Rhyming Isaiah, Chapter 19

(Image Attribution: Ricardo Liberato / CC BY-SA)

Rhyming Isaiah, Chapter 19

It’s Egypt who this oracle’s about.

The LORD comes riding swiftly on a cloud
and he descends to Egypt; their false gods
before him, tremble. Egypt’s courage melts
within her. Egypt, up, against herself,
I will stir Egypt, and how they will fight,
one ‘gainst another, how they’ll be aligned,
a neighbor will have with his neighbor, strife,
one city ‘gainst a city and this too,
a kingdom ‘gainst a kingdom, strife imbued;
within them how their spirit’s emptied out,
is Egypt’s, and their plans I will confound.
They will consult false gods and sorcerers,
with ghosts and spirits who’re familiar,
but the Egyptians, I’ll deliver them
into that of a master, hard, his hand,
and over them, a ruthless king will lord,
this, of the LORD, the Lord of Hosts, his word.

The waters will be drained out from the sea,
and dried, the river Nile, of all her streams;
they’re foul, how all of its canals will be,
they all will rot, her rushes and her reeds.
There will be places, bare, the Nile, beside,
and all that grows along the Nile will dry.
Bullrushes, lotus, by the Nile, were sown,
they’ll be no more, into the wind, they’re blown.
The fishermen as well will mourn and groan,
who in the Nile, cast hooks, all will lament,
all those who in the water spread their nets
will mourn. The workers of the carded flax
will be dejected, and they’ll be downcast,
the linen-weavers, they will be dismayed,
those at the loom. Those working for their wage,
dejected in their hearts, her artisans.

They’re utter fools, the princes of Zoan;
that stupid counsel giv’n, what they relate,
from Pharoah’s counselors, most sage.
To Pharaoh, how is it you dare to say,
“I’m like a wise man from a former age,
a king from long ago, in bygone days”?
Where are your wise men, Pharaoh, to inform
you and make known what has, of Hosts, the LORD,
‘gainst Egypt, planned, and has for them in store.
How Zoan’s princes, fools, they all became.
Deluded, princes, Memphis’s, the same.
All Egypt’s chieftains lead their clans astray.
Poured into them, what has the LORD, conveyed:
a spirit of confusion; and they’ve made
all Egypt miss what she attempts, her ways,
just like a drunkard randomly will stray
about while vomiting. Not head nor tail,
it’s neither palm branch or the bending reed
that can for Egypt do a single thing.

On that day, the Egyptians, how they’ll be
like women, and with fear, they’ve been made weak,
the LORD of Hosts, of him, before his hand
that he has raised against them. And the land
of Judah will, to the Egyptians, be,
a terror; will its very memory,
its name, how it will cause them to dismay,
because against them, what it is he’s laid,
the LORD of Hosts, his plans, those that he made.

Found in that day, five cities, there will be
within the land of Egypt that will speak
the language, same, that’s heard on Canaan’s tongues
and, to the LORD of Hosts, allegiance, swear.
One will be called “The City of the Sun.”

On that day will an altar place be there,
in Egypt’s center, that is to the LORD,
and for the LORD, set up at her frontier,
a sacred pillar. It will be a sign
the LORD of Hosts, to always, him, remind
in Egypt’s land; when to the LORD they cry,
because of their oppressors, he will send
to them, a savior, and he will defend,
and also how he will deliver them.

The LORD, to the Egyptians, he will make
himself known, and Egyptians, the, how they
will know the LORD upon that very day,
and worship with their sacrifice and make
burnt offerings, and they will, to the LORD,
take vows and also will, their vows, perform.
The LORD will strike down Egypt and then bring
them healing; and when they turn back to him,
he’ll, to their prayers, respond, and will heal them.

On that day, how a highway there will be,
Assyria and Egypt, them, between,
and the Assyrian, to Egypt, will
come, the Egyptian to Assyria,
Egyptians and Assyrians as well
will both, together, worship on that day.

With them will Is’rael, as a third, be placed,
with Egypt and Assyria, arrayed,
a blessing there in, of the earth, its midst,
who has, by him, the LORD of Hosts, been blessed,
declaring, “Blessed be Egypt, people, my,
Assyria, too, what my hands designed,
and Is’rael, as my heritage, defined.