1 The oracle {massa: prophetic burden} concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD {YHWH, Supreme Arbiter} rides on a swift cloud to Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will tremble from before Him, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.
2 And I {YHWH, Sovereign Judge} will stir up the Egyptians {mitzrayim: ancient empire} against each other, and they will fight, each man against his brother and each man against his companion, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
3 The spirit of Egypt will be emptied in its midst, and I {YHWH, Sovereign Judge} will swallow up its counsel; they will seek to the idols, to the charmers, to the spirits of the dead, and to the wizards {yiddeonim: conjurers of secret knowledge}.
4 And I will deliver Egypt into the hand of a cruel master, and a fierce king will rule over them; this is the declaration of the Lord {ha-adon: Master} the LORD of hosts {YHWH Tsevaot: Commander of heavenly armies}.
5 And the waters will be dried up {venishtu: passive drying} from the sea, and the river will become parched {yecherav: laid waste} and dry.
6 The rivers will reek, and the canals {yeorei: Nile channels} of Egypt {matsor: Nile kingdom} will dwindle and dry up; the reeds and rushes will wither.
7 The bare places along the river, at the mouth-of the river, and every sown-field {mizra’: cultivated land} by the river will dry up {yivash: cease to have moisture}, be driven away, and will be no more.
8 And the fishermen will mourn, and all who cast a hook in the Nile will lament, and those who spread nets upon the surface of the waters will languish. {Fishermen: dayagim (professional fishers); Lament: avlu (public expression of grief)}
9 And the workers {ovdei: flax artisans} of flax shall be ashamed, those making combed threads {srikot: twisted fibers}, and the weavers of white cloths.
10 And her foundations will be crushed {shatoteha: structural supports}; all who make a living {osei: wage earners} will be grieved.
11 Surely the princes of Zoan {Zoan: ancient Egyptian city} are fools, the wise counselors of Pharaoh—their counsel {etsa: deliberate advice} has become foolish—how can you say to Pharaoh, “I am the son of wise men, the son of kings of old?”
12 Where are they then, your wise men {chakhamekha: skilled counselors}? Let them please tell you and let them know what the LORD of hosts {YHWH tzvaot: Divine Commander} has purposed against Egypt.
13 The princes of Zoan have acted foolishly, the princes of Noph have been deceived; they have led Egypt {Mitzrayim: Nile region} astray, the corner {pinnat: chief support} of her tribes.
14 The LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Disrupter} has mixed a spirit {ruach: inner driving impetus} of confusion within her, and they have led Egypt astray in all its work, like a drunkard staggering in his vomit.
15 And there will be no work {ma’aseh: any undertaking} for Egypt {Mitzrayim: narrow land} that the head or the tail, the branch or the reed can perform.
16 In that day Egypt will be like women, and it will tremble and be afraid because of the shaking {tenupat: threatening swing} of the hand of the LORD of hosts {YHWH Tsevaot, Supreme Commander}, which He raises over it.
17 And the land of Judah shall become a terror {lechagga: trembling dread} to Egypt; everyone who mentions it will be afraid for himself because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts {YHWH Tsevaot, Divine Commander} that He has determined against it.
18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing to the LORD of hosts {YHWH Tseva’ot, Commander of Armies}. One will be called City of Destruction {haheres: devastation}.
19 In that day, there will be an altar to the LORD {YHWH, Universal Sovereign} in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar {matzevah: commemorative monument} at its border to the LORD.
20 And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the LORD of hosts {YHWH Tseva’ot, Divine Champion} in the land of Egypt, because they will cry out to the LORD on account of oppressors {lochatzim: those who press and afflict}, and He will send them a savior and a great one, and He will deliver them.
21 And the LORD {YHWH, Revealer of Nations} will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know Him on that day, and they will serve Him with sacrifice and offering {minchah: gift of grain}, and they will vow and fulfill it.
22 And the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge} will strike Egypt, striking and healing; and they will return to the LORD, and He will be entreated for them and heal {rapha: restore health} them.
23 In that day there will be a highway {mesillah: elevated causeway} from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve {avdu: worship and serve} with the Assyrians.
24 In that day, Israel will be a third {shelishiyah: companion-in-blessing} with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing {berakhah: divine favor} in the midst of the land.
25 Whom the LORD of hosts {YHWH Tsevaot, Supreme Commander} has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands {yadai: creative activity}, and Israel my inheritance.”