wisest advisers give stupid advice! How can you say to Pharaoh," I am one of the wise, a student of eastern kings"? | 11Zoan's princes are nothing but fools; the wisest advisors of Pharaoh give stupid advice. How can you say to Pharaoh, "I'm a descendant of wise men, a descendant of ancient kings"? |
| 12Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you and reveal what the LORD of Hosts has planned against Egypt. | 12Where are your wise men now? Let them tell you, let them make known what the LORD has planned against Egypt. |
| 13The princes of Zoan have been fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived. Her tribal chieftains have led Egypt astray. | 13The princes of Zoan have become fools, and the princes of Memphis deluded; the leaders of its tribes have led Egypt astray. |
| 14The LORD has mixed within her a spirit of confusion. The leaders have made Egypt stagger in all she does, as a drunkard staggers in his vomit. | 14The LORD has mixed within them a spirit of confusion; so they make Egypt stagger in all that it does, like a drunkard staggers around in his vomit. |
| 15No head or tail, palm or reed, will be able to do anything for Egypt. | 15As a result, there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, can do. |
| 16On that day Egypt will be like women. She will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the LORD of Hosts when He raises it against her. | 16At that time, the Egyptians will be like women—they will shudder and be afraid before the uplifted hand of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, when he brandishes his hand against her. |
| 17The land of Judah will terrify Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what the LORD of Hosts has planned against it. | 17And the land of Judah will become a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will be afraid, because of the uplifted hand of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies that is turning in their direction. |
| 18On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the LORD of Hosts. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun. | 18At that time, there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. One of them will be called the City of the Sun. |
| 19On that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the LORD near her border. | 19At that time, there will be an altar to the LORD of the Heavenly Armies in the heart of the land of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border. |
| 20It will be a sign and witness to the LORD of Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them. | 20It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of the Heavenly Armies in the land of Egypt; when they cry out to the LORD because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior, and he will come down and rescue them. |
| 21The LORD will make Himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the LORD on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings; they will make vows to the LORD and fulfill them. | 21So the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will acknowledge the LORD. At that time, they will worship with sacrifices and offerings, and they will make vows to the LORD and carry them out. |
| 22The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will return to the LORD and He will hear their prayers and heal them. | 22The LORD will strike Egypt with a plague, striking but then healing. Then they will turn to the LORD, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them. |
| 23On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will worship with Assyria. | 23At that time, there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will come into Egypt, and the Egyptians into Assyria, and they will worship with the Assyrians. |
| 24On that day Israel will form a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria--a blessing within the land. | 24At that time, Israel will be in a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria; they will be a blessing in the midst of the earth. |
| 25The LORD of Hosts will bless them, saying, "Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance are blessed." | 25The LORD of the Heavenly Armies has blessed them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance." |
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