Isaiah 19:3

19:3 The Egyptians will panic, ¹ 

and I will confuse their strategy. ² 

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. ³ 

Isaiah 19:13-14

19:13 The officials of Zoan are fools,

the officials of Memphis ⁴  are misled;

the rulers ⁵  of her tribes lead Egypt astray.

19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; ⁶ 

they lead Egypt astray in all she does,

so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. ⁷ 

[19:3]  ¹ tn Heb “and the spirit of Egypt will be laid waste in its midst.”

[19:3]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[19:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”

[19:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.

[19:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”

[19:14]  ⁷ tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”