19:4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;
a powerful king will rule over them,”
says the sovereign master, 1 the Lord who commands armies.
19:5 The water of the sea will be dried up,
and the river will dry up and be empty. 2
19:6 The canals 3 will stink; 4
the streams of Egypt will trickle and then dry up;
the bulrushes and reeds will decay,
1 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
2 tn Heb “will dry up and be dry.” Two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
3 tn Heb “rivers” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, CEV “streams”; TEV “channels.”
4 tn The verb form appears as a Hiphil in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa; the form in MT may be a so-called “mixed form,” reflecting the Hebrew Hiphil stem and the functionally corresponding Aramaic Aphel stem. See HALOT 276 s.v. I זנח.