TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 19

Translation and Transliteration of 

1The “Egypt” Pronouncement. Mounted on a swift cloud, Hashem will come to Egypt; Egypt's idols shall tremble before Him, And the heart of the Egyptians shall sink within them.

אמַשָּׂא מִצְרָיִם הִנֵּה יְהֹוָה רֹכֵב עַל־עָב קַל וּבָא מִצְרַיִם וְנָעוּ אֱלִילֵי מִצְרַיִם מִפָּנָיו וּלְבַב מִצְרַיִם יִמַּס בְּקִרְבּוֹ׃

2“I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian: They shall war with each other, Every man with his fellow, City with city And kingdom with kingdom.

בוְסִכְסַכְתִּי מִצְרַיִם בְּמִצְרַיִם וְנִלְחֲמוּ אִישׁ־בְּאָחִיו וְאִישׁ בְּרֵעֵהוּ עִיר בְּעִיר מַמְלָכָה בְּמַמְלָכָה׃

3Egypt shall be drained of spirit, And I will confound its plans; So they will consult the idols and the shades And the ghosts and the familiar spirits.

גוְנָבְקָה רוּחַ־מִצְרַיִם בְּקִרְבּוֹ וַעֲצָתוֹ אֲבַלֵּעַ וְדָרְשׁוּ אֶל־הָאֱלִילִים וְאֶל־הָאִטִּים וְאֶל־הָאֹבוֹת וְאֶל־הַיִּדְּעֹנִים׃

4And I will place the Egyptians At the mercy of a harsh master, And a ruthless king shall rule them” —declares the Sovereign, the lord of Hosts.

דוְסִכַּרְתִּי אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בְּיַד אֲדֹנִים קָשֶׁה וּמֶלֶךְ עַז יִמְשָׁל־בָּם נְאֻם הָאָדוֹן יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת׃

5Water shall fail from the seas, Rivers dry up and be parched,

הוְנִשְּׁתוּ־מַיִם מֵהַיָּם וְנָהָר יֶחֱרַב וְיָבֵשׁ׃

6Channels turn foul as they ebb, And Egypt's canals run dry. Reed and rush shall decay,

ווְהֶאֶזְנִיחוּ נְהָרוֹת דָּלֲלוּ וְחָרְבוּ יְאֹרֵי מָצוֹר קָנֶה וָסוּף קָמֵלוּ׃

7And the Nile papyrus by the Nile-side And everything sown by the Nile Shall wither, blow away, and vanish.

זעָרוֹת עַל־יְאוֹר עַל־פִּי יְאוֹר וְכֹל מִזְרַע יְאוֹר יִיבַשׁ נִדַּף וְאֵינֶנּוּ׃

8The fishermen shall lament; All who cast lines in the Nile shall mourn, And those who spread nets on the water shall languish.

חוְאָנוּ הַדַּיָּגִים וְאָבְלוּ כָּל־מַשְׁלִיכֵי בַיְאוֹר חַכָּה וּפֹרְשֵׂי מִכְמֹרֶת עַל־פְּנֵי־מַיִם אֻמְלָלוּ׃

9The flax workers, too, shall be dismayed, Both carders and weavers chagrined.

טוּבֹשׁוּ עֹבְדֵי פִשְׁתִּים שְׂרִיקוֹת וְאֹרְגִים חוֹרָי׃

10Her foundations shall be crushed, And all who make dams shall be despondent.

יוְהָיוּ שָׁתֹתֶיהָ מְדֻכָּאִים כָּל־עֹשֵׂי שֶׂכֶר אַגְמֵי־נָפֶשׁ׃

11Utter fools are the nobles of Tanis; The sagest of Pharaoh's advisers [Have made] absurd predictions. How can you say to Pharaoh, “I am a scion of sages, A scion of Kedemite kings”?

יאאַךְ־אֱוִלִים שָׂרֵי צֹעַן חַכְמֵי יֹעֲצֵי פַרְעֹה עֵצָה נִבְעָרָה אֵיךְ תֹּאמְרוּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹה בֶּן־חֲכָמִים אֲנִי בֶּן־מַלְכֵי־קֶדֶם׃

12Where, indeed, are your sages? Let them tell you, let them discover What the lord of Hosts has planned against Egypt.

יבאַיָּם אֵפוֹא חֲכָמֶיךָ וְיַגִּידוּ נָא לָךְ וְיֵדְעוּ מַה־יָּעַץ יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת עַל־מִצְרָיִם׃

13The nobles of Tanis have been fools, The nobles of Memphis deluded; Egypt has been led astray By the chiefs of her tribes.

יגנוֹאֲלוּ שָׂרֵי צֹעַן נִשְּׁאוּ שָׂרֵי נֹף הִתְעוּ אֶת־מִצְרַיִם פִּנַּת שְׁבָטֶיהָ׃

14Hashem has mixed within her A spirit of distortion, Which shall lead Egypt astray I all her undertakings As a vomiting drunkard goes astray;

ידיְהֹוָה מָסַךְ בְּקִרְבָּהּ רוּחַ עִוְעִים וְהִתְעוּ אֶת־מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל־מַעֲשֵׂהוּ כְּהִתָּעוֹת שִׁכּוֹר בְּקִיאוֹ׃

15Nothing shall be achieved in Egypt By either head or tail, Palm branch or reed.

טווְלֹא־יִהְיֶה לְמִצְרַיִם מַעֲשֶׂה אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה רֹאשׁ וְזָנָב כִּפָּה וְאַגְמוֹן׃

16In that day, the Egyptians shall be like women, trembling and terrified because the lord of Hosts will raise His hand against them.

טזבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה מִצְרַיִם כַּנָּשִׁים וְחָרַד וּפָחַד מִפְּנֵי תְּנוּפַת יַד־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר־הוּא מֵנִיף עָלָיו׃

17And the land of Yehuda shall also be the dread of the Egyptians; they shall quake whenever anybody mentions it to them, because of what the lord of Hosts is planning against them.

יזוְהָיְתָה אַדְמַת יְהוּדָה לְמִצְרַיִם לְחָגָּא כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יַזְכִּיר אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו יִפְחָד מִפְּנֵי עֲצַת יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר־הוּא יוֹעֵץ עָלָיו׃

18In that day, there shall be several towns in the land of Egypt speaking the language of Canaan and swearing loyalty to the lord of Hosts; one shall be called Town of Heres.

ba-YOM ha-HU yih-YU kha-MAYSH a-REEM b'-E-retz mitz-RA-yim m'-da-b'-ROT s'-FAT k'-NA-an v'-nish-ba-OT la-do-NAI tz'-va-OT eer ha-HE-res yay-a-MAYR l'-e-KHAT

יחבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיוּ חָמֵשׁ עָרִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מְדַבְּרוֹת שְׂפַת כְּנַעַן וְנִשְׁבָּעוֹת לַיהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת עִיר הַהֶרֶס יֵאָמֵר לְאֶחָת׃

 19:18   Speaking the language of Canaan

Yeshayahu prophesies that there will be five Egyptian cities that speak the language of Canaan and swear by Hashem’s name . According to Ramban (Exodus 30:13), the term “language of Canaan” refers to the Hebrew language, known in Jewish literature as Lashon HaKodesh (לשון הקודש), ‘the Holy Tongue,’ because it is the language with which God speaks to His prophets and His nation. After the Egyptians in these cities experience Hashem’s strength, they will be so moved to worship Him that they will learn the holy language and erect an altar on which to serve God. This will also represent a partial fulfillment of another of Yeshayahu’s prophecies, that in the future the whole world will be filled with knowledge of God (11:9).

19In that day, there shall be a altar to Hashem inside the land of Egypt and a pillar to Hashem at its border.

יטבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהֹוָה בְּתוֹךְ אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וּמַצֵּבָה אֵצֶל־גְּבוּלָהּ לַיהֹוָה׃

20They shall serve as a symbol and reminder of the lord of Hosts in the land of Egypt, so that when [the Egyptians] cry out to Hashem against oppressors, He will send them a savior and champion to deliver them.

כוְהָיָה לְאוֹת וּלְעֵד לַיהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם כִּי־יִצְעֲקוּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה מִפְּנֵי לֹחֲצִים וְיִשְׁלַח לָהֶם מוֹשִׁיעַ וָרָב וְהִצִּילָם׃

21For Hashem will make Himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians shall acknowledge Hashem in that day, and they shall serve [Him] with sacrifice and oblation and shall make vows to Hashem and fulfill them.

כאוְנוֹדַע יְהֹוָה לְמִצְרַיִם וְיָדְעוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת־יְהֹוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וְעָבְדוּ זֶבַח וּמִנְחָה וְנָדְרוּ־נֵדֶר לַיהֹוָה וְשִׁלֵּמוּ׃

22Hashem will first afflict and then heal the Egyptians; when they turn back to Hashem, He will respond to their entreaties and heal them.

כבוְנָגַף יְהֹוָה אֶת־מִצְרַיִם נָגֹף וְרָפוֹא וְשָׁבוּ עַד־יְהֹוָה וְנֶעְתַּר לָהֶם וּרְפָאָם׃

23In that day, there shall be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians shall join with the Egyptians and Egyptians with the Assyrians, and then the Egyptians together with the Assyrians shall serve [Hashem].

כגבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא תִּהְיֶה מְסִלָּה מִמִּצְרַיִם אַשּׁוּרָה וּבָא־אַשּׁוּר בְּמִצְרַיִם וּמִצְרַיִם בְּאַשּׁוּר וְעָבְדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת־אַשּׁוּר׃

24In that day, Yisrael shall be a third partner with Egypt and Assyria as a blessing on earth;

כדבַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יִשְׂרָאֵל שְׁלִישִׁיָּה לְמִצְרַיִם וּלְאַשּׁוּר בְּרָכָה בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ׃

25for the lord of Hosts will bless them, saying, “Blessed be My people Egypt, My handiwork Assyria, and My very own Yisrael.”

כהאֲשֶׁר בֵּרֲכוֹ יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת לֵאמֹר בָּרוּךְ עַמִּי מִצְרַיִם וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי אַשּׁוּר וְנַחֲלָתִי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃