Jeremiah 46
English Standard Version
Judgment on Egypt
46 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet (A)concerning the nations.
2 About Egypt. (B)Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in (C)the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3 (D)“Prepare buckler and shield,
and advance for battle!
4 (E)Harness the horses;
mount, O horsemen!
Take your stations with your helmets,
(F)polish your spears,
put on your armor!
5 Why have I seen it?
They are dismayed
and have turned backward.
Their (G)warriors are beaten down
and have fled in haste;
(H)they look not back—
(I)terror on every side!
declares the Lord.
6 “The swift cannot flee away,
nor the warrior escape;
(J)in the north by the river Euphrates
(K)they have stumbled and fallen.
7 “Who is this, (L)rising like the Nile,
like rivers (M)whose waters surge?
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,
like rivers (N)whose waters surge.
He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth,
I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.’
9 (O)Advance, O horses,
and rage, O chariots!
Let the warriors go out:
men of Cush and (P)Put who handle the shield,
(Q)men of Lud, skilled in handling the bow.
10 (R)That day is the day of the Lord God of hosts,
(S)a day of vengeance,
(T)to avenge himself on his foes.
(U)The sword shall devour and be sated
and drink its fill of their blood.
For the Lord God of hosts holds (V)a sacrifice
(W)in the north country (X)by the river Euphrates.
11 (Y)Go up to Gilead, and take (Z)balm,
O virgin daughter of Egypt!
In vain you have used many medicines;
(AA)there is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your shame,
and the earth is full of your cry;
(AB)for 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 (AC)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:
14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in (AD)Migdol;
proclaim in (AE)Memphis and (AF)Tahpanhes;
say, (AG)‘Stand ready and be prepared,
for (AH)the sword shall devour around you.’
15 Why are your mighty ones face down?
They do not stand[a]
because the Lord thrust them down.
16 He made many stumble, (AI)and 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,
(AJ)because of the sword of the oppressor.’
17 Call the name of (AK)Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.’
18 (AL)“As I live, declares the King,
(AM)whose name is the Lord of hosts,
like (AN)Tabor among the mountains
and like (AO)Carmel by the sea, shall one come.
19 (AP)Prepare yourselves baggage for exile,
O (AQ)inhabitants of Egypt!
For (AR)Memphis shall become a waste,
a ruin, (AS)without inhabitant.
20 “A beautiful (AT)heifer is Egypt,
but a biting fly (AU)from the north has come upon her.
21 Even her hired soldiers in her midst
are like (AV)fattened calves;
yes, they have turned and fled together;
they did not stand,
for the day of their calamity has come upon them,
(AW)the time of their punishment.
22 “She makes (AX)a sound like a serpent gliding away;
for her enemies march in force
and come against her with axes
(AY)like those who fell trees.
23 (AZ)They shall cut down her forest,
declares the Lord,
though it is impenetrable,
because (BA)they 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 (BB)a people from the north.”
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, said: “Behold, I am bringing punishment upon (BC)Amon of (BD)Thebes, and Pharaoh and Egypt (BE)and her gods and her kings, upon Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 (BF)I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their life, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. (BG)Afterward Egypt shall be inhabited (BH)as in the days of old, declares the Lord.
27 (BI)“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 (BJ)Fear 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.
(BK)I will discipline you in just measure,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 46:15 Hebrew He does not stand
Jeremiah 46
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Prophecies Against the Nations
46 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet about the nations:(A)
Prophecies against Egypt
2 About Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco, Egypt’s king,(B) which was defeated at Carchemish(C) on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Judah’s King Jehoiakim son of Josiah:(D)
3 Deploy small shields(E) and large;
draw near for battle!
4 Harness the horses;
mount the steeds;[a]
take your positions with helmets on!
Polish the lances;
put on armor!(F)
5 Why have I seen this?
They are terrified,
they are retreating,
their warriors are crushed,
they flee headlong,
they never look back,
terror is on every side!(G)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
6 The swift cannot flee,
and the warrior cannot escape!
In the north by the bank of the Euphrates River,
they stumble and fall.(H)
7 Who is this, rising like the Nile,(I)
like rivers whose waters churn?
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,
and its waters churn like rivers.
He boasts, “I will go up, I will cover the earth;
I will destroy cities with their residents.”
9 Rise up, you cavalry!
Race furiously, you chariots!
Let the warriors go out—
Cush and Put,(J)
who are able to handle shields,
and the Ludim,(K)
who are able to handle and string the bow.(L)
10 That day belongs to the Lord, the God of Hosts,
a day of vengeance to avenge Himself
against His adversaries.
The sword will devour and be satisfied;
it will drink its fill of their blood,
because it will be a sacrifice(M) to the Lord, the God of Hosts,
in the northern land by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gilead and get balm,(N)
Virgin Daughter Egypt!
You have multiplied remedies in vain;
there is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your dishonor,(O)
and your outcry fills the earth,
because warrior stumbles against warrior
and together both of them have fallen.
13 This is the word the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to defeat the land of Egypt:(P)
14 Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol!(Q)
Proclaim it in Memphis and in Tahpanhes!
Say: Take positions! Prepare yourself,
for the sword devours all around you.(R)
15 Why have your strong ones been swept away?
Each has not stood,
for the Lord has thrust him down.
16 He continues to stumble.(S)
Indeed, each falls over the other.
They say, “Get up! Let’s return to our people
and to the land of our birth,
away from the sword that oppresses.”(T)
17 There they will cry out,
“Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise;
he let the opportune moment pass.”
18 As I live—
this is the King’s declaration;
Yahweh of Hosts is His name.(U)
He will come like Tabor among the mountains
and like Carmel by the sea.
19 Get your bags ready for exile,
inhabitant of Daughter Egypt!(V)
For Memphis will become a desolation,
uninhabited ruins.
20 Egypt is a beautiful young cow,(W)
but a horsefly from the north is coming against her.[b](X)
21 Even her mercenaries among her
are like stall-fed calves.
They too will turn back;
together they will flee;
they will not take their stand,
for the day of their calamity is coming on them,
the time of their punishment.(Y)
22 Egypt will hiss like a slithering snake,[c]
for the enemy will come with an army;
with axes they will come against her
like those who cut trees.(Z)
23 They will cut down her forest—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
though it is dense,
for they are more numerous than locusts;
they cannot be counted.(AA)
24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
handed over to a northern people.(AB)
25 The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to punish Amon, god of Thebes,(AC) along with Pharaoh, Egypt, her gods, and her kings—Pharaoh and those trusting in him. 26 I will hand them over to those who want to take their lives(AD)—to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. But after this,(AE) it will be inhabited again as in ancient times.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Reassurance for Israel
27 But you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid,(AF)
and do not be discouraged, Israel,
for without fail I will save you from far away
and your descendants, from the land of their captivity!
Jacob will return and have calm and quiet
with no one to frighten him.
28 And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
for I will be with you.(AG)
I will bring destruction on all the nations
where I have banished you,
but I will not bring destruction on you.
I will discipline you with justice,
and I will by no means leave you unpunished.(AH)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 46:4 Or mount up, riders
- Jeremiah 46:20 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read is coming, coming
- Jeremiah 46:22 Lit Her sound, she will go like a snake
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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