1 ¶ The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides upon a swift cloud and shall come into Egypt, and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

The special word about Egypt: See, the Lord is traveling on a fast cloud and is coming to Egypt. The false gods of Egypt shake in fear before Him. The hearts of the Egyptians become weak.

2 A nd I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians, and they shall fight each one against his brother, and each one against his neighbour; city against city and kingdom against kingdom.

“I will make Egyptians go against Egyptians. Each of them will fight against his brother, and each against his neighbor. City will fight against city, and nation against nation.

3 A nd the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof, and I will destroy the counsel thereof; and they shall seek to the idols and to the charmers and to the spiritists and to the wizards.

Then the spirit of the Egyptians will become weak within them. And I will bring their plans to nothing. They will go to false gods and spirits of the dead for help, and to those who speak with spirits of the dead and use their secret ways.

4 A nd I will give the Egyptians over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a violent king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of the hosts.

Then I will give the Egyptians into the hand of a bad ruler. An angry king will rule over them,” says the Lord God of All.

5 A nd the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

The waters of the sea will dry up. The river will become dry.

6 A nd they shall turn the rivers far away, and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up; the reeds and flags shall wither.

Manmade rivers will smell bad. The small rivers of Egypt will dry up. And the plants by the rivers will waste away.

7 T he vegetables by the river, by the mouth of the river, and every thing sown beside the river shall dry up, wither away, and be no more.

The grass by the side of the Nile and all that is planted by the Nile will become dry, will be driven away, and be no more.

8 T he fishermen also shall mourn, and all those that cast fishhooks into the river shall lament, and those that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

The fishermen will cry in sorrow. All those who fish for a living in the Nile River will be filled with sorrow. And those who put out nets on its waters will become weak.

9 M oreover those that work in fine flax and those that weave networks shall be confounded.

Those who make linen and white cloth will be very troubled.

10 B ecause all their nets shall be broken; all that make ponds to raise fish shall be discontented.

The pillars of Egypt will be crushed. All the able workmen will be filled with sorrow.

11 S urely the princes of Zoan are fools; the counsel of the prudent counsellors of Pharaoh is become carnal; how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of the ancient kings?

The king’s sons of Zoan are very foolish. The words of Pharaoh’s wisest men are foolish words. How can you men say to Pharaoh, “I am a son of the wise, a son of early kings”?

12 W here are they? Where are thy wise men? Let them tell thee now, or let them cause thee to know what the LORD of the hosts has purposed upon Egypt.

Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you. And let them understand what the Lord of All has planned against Egypt.

13 T he princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even those that are the stay of the tribes thereof.

The king’s sons of Zoan have become fools. The king’s sons of Memphis have been fooled. The heads of her family groups have led Egypt from the right way.

14 T he LORD has mingled a perverse spirit in its midst, and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.

The Lord has mixed a troubled spirit within her. They have led Egypt the wrong way in all that it does, as a drunk man walks from side to side in what he has spit up.

15 N either shall it be of any value unto Egypt, any work which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

And there will be no work in Egypt and nothing can be done by anyone, its head or tail, its palm branch or river-grass. Good Will Come to Egypt, Assyria and Israel

16 I n that day Egypt shall be like unto women, and it shall be afraid and fear in the presence of the tall hand of the LORD of the hosts, which he shall raise up over them.

In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will shake with fear because of the hand which the Lord of All is going to wave over them.

17 A nd the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt; every one that makes mention of it shall be afraid in himself because of the counsel of the LORD of the hosts which he has determined against it.

The land of Judah will fill Egypt with fear. Whoever hears its name will be afraid of it, because of the plan which the Lord of All is making against them.

18 ¶ In that day five cities in the land of Egypt shall speak the language of Canaan and swear to the LORD of the hosts; one shall be called The city of destruction.

In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and promising to follow the Lord of All. One will be called the City of Destruction.

19 I n that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pyramid titled “To the LORD” at the border thereof.

In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt, and an altar to the Lord by the side of its land.

20 A nd it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of the hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a Saviour, and a Prince, and he shall deliver them.

It will be something special to see, to make the Lord of All known in the land of Egypt. For they will cry to the Lord because of those who make it hard for them. And He will send a Powerful One to save them, and He will take them out of trouble.

21 A nd the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day and shall do sacrifice and oblation; they shall vow vows unto the LORD and perform them.

The Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and in that day the Egyptians will know the Lord. They will even worship with gifts on the altar. They will make promises to the Lord and keep them.

22 A nd the LORD shall smite Egypt; he shall smite and heal it because they shall become converted unto the LORD, and he shall grant them clemency and shall heal them.

And the Lord will punish Egypt, but then He will heal them. So they will return to the Lord, and He will answer their prayers and heal them.

23 I n that day there shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve the LORD with the Assyrians.

In that day there will be a road from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

24 I n that day Israel shall be the third part with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the earth.

In that day Israel will be the third country with Egypt and Assyria, a good and respected nation on the earth,

25 F or the LORD of the hosts shall bless them, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.

to whom the Lord of All has brought good, saying, “Good will come to Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My chosen people.”