1  Ah, land of the buzzing of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia;

1  Woe to you, ye wings of the land of ships, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.

1  Woe to the land, that winged cymbal, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,

2  That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of papyrus upon the waters! Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation tall and of glossy skin, to a people terrible from their beginning onward; a nation that is sturdy and treadeth down, whose land the rivers divide!

2  He sends messengers by the sea, and paper letters on the water: for swift messengers shall go to a lofty nation, and to a strange and harsh people. Who is beyond it? a nation not looked for, and trodden down.

3  All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see ye; and when the horn is blown, hear ye.

3  Now all the rivers of the land shall be inhabited as an inhabited country; their land shall be as when a signal is raised from a mountain; it shall be audible as the sound of a trumpet.

3  All inhabitants of the world, you who dwell upon the earth: when the sign will have been elevated on the mountains, you will see, and you will hear the blast of the trumpet.

4  For thus hath YHWH said unto me: I will hold Me still, and I will look on in My dwelling-place, like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

4  For thus said the Lord to me, There shall be security in my city, as the light of noonday heat, and it shall be as a cloud of dew in the day of harvest.

4  For the Lord says this to me: I will be quiet, and I will consider in my place, as the light at midday is clear, and as a cloud of dew in the day of the harvest.

5  For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the bud becometh a ripening grape, He will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and the shoots will He take away and lop off.

5  Before the reaping time, when the flower has been completely formed, and the unripe grape has put forth its flower and blossomed, then shall he take away the little clusters with pruning-hooks, and shall take away the small branches, and cut them off;

5  For before the harvest, all was flourishing. And it will spring forth with an untimely completion, and its little branches will be pruned with a curved blade. And what is left over will be cut away and shaken off.

6  They shall be left together unto the ravenous birds of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth; and the ravenous birds shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.

6  And he shall leave them together to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth: and the fowls of the sky shall be gathered upon them, and all the beasts of the land shall come upon him.

6  And together they will be abandoned to the birds of the mountains and to the wild beasts of the earth. And the birds will be continuously on them in the summer, and all the wild beasts of the earth will winter over them.

7  In that time shall a present be brought unto YHWH of hosts of a people tall and of glossy skin, and from a people terrible from their beginning onward; a nation that is sturdy and treadeth down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of the YHWH of hosts, the mount Zion.

7  In that time, a gift will be carried to the Lord of hosts, from a people divided and torn apart, from a terrible people, after whom there has been no other, from an apprehensive nation, apprehensive and downtrodden, whose land the rivers have ruined, and it will be carried to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, to mount Zion.

7  At that time presents shall be brought to the LORD of hosts from a people plundered and uprooted, whose strength was within him hitherto; from a people dishonored and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, even to mount Zion.

19:1  The burden of Egypt. Behold, YHWH rideth upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt within it.

1  THE VISION OF EGYPT. Behold, the Lord sits on a swift cloud, and shall come to Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and their heart shall faint within them.

1  THE prophecy concerning the fall of Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding upon swift clouds, and comes into Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians shall melt in the midst of it.

19:2  And I will spur Egypt against Egypt; and they shall fight every one against his brother, and everyone against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

2  And the Egyptians shall be stirred up against the Egyptians: and a man shall fight against his brother, and a man against his neighbor, city against city, and law against law.

2  And I will cause Egyptian to rush against Egyptian. And they will fight: a man against his brother, and a man against his friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

19:3  And the spirit of Egypt shall be made empty within it; and I will make void the counsel thereof; and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the whisperers, and to the ghosts, and to the familiar spirits.

3  And the spirit of the Egyptians shall be troubled within them; and I will frustrate their counsel: and they shall enquire of their gods and their images, and them that speak out of the earth, and them that have in them a divining spirit.

19:4  And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith YHWH, YHWH of hosts.

4  And I will deliver Egypt into the hand of cruel masters, and a strong king will dominate them, says the Lord, the God of hosts.

19:5  And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be drained dry,

5  And the Egyptians shall drink the water that is by the sea, but the river shall fail, and be dried up.

19:6  And the rivers shall become foul; the streams of Egypt shall be minished and dried up; the reeds and flags shall wither.

6  And the streams shall fail, and the canals of the river; and every reservoir of water shall be dried up, in every marsh also of reed and papyrus.

19:7  The mosses by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile, shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more.

7  And all the green herbage round about the river, and everything sown by the side of the river, shall be blasted with the wind and dried up.

7  The channel of the river will be stripped down to its source, and everything irrigated by it will dry up and wither and be no more.

19:8  The fishers also shall lament, and all they that cast angle into the Nile shall mourn, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.

8  And the fishermen shall groan, and all that cast a hook into the river shall groan; they also that cast nets, and the anglers shall mourn.

8  And the fishermen will grieve. And all who cast a hook into the river will mourn. And those who cast a net upon the surface of its waters will languish.

19:9  Moreover they that work in combed flax, and they that weave cotton, shall be ashamed.

9  And shame shall come upon them that work fine flax, and them that make fine linen.

9  Those who work with linen, combing and weaving fine textiles, will be confounded.

19:10  And her foundations shall be crushed, all they that make dams shall be grieved in soul.

10  And they that work at them shall be in pain, and all that make beer shall be grieved, and be pained in their souls.

10  And its irrigated places will begin to fail, with all those who make pools to take fish.

19:11  The princes of Zoan are utter fools; the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh are a senseless counsel; how can ye say unto Pharaoh: 'I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings'?

19:12  Where are they, then, thy wise men? And let them tell thee now; and let them know what YHWH of hosts hath purposed concerning Egypt.

12  Where are now thy wise men? and let them declare to thee, and say, What has the Lord of hosts purposed upon Egypt?

12  Where are your wisemen now? Let them announce it to you, and let them reveal what the Lord of hosts intends for Egypt.

19:13  The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have caused Egypt to go astray, that are the corner-stone of her tribes.

13  The princes of Tanis have failed, and the princes of Memphis are lifted up with pride, and they shall cause Egypt to wander by tribes.

13  The leaders of Tanis have become foolish. The leaders of Memphis have decayed. They have deceived Egypt, the corner of its people.

19:14  YHWH hath mingled within her a spirit of dizziness; and they have caused Egypt to stagger in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.

14  For the Lord has prepared for them a spirit of error, and they have caused Egypt to err in all their works, as one staggers who is drunken and vomits also.

14  The Lord has mixed a spirit of giddiness into its midst. And they have caused Egypt to err in all its works, like a drunken man who staggers and vomits.

19:15  Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do.

15  And there shall be no work to the Egyptians, which shall make head or tail, or beginning or end.

15  And there will be no work for Egypt that would produce a head or a tail, one who bows down or one who refrains from bowing down.

19:16  In that day shall Egypt be like unto women; and it shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of YHWH of hosts, which He shaketh over it.

19:17  And the land of Judah shall become a terror unto Egypt, whensoever one maketh mention thereof to it; it shall be afraid, because of the purpose of YHWH of hosts, which He purposeth against it.

19:18  In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to YHWH of hosts; one shall be called The city of destruction.

19:19  In that day shall there be an altar to YHWH in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the YHWH.

19  In that day, there will be an altar of the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a monument of the Lord beside its borders.

19:20  And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto YHWH of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto the YHWH because of the oppressors, and He will send them a saviour, and a defender, who will deliver them.

20  This shall be a sign and a testimony to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. For they will cry out to the Lord before the face of the tribulation, and he will send them a savior and a defender who will free them.

19:21  And YHWH shall make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the YHWH in that day; yea, they shall worship with sacrifice and offering, and shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and shall perform it.

21  And the Lord shall be known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day; and they shall offer sacrifices, and shall vow vows to the Lord, and pay them.

21  And the Lord will be acknowledged by Egypt, and the Egyptians will recognize the Lord in that day, and they will worship him with sacrifices and gifts. And they will make vows to the Lord, and they will fulfill them.

19:22  And YHWH will smite Egypt, smiting and healing; and they shall return unto the YHWH, and He will be entreated of them, and will heal them.

22  And the Lord shall smite the Egyptians with a stroke, and shall completely heal them: and they shall return to the Lord, and he shall hear them, and thoroughly heal them.

22  And the Lord will strike Egypt with a scourge, and he will heal them. And they will return to the Lord. And he will be placated toward them, and he will heal them.

19:23  In 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 worship with the Assyrians.

19:24  In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth;

19:25  for that YHWH of hosts hath blessed him, saying: 'Blessed be Egypt My people and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance.'

25  saying, Blessed be my people that is in Egypt, and that is among the Assyrians, and Israel mine inheritance.

25  which the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying: Blessed be my people of Egypt, and the work of my hands for the Assyrian, but Israel is my inheritance.

20:1  In the year that Tartan came into Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him, and he fought against Ashdod and took it;

1  In the year when Tanathan came to Azotus, when he was sent by Arna king of the Assyrians, and warred against Azotus, and took it;

1  In the year in which Tharthan entered into Ashdod, when Sargon, the king of the Assyrians, had sent him, and when he had fought against Ashdod and had captured it,

20:2  at that time YHWH spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying: 'Go, and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put thy shoe from off thy foot.' And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.

2  then the Lord spoke to Esaias the son of Amos, saying, Go and take the sackcloth off thy loins, and loose thy sandals from off thy feet, and do thus, going naked and barefoot.

2  in that same time, the Lord spoke by the hand of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saying: “Go forth, and remove the sackcloth from your waist, and take your shoes from your feet.” And he did so, going out naked and barefoot.

20:3  And YHWH said: 'Like as My servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot to be for three years a sign and a wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia,

3  And the Lord said, As my servant Esaias has walked naked and barefoot three years, there shall be three years for signs and wonders to the Egyptians and Ethiopians;

20:4  so shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt, and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

4  for thus shall the king of the Assyrians lead the captivity of Egypt and the Ethiopians, young men and old, naked and barefoot, having the shame of Egypt exposed.

4  so also will the king of the Assyrians force the captivity of Egypt, and the transmigration of Ethiopia: young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.

20:5  And they shall be dismayed and ashamed, because of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.

5  And the Egyptians being defeated shall be ashamed of the Ethiopians, in whom they had trusted; for they were their glory.

5  And they will be afraid and confounded over Ethiopia, their hope, and Egypt, their glory.

20:6  And the inhabitant of this coast-land shall say in that day: Behold, such is our expectation, whither we fled for help to be delivered from the king of Assyria; and how shall we escape?'

6  And they that dwell in this island shall say in that day, Behold, we trusted to flee to them for help, who could not save themselves from the king of the Assyrians: and how shall we be saved?

6  And in that day, the inhabitants of a certain island will say: “Behold, this was our hope, we fled to them for help, to free us from the face of the king of the Assyrians. And now, how will we be able to escape?”

21:1  The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweeping on, it cometh from the wilderness, from a dreadful land.

21:2  A grievous vision is declared unto me: 'The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam! besiege, O Media! All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.'

2  so a fearful and a grievous vision was declared to me: he that is treacherous deals treacherously, the transgressor transgresses. The Elamites are upon me, and the ambassadors of the Persians come against me: now will I groan and comfort myself.

2  A difficult vision has been announced to me: he who is unbelieving, he acts unfaithfully, and he who is a plunderer, he devastates. Ascend, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I have caused all its mourning to cease.

21:3  Therefore are my loins filled with convulsion; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail; I am bent so that I cannot hear; I am affrighted so that I cannot see.

3  Because of this, my lower back has been filled with pain, and anguish has possessed me, like the anguish of a woman in labor. I fell down when I heard it. I was disturbed when I saw it.

21:4  My heart is bewildered, terror hath overwhelmed me; the twilight that I longed for hath been turned for me into trembling.

4  My heart wanders, and transgression overwhelms me; my soul is occupied with fear.

4  My heart failed, pangs made me quake; the beauty of my pleasures has been turned into terror to me.

21:5  They prepare the table, they light the lamps, they eat, they drink--'Rise up, ye princes, anoint the shield.'

5  Prepare the table, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and prepare your shields.

5  Prepare the table. Contemplate, from a place of observation, those who eat and drink. Rise up, you leaders! Take up the shield!

21:6  For thus hath YHWH said unto me: Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth!

6  For thus said the Lord to me, Go and station a watchman for thyself, and declare whatever thou shalt see.

6  For the Lord has said this to me: “Go and station a watchman. And let him announce whatever he will see.”

21:7  And when he seeth a troop, horsemen by pairs, a troop of asses, a troop of camels, he shall hearken diligently with much heed.

7  And I saw two mounted horsemen, and a rider on an ass, and a rider on a camel.

7  And he saw a chariot with two horsemen, and a rider on an donkey, and a rider on a camel. And he considered them diligently, with an intense gaze.

21:8  And he cried as a lion: 'Upon the watch-tower, O Lord, I stand continually in the daytime, and I am set in my ward all the nights.'

21:9  And, behold, there came a troop of men, horsemen by pairs. And he spoke and said: 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.'

9  and, behold, he comes riding in a chariot and pair: and he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all her images and her idols have been crushed to the ground.

9  Behold, a certain man approaches, a man riding on a two-horse chariot.” And he responded, and he said: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon! And all its graven gods have been crushed into the earth!

21:10  O thou my threshing, and the winnowing of my floor, that which I have heard from YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

10  Hear, ye that are left, and ye that are in pain, hear what things I have heard of the Lord of hosts which the God of Israel has declared to us.

21:11  The burden of Dumah. One calleth unto me out of Seir: 'Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?'

11  THE VISION OF IDUMEA. Call to me out of Seir; guard ye the bulwarks.

21:12  The watchman said: 'The morning cometh, and also the night--if ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come.'

12  I watch in the morning and the night: if thou wouldest enquire, enquire, and dwell by me.

21:13  The burden upon Arabia. In the thickets in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye caravans of Dedanites.

13  Thou mayest lodge in the forest in the evening, or in the way of Daedan.

13  The prophecy concerning Arabia. In the evening you shall lodge in the forest, in the highway of Dornim.

21:14  Unto him that is thirsty bring ye water! The inhabitants of the land of Tema did meet the fugitive with his bread.

14  Ye that dwell in the country of Thaeman, bring water to meet him that is thirsty;

21:15  For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

15  meet the fugitives with bread, because of the multitude of the slain, and because of the multitude of them that lose their way, and because of the multitude of swords, and because of the multitude of bent bows, and because of the multitude of them that have fallen in war.

15  For they are fleeing before the face of swords, before the face of a sword hanging over them, before the face of a bent bow, before the face of a grievous battle.

21:16  For thus hath YHWH said unto me: 'Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail;

16  For thus said the Lord to me, Yet a year, as the year of an hireling, and the glory of the sons of Kedar shall fail

16  For the Lord said this to me: “After one more year, just like one year for a hired hand, all the glory of Kedar will be taken away.

21:17  and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished; for YHWH, the God of Israel, hath spoken it.'

17  and the remnant of the strong bows of the sons of Kedar shall be small: for the Lord God of Israel has spoken it.

17  And the remainder of the multitude of strong archers from the sons of Kedar will be few, for the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken it.”