Study Desk

The princes of Zoan are complete fools;^(k) Pharaoh's wisest advisers give stupid advice! How can you say to Pharaoh, "I am one^[d] of the wise, a student of eastern^[e] kings"?

Where then are your wise men? Let them tell you and reveal what the Lord of Hosts has planned against Egypt.

The princes of Zoan have been fools; the princes of Memphis are deceived.^(l) Her tribal chieftains have led Egypt astray.

The Lord has mixed within her a spirit of confusion. The leaders have made Egypt stagger in all she does, as a drunkard staggers in his vomit.

No head or tail, palm or reed,^(m) will be able to do anything for Egypt.

On that day Egypt will be like women. She will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of the Lord of Hosts when He raises it against her.

The land of Judah will terrify Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what the Lord of Hosts has planned⁽ⁿ⁾ against it.

On that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to the Lord of Hosts. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun.^[f][g]

On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord near her border.^(o)

It will be a sign and witness to the Lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, He will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them.^(p)

The Lord will make Himself known to Egypt, and Egypt will know the Lord on that day. They will offer sacrifices and offerings;^(q) they will make vows to the Lord and fulfill them.

The Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing. Then they will return to the Lord and He will hear their prayers and heal them.

On that day there will be a highway^(r) from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and Egypt will worship with Assyria.

On that day Israel will form a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria—a blessing within the land.

The Lord of Hosts will bless them, saying, "Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork,^(s) and Israel My inheritance are blessed."^(t)

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

during that time the Lord had spoken through Isaiah^(c) son of Amoz, saying, "Go, take off your sackcloth^[a] and remove the sandals from your feet," and he did so, going naked and barefoot^(d)—

the Lord said, "As My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,^(e)

so the king of Assyria will lead the captives of Egypt^(f) and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt's shame.

Those who made Cush their hope and Egypt their boast will be dismayed and ashamed.^(g)

And the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Look, this is what has happened to those we relied on and fled to for help to rescue us from the king of Assyria! Now, how will we escape?'"

An oracle^(a) against the desert by the sea:^(b) Like storms that pass over the Negev, it comes from the desert, from the land of terror.

A troubling vision is declared to me: "The treacherous one acts treacherously,^(c) and the destroyer destroys. Advance, Elam! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all her groaning."

Therefore I am^[a] filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pain of a woman in labor.^(d) I am too perplexed to hear, too dismayed to see.

My heart staggers; horror terrifies me. He has turned my last glimmer of hope^[b] into sheer terror.^(e)

Prepare a table,^(f) and spread out a carpet! Eat and drink! Rise up, you princes, and oil the shields!

For the Lord has said to me, "Go, post a lookout; let him report what he sees.

When he sees riders— pairs of horsemen, riders on donkeys, riders on camels— he must pay close attention."

Then the lookout^[c] reported, "Lord, I stand on the watchtower all day,^(g) and I stay at my post all night.

Look, riders come— horsemen in pairs." And he answered, saying, "Babylon has fallen,^(h) has fallen. All the images of her gods have been shattered on the ground."⁽ⁱ⁾

My people who have been crushed on the threshing floor,^(j) I have declared to you what I have heard from the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel.

An oracle^(k) against Dumah:^[d](l) One calls to me from Seir,^(m) "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?"

The watchman said, "Morning has come, and also night. If you want to ask, ask! Come back again."

An oracle against Arabia:⁽ⁿ⁾ In the desert^[e] brush you will camp for the night, you caravans of Dedanites.^(o)

Bring water for the thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema^(p) meet^[f] the refugees with food.

For they have fled from swords, from the drawn sword, from the bow that is strung, and from the stress of battle.

For the Lord said this to me: "Within one year,^(q) as a hired worker counts years, all the glory of Kedar^(r) will be gone.

The remaining Kedarite archers will be few in number." For the Lord , the God of Israel, has spoken.

An oracle^(a) against the Valley of Vision:^(b) What's the matter with you? Why have all of you gone up to the rooftops?^(c)

The noisy city, the jubilant town,^(d) is filled with revelry. Your dead did not die by the sword; they were not killed in battle.

All your rulers have fled together, captured without a bow. All your fugitives were captured together; they had fled far away.

Therefore I said, "Look away from me! Let me weep bitterly!^(e) Do not try to comfort me about the destruction of my dear^[a] people."

For the Lord God of Hosts had a day of tumult, trampling, and confusion^(f) in the Valley of Vision— people shouting^[b] and crying to the mountains;

Elam took up a quiver with chariots and horsemen,^[c] and Kir^(g) uncovered the shield.

Your best valleys were full of chariots, and horsemen were positioned at the gates.

He removed the defenses of Judah. On that day you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest.^(h)

You saw that there were many breaches in the walls of the city of David.⁽ⁱ⁾ You collected water from the lower pool.^(j)

You counted the houses of Jerusalem so that you could tear them down to fortify the wall.

You made a reservoir between the walls^(k) for the waters of the ancient pool,^(l) but you did not look to the One who made it, or consider the One who created it long ago.

On that day the Lord God of Hosts called for weeping,^(m) for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth.

But look: joy and gladness, butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat, and drinking of wine— "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"⁽ⁿ⁾

The Lord of Hosts has directly revealed to me:^(o) "This sin of yours will never^[d] be wiped out."^(p) The Lord God of Hosts has spoken.

The Lord God of Hosts said: "Go to Shebna,^(q) that steward who is in charge of the palace, and say to him:

What are you doing here? Who authorized you to carve out a tomb for yourself here, carving your tomb on the height and cutting a crypt for yourself out of rock?^(r)

Look, you strong man! The Lord is about to shake you violently. He will take hold of you,

wind you up into a ball, and sling you into a wide land.^[e] There you will die, and there your glorious chariots will be—a disgrace to the house of your lord.

I will remove you from your office; you will be ousted from your position.

"On that day I will call for my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.^(s)

I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority into his hand, and he will be like a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the House of Judah.^(t)

I will place the key^(u) of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one can close; what he closes, no one can open.^(v)

I will drive him, like a peg, into a firm place. He will be a throne of honor for his father's house.

They will hang on him the whole burden of his father's house: the descendants and the offshoots—all the small vessels, from bowls to every kind of jar.

On that day"—the declaration of the Lord of Hosts—"the peg that was driven into a firm place will give way, be cut off, and fall, and the load on it will be destroyed." Indeed, the Lord has spoken.

An oracle^(a) against Tyre:^(b) Wail, ships of Tarshish,^(c) for your haven has been destroyed. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.^[a](d)

Mourn, inhabitants of the coastland, you merchants of Sidon;^(e) your agents have crossed the sea^[b]

on many waters. Tyre's revenue was the grain from Shihor— the harvest of the Nile. She was the merchant among the nations.^(f)

Be ashamed Sidon, the stronghold of the sea, for the sea has spoken: "I have not been in labor or given birth. I have not raised young men or brought up young women."

When the news reaches Egypt, they will be in anguish over the news about Tyre.^(g)

Cross over to Tarshish; wail, inhabitants of the coastland!

Is this your jubilant city, whose origin was in ancient times, whose feet have taken her to settle far away?

Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are the honored ones of the earth?

The Lord of Hosts planned it, to desecrate all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the honored ones of the earth.

Overflow^[c] your land like the Nile, daughter of Tarshish; there is no longer anything to restrain you.^[d]

He stretched out His hand over the sea;^(h) He made kingdoms tremble. The Lord has commanded that the Canaanite fortresses be destroyed.

He said, "You will not rejoice anymore, ravished young woman, daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus⁽ⁱ⁾— even there you will have no rest!"

Look at the land of the Chaldeans— a people who no longer exist. Assyria destined it for desert creatures. They set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They made it a ruin.

Wail, ships of Tarshish, because your fortress is destroyed!

On that day Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years—the life span of one king. At the end of 70 years, what the song says about the prostitute will happen to Tyre:

Pick up your lyre, stroll through the city, prostitute forgotten by men. Play skillfully, sing many a song, and you will be thought of again.

And at the end of the 70 years,^(j) the Lord will restore Tyre^(k) and she will go back into business, prostituting herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.

But her profits and wages will be dedicated to the Lord . They will not be stored or saved, for her profit will go to those who live in the Lord 's presence, to provide them with ample food and sacred clothing.

Look, the Lord is stripping the earth bare and making it desolate. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants:

people and priest alike, servant and master, female servant and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.

The earth will be stripped completely bare and will be totally plundered, for the Lord has spoken this message.^(a)

The earth mourns and withers; the world wastes away and withers; the exalted people of the earth waste away.

The earth is polluted by its inhabitants,^(b) for they have transgressed teachings, overstepped decrees, and broken the everlasting covenant.^(c)

Therefore a curse has consumed the earth,^(d) and its inhabitants have become guilty; the earth's inhabitants have been burned, and only a few survive.