5. The water in the Nile River will dry up and disappear.
6. All the rivers will smell very bad. The canals in Egypt will be dry, and the water will be gone. All the water plants will rot.
7. All the plants along the riverbanks will die and blow away. Even the plants at the widest part of the river will dry up, blow away, and disappear.
8. The fishermen, all those who catch fish from the Nile River, will become sad and they will cry. They depend on the Nile River for their food, but it will be dry.
9. Those who make cloth from flax, who weave it into linen, will all be sad.
10. Those who weave cloth will be broken, and those who work for money will be depressed.
11. The leaders of the city of Zoan are fools. Pharaoh’s “wise advisors” give bad advice. They say they are wise. They say they are from the old family of the kings, but they are not as smart as they think.
12. Egypt, where are your wise men? They should learn what the Lord All-Powerful has planned for Egypt. They should be the ones to tell you what will happen.
13. The leaders of Zoan have been fooled. The leaders of Noph have believed lies, so they lead Egypt the wrong way.
14. The Lord confused them, so they wander around and lead Egypt the wrong way. Everything they do is wrong. They are like drunks rolling in their vomit.
15. There is nothing the leaders can do. (They are “the heads and the tails.” They are “the tops and the stalks of plants.”)
16. At that time the Egyptians will be like frightened women. They will be afraid of the Lord All-Powerful, because he will raise his arm to punish the people.
17. The land of Judah brings fear to everyone in Egypt. Anyone in Egypt who hears the name Judah will be afraid. This will happen because the Lord All-Powerful has planned terrible things to happen to Egypt.
18. At that time there will be five cities in Egypt where people speak Hebrew. One of these cities will be named “Destruction City.” The people in these cities will promise to follow the Lord All-Powerful.
19. At that time there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of Egypt. At the border of Egypt there will be a monument to show honor to the Lord.
20. This will be a sign to show that the Lord All-Powerful does amazing things. Any time the people cry for help from the Lord, he will send help. He will send someone to save and defend the people—to rescue the people from those who hurt them.