18Listen, Ethiopia—land of fluttering sails that lies at the headwaters of the Nile,H1945H776H6767H3671H5676H5104H3568 2that sends ambassadors in swift boats down the river. Go, swift messengers! Take a message to a tall, smooth-skinned people, who are feared far and wide for their conquests and destruction, and whose land is divided by rivers.H7971H6735H3220H3627H1573H6440H4325H3212H7031H4397H1471H4900H4178H5971H3372H1973H1471H6978H4001H776H5104H958 3All you people of the world, everyone who lives on the earth—when I raise my battle flag on the mountain, look! When I blow the ram’s horn, listen!H3427H8398H7931H776H7200H5375H5251H2022H8628H7782H8085 4For the Lord has told me this. “I will watch quietly from my dwelling place—as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day, or as the morning dew forms during the harvest.”H3541H3068H559H8252H5027H4349H6703H2527H216H5645H2919H2527H7105 5Even before you begin your attack, while your plans are ripening like grapes, the Lord will cut off your new growth with pruning shears. He will snip off and discard your spreading branches.H6440H7105H6525H8552H1155H1580H5328H3772H2150H4211H5493H8456H5189 6Your mighty army will be left dead in the fields for the mountain vultures and wild animals. The vultures will tear at the corpses all summer. The wild animals will gnaw at the bones all winter.H5800H3162H5861H2022H929H776H5861H6972H929H776H2778 7At that time the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will receive gifts from this land divided by rivers, from this tall, smooth-skinned people, who are feared far and wide for their conquests and destruction. They will bring the gifts to Jerusalem, where the Lord of Heaven’s Armies dwells.H6256H7862H2986H3068H6635H5971H4900H4178H5971H3372H1973H1471H6978H4001H776H5104H958H4725H8034H3068H6635H2022H6726
19This message came to me concerning Egypt. Look! The Lord is advancing against Egypt, riding on a swift cloud. The idols of Egypt tremble. The hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.H4853H4714H3068H7392H7031H5645H935H4714H457H4714H5128H6440H3824H4714H4549H7130 2“I will make Egyptian fight against Egyptian—brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, province against province.H5526H4714H4714H3898H376H251H376H7453H5892H5892H4467H4467 3The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will confuse their plans. They will plead with their idols for wisdom and call on spirits, mediums, and those who consult the spirits of the dead.H7307H4714H1238H7130H1104H6098H1875H457H328H178H3049 4I will hand Egypt over to a hard, cruel master. A fierce king will rule them,” says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.H853H4714H5534H3027H7186H113H5794H4428H4910H5002H113H3068H6635 5The waters of the Nile will fail to rise and flood the fields. The riverbed will be parched and dry.H4325H5405H3220H5104H2717H3001 6The canals of the Nile will dry up, and the streams of Egypt will stink with rotting reeds and rushes.H2186H5104H2186H2975H4693H1809H2717H7070H5488H7060 7All the greenery along the riverbank and all the crops along the river will dry up and blow away.H6169H2975H6310H2975H4218H2975H3001H5086 8The fishermen will lament for lack of work. Those who cast hooks into the Nile will groan, and those who use nets will lose heart.H1771H578H7993H2443H2975H56H6566H4365H6440H4325H535 9There will be no flax for the harvesters, no thread for the weavers.H5647H8305H6593H707H2355H954 10They will be in despair, and all the workers will be sick at heart.H1792H8356H6213H7938H99H5315 11What fools are the officials of Zoan! Their best counsel to the king of Egypt is stupid and wrong. Will they still boast to Pharaoh of their wisdom? Will they dare brag about all their wise ancestors?H8269H6814H191H6098H2450H3289H6547H1197H559H6547H1121H2450H1121H6924H4428 12Where are your wise counselors, Pharaoh? Let them tell you what God plans, what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is going to do to Egypt.H335H645H2450H5046H3045H3068H6635H3289H4714 13The officials of Zoan are fools, and the officials of Memphis are deluded. The leaders of the people have led Egypt astray.H8269H6814H2973H8269H5297H5377H8582H4714H6438H7626 14The Lord has sent a spirit of foolishness on them, so all their suggestions are wrong. They cause Egypt to stagger like a drunk in his vomit.H3068H4537H5773H7307H7130H4714H8582H4639H7910H8582H6892 15There is nothing Egypt can do. All are helpless—the head and the tail, the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.H4639H4714H7218H2180H3712H100H6213 16In that day the Egyptians will be as weak as women. They will cower in fear beneath the upraised fist of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.H3117H4714H802H2729H6342H6440H8573H3027H3068H6635H5130 17Just to speak the name of Israel will terrorize them, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has laid out his plans against them.H127H3063H2283H4714H2142H6342H6440H6098H3068H6635H3289 18In that day five of Egypt’s cities will follow the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. They will even begin to speak Hebrew, the language of Canaan. One of these cities will be Heliopolis, the City of the Sun.H3117H2568H5892H776H4714H1696H8193H3667H7650H3068H6635H259H559H5892H2041 19In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and there will be a monument to the Lord at its border.H3117H4196H3068H8432H776H4714H4676H681H1366H3068 20It will be a sign and a witness that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is worshiped in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord for help against those who oppress them, he will send them a savior who will rescue them.H226H5707H3068H6635H776H4714H6817H3068H6440H3905H7971H3467H7227H5337 21The Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians. Yes, they will know the Lord and will give their sacrifices and offerings to him. They will make a vow to the Lord and will keep it.H3068H3045H4714H4714H3045H3068H3117H5647H2077H4503H5087H5088H3068H7999 22The Lord will strike Egypt, and then he will bring healing. For the Egyptians will turn to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas and heal them.H3068H5062H4714H5062H7495H7725H3068H6279H7495 23In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will both worship God.H3117H4546H4714H804H804H935H4714H4714H804H4714H5647H804 24And Israel will be their ally. The three will be together, and Israel will be a blessing to them.H3117H3478H7992H4714H804H1293H7130H776 25For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will say, “Blessed be Egypt, my people. Blessed be Assyria, the land I have made. Blessed be Israel, my special possession!”H3068H6635H1288H559H1288H4714H5971H804H4639H3027H3478H5159
20In the year when King Sargon of Assyria sent his commander in chief to capture the Philistine city of Ashdod,H8141H8661H935H795H5623H4428H804H7971H3898H795H3920 2the Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, “Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals.” Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot.H6256H1696H3068H3027H3470H1121H531H559H3212H6605H8242H4975H2502H5275H7272H6213H1980H6174H3182 3Then the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia.H3068H559H5650H3470H1980H6174H3182H7969H8141H226H4159H4714H3568 4For the king of Assyria will take away the Egyptians and Ethiopians as prisoners. He will make them walk naked and barefoot, both young and old, their buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt.H4428H804H5090H4714H7628H3568H1546H5288H2205H6174H3182H8357H2834H6172H4714 5Then the Philistines will be thrown into panic, for they counted on the power of Ethiopia and boasted of their allies in Egypt!H2865H954H3568H4007H4714H8597 6They will say, ‘If this can happen to Egypt, what chance do we have? We were counting on Egypt to protect us from the king of Assyria.’”H3427H339H559H3117H3541H4007H5127H5833H5337H6440H4428H804H4422
21This message came to me concerning Babylon—the desert by the sea. Disaster is roaring down on you from the desert, like a whirlwind sweeping in from the Negev.H4853H4057H3220H5492H5045H2498H935H4057H3372H7762I see a terrifying vision. I see the betrayer betraying, the destroyer destroying. Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes, attack and lay siege. I will make an end to all the groaning Babylon caused.H7186H2380H5046H898H898H7703H7703H5927H5867H6696H4074H585H76733My stomach aches and burns with pain. Sharp pangs of anguish are upon me, like those of a woman in labor. I grow faint when I hear what God is planning; I am too afraid to look.H4975H4390H2479H6735H270H6735H3205H5753H8085H926H72004My mind reels and my heart races. I longed for evening to come, but now I am terrified of the dark.H3824H8582H6427H1204H5399H2837H7760H27315Look! They are preparing a great feast. They are spreading rugs for people to sit on. Everyone is eating and drinking. But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle. You are being attacked!H6186H7979H6822H6844H398H8354H6965H8269H4886H40436Meanwhile, the Lord said to me, “Put a watchman on the city wall. Let him shout out what he sees.H136H559H3212H5975H6822H5046H72007He should look for chariots drawn by pairs of horses, and for riders on donkeys and camels. Let the watchman be fully alert.”H7200H7393H6776H6571H7393H2543H7393H1581H7181H7182H7227H71828Then the watchman called out, “Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord. Night after night I have remained at my post.H7121H738H136H5975H8548H4707H3119H5324H4931H39159Now at last—look! Here comes a man in a chariot with a pair of horses!” Then the watchman said, “Babylon is fallen, fallen! All the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground!”H935H7393H376H6776H6571H6030H559H894H5307H5307H6456H430H7665H77610O my people, threshed and winnowed, I have told you everything the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said, everything the God of Israel has told me.H4098H1121H1637H8085H3068H6635H430H3478H504611This message came to me concerning Edom. Someone from Edom keeps calling to me, “Watchman, how much longer until morning? When will the night be over?”H4853H1746H7121H8165H8104H3915H8104H391512The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but night will soon return. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask.”H8104H559H1242H857H3915H1158H1158H7725H85713This message came to me concerning Arabia. O caravans from Dedan, hide in the deserts of Arabia.H4853H6152H3293H6152H3885H736H172014O people of Tema, bring water to these thirsty people, food to these weary refugees.H3427H776H8485H857H4325H7125H6771H6923H3899H507415They have fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and the terrors of battle.H5074H6440H2719H6440H5203H2719H6440H1869H7198H6440H3514H442116The Lord said to me, “Within a year, counting each day, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end.H136H559H8141H8141H7916H3519H6938H361517Only a few of its courageous archers will survive. I, the Lord, the God of Israel, have spoken!”H7605H4557H7198H1368H1121H6938H4591H3068H430H3478H1696
22This message came to me concerning Jerusalem—the Valley of Vision. What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops?H4853H1516H2384H645H5927H1406 2The whole city is in a terrible uproar. What do I see in this reveling city? Bodies are lying everywhere, killed not in battle but by famine and disease.H4392H8663H1993H5892H5947H7151H2491H2491H2719H4191H4421 3All your leaders have fled. They surrendered without resistance. The people tried to slip away, but they were captured, too.H7101H5074H3162H631H7198H4672H631H3162H1272H7350 4That’s why I said, “Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed.”H559H8159H1065H4843H213H5162H7701H1323H5971 5Oh, what a day of crushing defeat! What a day of confusion and terror brought by the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, upon the Valley of Vision! The walls of Jerusalem have been broken, and cries of death echo from the mountainsides.H3117H4103H4001H3998H136H3069H6635H1516H2384H6979H7023H7771H2022 6Elamites are the archers, with their chariots and charioteers. The men of Kir hold up the shields.H5867H5375H827H7393H120H6571H7024H6168H4043 7Chariots fill your beautiful valleys, and charioteers storm your gates.H4005H6010H4390H7393H6571H7896H7896H8179 8Judah’s defenses have been stripped away. You run to the armory for your weapons.H1540H4539H3063H5027H3117H5402H1004H3293 9You inspect the breaks in the walls of Jerusalem. You store up water in the lower pool.H7200H1233H5892H1732H7231H6908H4325H8481H1295 10You survey the houses and tear some down for stone to strengthen the walls.H5608H1004H3389H1004H5422H1219H2346 11Between the city walls, you build a reservoir for water from the old pool. But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago.H6213H4724H2346H4325H3465H1295H5027H6213H7200H3335H7350 12At that time the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, called you to weep and mourn. He told you to shave your heads in sorrow for your sins and to wear clothes of burlap to show your remorse.H3117H136H3069H6635H7121H1065H4553H7144H2296H8242 13But instead, you dance and play; you slaughter cattle and kill sheep. You feast on meat and drink wine. You say, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”H8342H8057H2026H1241H7819H6629H398H1320H8354H3196H398H8354H4279H4191 14The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has revealed this to me: “Till the day you die, you will never be forgiven for this sin.” That is the judgment of the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.H1540H241H3068H6635H5771H3722H4191H559H136H3069H6635 15This is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, said to me: “Confront Shebna, the palace administrator, and give him this message.H559H136H3069H6635H3212H935H5532H7644H1004 16“Who do you think you are, and what are you doing here, building a beautiful tomb for yourself—a monument high up in the rock?H2672H6913H6311H2672H6913H4791H2710H4908H5553 17For the Lord is about to hurl you away, mighty man. He is going to grab you,H3068H2904H1397H2925H5844H5844 18crumple you into a ball, and toss you away into a distant, barren land. There you will die, and your glorious chariots will be broken and useless. You are a disgrace to your master!H6801H6801H6802H1754H7342H3027H776H4191H4818H3519H7036H113H1004 19“Yes, I will drive you out of office,” says the Lord. “I will pull you down from your high position.H1920H4673H4612H2040 20And then I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah to replace you.H3117H7121H5650H471H1121H2518 21I will dress him in your royal robes and will give him your title and your authority. And he will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and Judah.H3847H3801H2388H73H5414H4475H3027H1H3427H3389H1004H3063 22I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.H4668H1004H1732H5414H7926H6605H5462H5462H6605 23He will bring honor to his family name, for I will drive him firmly in place like a nail in the wall.H8628H3489H539H4725H3519H3678H1H1004 24They will give him great responsibility, and he will bring honor to even the lowliest members of his family.”H8518H3519H1H1004H6631H6849H3627H6996H3627H101H3627H5035 25But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies also says: “The time will come when I will pull out the nail that seemed so firm. It will come out and fall to the ground. Everything it supports will fall with it. I, the Lord, have spoken!”H3117H5002H3068H6635H3489H8628H539H4725H4185H1438H5307H4853H3772H3068H1696
Dublin, OH
—land of fluttering sails that lies at the headwaters of the Nile,H1945
