1: The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift
cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved
at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
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2: And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they
shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his
neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. |
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3:
And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I
will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and
to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the
wizards. |
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4: And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel
lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD
of hosts. |
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5: And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be
wasted and dried up. |
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6: And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of
defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
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7: The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and
every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no
more. |
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8: The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle
into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters
shall languish. |
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9: Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave
networks, shall be confounded. |
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10: And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that
make sluices and ponds for fish. |
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11: Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise
counsellers of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am
the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings? |
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12: Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell
thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon
Egypt. |
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13: The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are
deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of
the tribes thereof. |
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14: The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof:
and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken
man staggereth in his vomit. |
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15: Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or
tail, branch or rush, may do. |
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16: In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be
afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts,
which he shaketh over it. |
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17: And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one
that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the
counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it. |
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18: In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the
language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called,
The city of destruction. |
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19: In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst
of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.
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20: And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of
hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of
the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and
he shall deliver them. |
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21: And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall
know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea,
they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. |
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22: And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it:
and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of
them, and shall heal them. |
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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 serve with the Assyrians. |
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24: In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with
Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: |
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25: Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt
my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine
inheritance. |