Isaiah 19:6
ESV
and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt 's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away.
NIV
The canals will stink; the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up. The reeds and rushes will wither,
NASB
The canals will emit a stench, The streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up; The reeds and rushes will rot away.
CSB
The channels will stink; they will dwindle, and Egypt’s canals will be parched. Reed and rush will wilt.
NLT
The canals of the Nile will dry up, and the streams of Egypt will stink with rotting reeds and rushes.
KJV
And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
NKJV
The rivers will turn foul; The brooks of defense will be emptied and dried up; The reeds and rushes will wither.
What does Isaiah 19:6 mean?
Ancient Egypt was formidable and self-reliant. What gave the Egyptian people the false idea that they were provided for by their idols and false gods? In large part, it came from the great and powerful Nile River's nearly unchanging cycle of flooding and recession. The Egyptians turned desert into farmland using irrigation canals and branches to harness the life-giving power of the river (Isaiah 19:5).The Lord wants Judah to understand that He brings that life-giving water to the desert. As such, He can take it away. God is describing in this oracle what will happen when He does. Without the water, those canals will turn foul and lifeless. The branches of the river will quickly vanish as the vegetation rots away in the heat of the desert. All the land taken back from the desert will be reclaimed by the scorching heat.
