Jer 46 | ESV | STEP | The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations .

1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet ^aconcerning the nations.

2 About 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!
5 Why 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?
8 Egypt 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.
12 The 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.”
13 The 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.’
15 Why are your mighty ones face down?
They do not stand ^{▼▼Hebrew He does not stand}
because the Lord thrust them down.
16 He 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.’
17 Call 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.
21 Even 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.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame;
she shall be delivered into the hand of ^bca people from the north.”
25 The 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.”