And the waters of the Nile will be dried up is literally “And they will be dried up, the waters from the sea” (compare 18.2). New Jerusalem Bible has “The waters will ebb from the sea,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “Water shall fail from the seas,” and New American Bible translates “The waters shall be drained from the sea.” These translations are more accurate in terms of the Hebrew text. This opening clause is a general statement about the sea drying up. The parallel line that follows it is a more specific reference to the Nile River. The passive verb will be dried up implies some agent, whether a natural event such as a hot wind, or divine intervention. If an active form is needed, we recommend “will dry up” since the text does not specifically mention Yahweh as the cause.

And the river will be parched and dry: Here the river is certainly the Nile, so translators may make this clear. Be parched and be dry render the two key Hebrew verbs (charav and yavesh) in this subsection. They are introduced together here for emphasis. For Good News Translation this verbal repetition indicates a gradual process of drying. The verses that follow express this more openly.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• The waters of the sea will dry up, the river will become completely parched and dry.

• The sea will evaporate, and the Nile River become completely parched and dry.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .