19:12 But where, oh where, are your wise men? 1
Let them tell you, let them find out
what the Lord who commands armies has planned for Egypt.
19:13 The officials of Zoan are fools,
the officials of Memphis 2 are misled;
the rulers 3 of her tribes lead Egypt astray.
19:14 The Lord has made them undiscerning; 4
they lead Egypt astray in all she does,
so that she is like a drunk sliding around in his own vomit. 5
1 tn Heb “Where are they? Where are your wise men?” The juxtaposition of the interrogative pronouns is emphatic. See HALOT 38 s.v. אֶי.
2 tn Heb “Noph” (so KJV); most recent English versions substitute the more familiar “Memphis.”
3 tn Heb “the cornerstone.” The singular form should be emended to a plural.
4 tn Heb “the Lord has mixed into her midst a spirit of blindness.”
5 tn Heb “like the going astray of a drunkard in his vomit.”