How to Pray for Our Nation – Isaiah 19:1-25
19 The oracle concerning Egypt. Look! Jehovah rides upon a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble at his presence, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them. (2) I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—everyone shall fight against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. (3) The spirit of the Egyptians will be demoralized within them. I will confound the counsel of the nation, so they will resort to the idols and the spirits of the dead and the mediums and the spiritists. (4) Furthermore, I will hand the Egyptians over to a cruel master, a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord, Jehovah of hosts. (5) Furthermore, the waters of the River will dry up, and the riverbed will become parched and dry. (6) The canals will stink. The streams of Egypt will dwindle away and dry up. The reeds and rushes will wither. (7) The bulrushes along the Nile, by the edge of the Nile, and all the sown fields beside the Nile, will become parched, the topsoil will be blown away and vanish. (8) The fishermen will lament, and all those who cast their hooks into the Nile will mourn—those who spread their fishing nets upon the waters will pine away. (9) Furthermore, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax and the weavers of white cloth will despair. (10) The economic pillars of Egypt will be broken in pieces; all the wage earners will be grieved in their souls. (11) The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the counsel given by Pharaoh’s wisest counselors has become brutish. How can you say to Pharaoh, I am one of the wise men, a disciple of the ancient kings? (12) Now where are your wise men? Let them tell you and make known what Jehovah of hosts has planned with regard to Egypt. (13) The officials of Zoan have become fools, the leaders of Memphis are deluded—those who are the cornerstones of her tribes have led Egypt astray. (14) Jehovah has mixed within her a spirit of confusion; they have caused Egypt to go astray in everything she does. She is like a drunken man staggering around in his vomit. (15) There will be no help for Egypt, no help that head or tail, palm branch or reed can provide. (16) On that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble with fear because of Jehovah of host’s shaking fist that he shakes over them. (17) The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be afraid, because of what Jehovah of hosts has planned against them.
(18) On that day five of Egypt’s cities will speak the language of Canaan and swear their vows by Jehovah of hosts—one of them will be called The City of Destruction. (19) On that day there will be an altar to Jehovah in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to Jehovah at its border. (20) It will be a sign and a witness to Jehovah of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry out to Jehovah because of their oppressors, and he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. (21) So Jehovah will make himself known to the Egyptians, and on that day the Egyptians will acknowledge Jehovah—indeed, they will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings, they will make vows to Jehovah and they will keep them. (22) Jehovah will strike Egypt—striking and healing. They will turn to Jehovah, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them. (23) On that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria, and the Egyptians and the Assyrians will worship together. (24) On that day Israel will be the third nation, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth; (25) because Jehovah of hosts has blessed them, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
