Isaiah 19:2-4

19:2 “I will provoke civil strife in Egypt, ¹ 

brothers will fight with each other,

as will neighbors,

cities, and kingdoms. ² 

19:3 The Egyptians will panic, ³ 

and I will confuse their strategy. ⁴ 

They will seek guidance from the idols and from the spirits of the dead,

from the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, and from the magicians. ⁵ 

19:4 I will hand Egypt over to a harsh master;

a powerful king will rule over them,”

says the sovereign master, ⁶  the Lord who commands armies.

[19:2]  ¹ tn Heb I will provoke Egypt against Egypt” (NAB similar).

[19:2]  ² tn Heb “and they will fight, a man against his brother, and a man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.” Civil strife will extend all the way from the domestic level to the provincial arena.

[19:3]  ³ tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”

[19:3]  ⁴ tn The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (bala’, “swallow”); see HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע.

[19:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “they will inquire of the idols and of the spirits of the dead and of the ritual pits and of the magicians.” Hebrew אוֹב (’ov, “ritual pit”) refers to a pit used by a magician to conjure up underworld spirits. See the note on “incantations” in 8:19.

[19:4]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).