Jeremiah 46
Judgment on Egypt
1The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet aconcerning the nations. 2About Egypt. bConcerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in cthe fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: 3 d“Prepare buckler and shield,and advance for battle!
4 eHarness the horses;
mount, O horsemen!
Take your stations with your helmets,
fpolish your spears,
put on your armor!
5Why have I seen it?
They are dismayed
and have turned backward.
Their gwarriors are beaten down
and have fled in haste;
hthey look not back—
iterror on every side!
declares the Lord.
6“The swift cannot flee away,
nor the warrior escape;
jin the north by the river Euphrates
kthey have stumbled and fallen.
7“Who is this, lrising like the Nile,
like rivers mwhose waters surge?
8Egypt rises like the Nile,
like rivers nwhose waters surge.
He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth,
I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.’
9 oAdvance, O horses,
and rage, O chariots!
Let the warriors go out:
men of Cush and pPut who handle the shield,
qmen of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.
10 rThat day is the day of the Lord God of hosts,
sa day of vengeance,
tto avenge himself on his foes.
uThe sword shall devour and be sated
and drink its fill of their blood.
For the Lord God of hosts holds va sacrifice
win the north country xby the river Euphrates.
11 yGo up to Gilead, and take zbalm,
O virgin daughter of Egypt!
In vain you have used many medicines;
aathere is no healing for you.
12The nations have heard of your shame,
and the earth is full of your cry;
abfor warrior has stumbled against warrior;
they have both fallen together.”
13The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of acNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14“Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in adMigdol;
proclaim in aeMemphis and afTahpanhes;
say, ag‘Stand ready and be prepared,
for ahthe sword shall devour around you.’
15Why are your mighty ones face down?
They do not stand ▼
▼Hebrew He does not stand
because the Lord thrust them down.
16He made many stumble, ajand they fell,
and they said one to another,
‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people
and to the land of our birth,
akbecause of the sword of the oppressor.’
17Call the name of alPharaoh, king of Egypt,
‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.’
18 am“As I live, declares the King,
anwhose name is the Lord of hosts,
like aoTabor among the mountains
and like apCarmel by the sea, shall one come.
19 aqPrepare yourselves baggage for exile,
O arinhabitants of Egypt!
For asMemphis shall become a waste,
a ruin, atwithout inhabitant.
20“A beautiful auheifer is Egypt,
but a biting fly avfrom the north has come upon her.
21Even her hired soldiers in her midst
are like awfattened calves;
yes, they have turned and fled together;
they did not stand,
for the day of their calamity has come upon them,
axthe time of their punishment.
22“She makes aya sound like a serpent gliding away;
for her enemies march in force
and come against her with axes
azlike those who fell trees.
23 baThey shall cut down her forest,
declares the Lord,
though it is impenetrable,
because bbthey are more numerous than locusts;
they are without number.
24The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame;
she shall be delivered into the hand of bca people from the north.”
25The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon bdAmon of beThebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt bfand her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 bgI will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. bhAfterward Egypt shall be inhabited bias in the days of old, declares the Lord. 27 bj“But fear not, O Jacob my servant,
nor be dismayed, O Israel,
for behold, I will save you from far away,
and your offspring from the land of their captivity.
Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,
and none shall make him afraid.
28 bkFear not, O Jacob my servant,
declares the Lord,
for I am with you.
I will make a full end of all the nations
to which I have driven you,
but of you I will not make a full end.
blI will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”
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