Study Desk

Woe^(a) to the land of whirring wings^[a] along the rivers of Cush,^[b](b)

which sends envoys^(c) by sea in papyrus^(d) boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(e) to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive^(f) nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers.^(g)

All you people of the world,^(h) you who live on the earth, when a banner⁽ⁱ⁾ is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet^(j) sounds, you will hear it.

This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet^(k) and will look on from my dwelling place,^(l) like shimmering heat in the sunshine,^(m) like a cloud of dew⁽ⁿ⁾ in the heat of harvest."

For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off^(o) the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.^(p)

They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey^(q) and to the wild animals;^(r) the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.

At that time gifts^(s) will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned,^(t) from a people feared^(u) far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers^(v)— the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.^(w)

A prophecy^(a) against Egypt:^(b) See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud^(c) and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt^(d) with fear.

"I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian— brother will fight against brother,^(e) neighbor against neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.^(f)

The Egyptians will lose heart,^(g) and I will bring their plans^(h) to nothing;⁽ⁱ⁾ they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists.^(j)

I will hand the Egyptians over to the power of a cruel master, and a fierce king^(k) will rule over them," declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

The waters of the river will dry up,^(l) and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(m)

The canals will stink;⁽ⁿ⁾ the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(o) The reeds^(p) and rushes will wither,^(q)

also the plants^(r) along the Nile, at the mouth of the river. Every sown field^(s) along the Nile will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(t)

The fishermen^(u) will groan and lament, all who cast hooks^(v) into the Nile; those who throw nets on the water will pine away.

Those who work with combed flax^(w) will despair, the weavers of fine linen^(x) will lose hope.

The workers in cloth will be dejected, and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

The officials of Zoan^(y) are nothing but fools; the wise counselors^(z) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.^(aa) How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am one of the wise men,^(ab) a disciple of the ancient kings"?

Where are your wise men^(ac) now? Let them show you and make known what the Lord Almighty has planned^(ad) against Egypt.

The officials of Zoan^(ae) have become fools, the leaders of Memphis^(af) are deceived; the cornerstones^(ag) of her peoples have led Egypt astray.

The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness;^(ah) they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers^(ai) around in his vomit.

There is nothing Egypt can do— head or tail, palm branch or reed.^(aj)

In that day^(ak) the Egyptians will become weaklings.^(al) They will shudder with fear^(am) at the uplifted hand^(an) that the Lord Almighty raises against them.

And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified,^(ao) because of what the Lord Almighty is planning^(ap) against them.

In that day^(aq) five cities^(ar) in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance^(as) to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.^[a](at)

In that day^(au) there will be an altar^(av) to the Lord in the heart of Egypt,^(aw) and a monument^(ax) to the Lord at its border.

It will be a sign and witness^(ay) to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior^(az) and defender, and he will rescue^(ba) them.

So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge^(bb) the Lord . They will worship^(bc) with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.^(bd)

The Lord will strike^(be) Egypt with a plague;^(bf) he will strike them and heal them. They will turn^(bg) to the Lord , and he will respond to their pleas and heal^(bh) them.

In that day^(bi) there will be a highway^(bj) from Egypt to Assyria.^(bk) The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship^(bl) together.

In that day^(bm) Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria,^(bn) a blessing^[b](bo) on the earth.

The Lord Almighty will bless^(bp) them, saying, "Blessed be Egypt my people,^(bq) Assyria my handiwork,^(br) and Israel my inheritance.^(bs)"

A Prophecy Against Egypt and Cush

In the year that the supreme commander,^(a) sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod^(b) and attacked and captured it—

at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.^(c) He said to him, "Take off the sackcloth^(d) from your body and the sandals^(e) from your feet." And he did so, going around stripped^(f) and barefoot.^(g)

Then the Lord said, "Just as my servant^(h) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,⁽ⁱ⁾ as a sign^(j) and portent^(k) against Egypt^(l) and Cush,^[a](m)

so the king⁽ⁿ⁾ of Assyria will lead away stripped^(o) and barefoot the Egyptian captives^(p) and Cushite^(q) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared^(r)—to Egypt's shame.^(s)

Those who trusted^(t) in Cush^(u) and boasted in Egypt^(v) will be dismayed and put to shame.^(w)

In that day^(x) the people who live on this coast will say, ‘See what has happened^(y) to those we relied on,^(z) those we fled to for help^(aa) and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?^(ab)'"

A prophecy^(a) against the Desert^(b) by the Sea: Like whirlwinds^(c) sweeping through the southland,^(d) an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.

A dire^(e) vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays,^(f) the looter takes loot. Elam,^(g) attack! Media,^(h) lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

At this my body is racked with pain,⁽ⁱ⁾ pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;^(j) I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered^(k) by what I see.

My heart^(l) falters, fear makes me tremble;^(m) the twilight I longed for has become a horror⁽ⁿ⁾ to me.

They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink!^(o) Get up, you officers, oil the shields!^(p)

This is what the Lord says to me: "Go, post a lookout^(q) and have him report what he sees.

When he sees chariots^(r) with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels,^(s) let him be alert, fully alert."

And the lookout^[a](t) shouted, "Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post.

Look, here comes a man in a chariot^(u) with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: ‘Babylon^(v) has fallen,^(w) has fallen! All the images of its gods^(x) lie shattered^(y) on the ground!'"

My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,^(z) I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel.

A prophecy against Dumah^[b]:^(aa) Someone calls to me from Seir,^(ab) "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?"

The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again."

A prophecy^(ac) against Arabia:^(ad) You caravans of Dedanites,^(ae) who camp in the thickets of Arabia,

bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema,^(af) bring food for the fugitives.

They flee^(ag) from the sword,^(ah) from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle.

This is what the Lord says to me: "Within one year, as a servant bound by contract^(ai) would count it, all the splendor^(aj) of Kedar^(ak) will come to an end.

The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.^(al)" The Lord , the God of Israel, has spoken.^(am)

A prophecy^(a) against the Valley^(b) of Vision:^(c) What troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs,^(d)

you town so full of commotion, you city of tumult^(e) and revelry?^(f) Your slain^(g) were not killed by the sword,^(h) nor did they die in battle.

All your leaders have fled⁽ⁱ⁾ together; they have been captured^(j) without using the bow. All you who were caught were taken prisoner together, having fled while the enemy was still far away.

Therefore I said, "Turn away from me; let me weep^(k) bitterly. Do not try to console me over the destruction of my people."^(l)

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day^(m) of tumult and trampling⁽ⁿ⁾ and terror^(o) in the Valley of Vision,^(p) a day of battering down walls^(q) and of crying out to the mountains.

Elam^(r) takes up the quiver,^(s) with her charioteers and horses; Kir^(t) uncovers the shield.

Your choicest valleys^(u) are full of chariots, and horsemen are posted at the city gates.^(v)

The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah, and you looked in that day^(w) to the weapons^(x) in the Palace of the Forest.^(y)

You saw that the walls of the City of David were broken through^(z) in many places; you stored up water in the Lower Pool.^(aa)

You counted the buildings in Jerusalem and tore down houses^(ab) to strengthen the wall.^(ac)

You built a reservoir between the two walls^(ad) for the water of the Old Pool,^(ae) but you did not look to the One who made it, or have regard^(af) for the One who planned^(ag) it long ago.

The Lord, the Lord Almighty, called you on that day^(ah) to weep^(ai) and to wail, to tear out your hair^(aj) and put on sackcloth.^(ak)

But see, there is joy and revelry,^(al) slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine!^(am) "Let us eat and drink," you say, "for tomorrow we die!"^(an)

The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing:^(ao) "Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned^(ap) for," says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says: "Go, say to this steward, to Shebna^(aq) the palace^(ar) administrator:^(as)

What are you doing here and who gave you permission to cut out a grave^(at) for yourself^(au) here, hewing your grave on the height and chiseling your resting place in the rock?

"Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you and hurl^(av) you away, you mighty man.

He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw^(aw) you into a large country. There you will die and there the chariots^(ax) you were so proud of will become a disgrace to your master's house.

I will depose you from your office, and you will be ousted^(ay) from your position.^(az)

"In that day^(ba) I will summon my servant,^(bb) Eliakim^(bc) son of Hilkiah.

I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash^(bd) around him and hand your authority^(be) over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah.

I will place on his shoulder^(bf) the key^(bg) to the house of David;^(bh) what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.^(bi)

I will drive him like a peg^(bj) into a firm place;^(bk) he will become a seat^[a] of honor^(bl) for the house of his father.

All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.

"In that day,^(bm)" declares the Lord Almighty, "the peg^(bn) driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down." The Lord has spoken.^(bo)