Daily Bread

See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud^(C)
    and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
    and the hearts of the Egyptians melt^(D) with fear.

² “I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—
    brother will fight against brother,^(E)
    neighbor against neighbor,
    city against city,
    kingdom against kingdom.^(F)
3 The Egyptians will lose heart,^(G)
    and I will bring their plans^(H) to nothing;^(I)
they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,
    the mediums and the spiritists.^(J)
4 I will hand the Egyptians over
    to the power of a cruel master,
and a fierce king^(K) will rule over them,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

⁵ The waters of the river will dry up,^(L)
    and the riverbed will be parched and dry.^(M)
6 The canals will stink;^(N)
    the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.^(O)
The reeds^(P) and rushes will wither,^(Q)
7     also the plants^(R) along the Nile,
    at the mouth of the river.
Every sown field^(S) along the Nile
    will become parched, will blow away and be no more.^(T)
8 The fishermen^(U) will groan and lament,
    all who cast hooks^(V) into the Nile;
those who throw nets on the water
    will pine away.
⁹ Those who work with combed flax^(W) will despair,
    the weavers of fine linen^(X) will lose hope.
¹⁰ The workers in cloth will be dejected,
    and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.

¹¹ The officials of Zoan^(Y) are nothing but fools;
    the wise counselors^(Z) of Pharaoh give senseless advice.^(AA)
How can you say to Pharaoh,
    “I am one of the wise men,^(AB)
    a disciple of the ancient kings”?

¹² Where are your wise men^(AC) now?
    Let them show you and make known
what the Lord Almighty
    has planned^(AD) against Egypt.
¹³ The officials of Zoan^(AE) have become fools,
    the leaders of Memphis^(AF) are deceived;
the cornerstones^(AG) of her peoples
    have led Egypt astray.
¹⁴ The Lord has poured into them
    a spirit of dizziness;^(AH)
they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,
    as a drunkard staggers^(AI) around in his vomit.
¹⁵ There is nothing Egypt can do—
    head or tail, palm branch or reed.^(AJ)