¶ The burden of Egypt¹. Behold, the LORD rideth² upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols³ of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart⁴ of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.

And I will⁵ set⁶ the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

And the spirit⁷ of Egypt shall fail⁸ in the midst thereof; and I will destroy⁹ the counsel thereof: and they¹⁰ shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

And the Egyptians will I give over¹¹ into the hand of a cruel lord¹²; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.

¹³And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.

And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the¹⁴ brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds¹⁵ and flags shall wither.

The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every¹⁶ thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more¹⁷.

¹⁸The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

Moreover they that work¹⁹ in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.

¶ And they shall be broken in the purposes²¹ thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish²².

Surely the princes²³ of Zoan²⁴ are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish²⁵: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am²⁶ the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?

Where are they? where are thy²⁷ wise men? and let them²⁸ tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.

The princes of Zoan²⁹ are become fools, the princes of Noph³⁰ are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay³¹ of the tribes thereof.

The LORD hath mingled³² a perverse spirit³³ in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

³⁴Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.

In that day shall Egypt be like³⁵ unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking³⁶ of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.

And the land³⁷ of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because³⁸ of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.

¶ In that day³⁹ shall five⁴⁰ cities in the land of Egypt speak⁴¹ the language⁴² of Canaan, and swear⁴³ to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction⁴⁴.

⁴⁵In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.

¶ And it shall be for a⁴⁶ sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall⁴⁷ cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send⁴⁸ them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.

And the LORD shall⁴⁹ be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall⁵⁰ do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow⁵¹ a vow unto the LORD, and perform it.

And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite⁵² and heal it: and they shall⁵³ return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

⁵⁴In that day shall there 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 with the Assyrians.

In that day shall⁵⁵ Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing⁵⁶ in the midst of the land:

Whom the LORD⁵⁷ of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed⁵⁸ be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel⁵⁹ mine inheritance.