Jeremiah 46
Good News Translation
Egypt's Defeat at Carchemish
46 The Lord spoke to me about the nations, 2 (A)beginning with Egypt. This is what he said about the army of King Neco of Egypt, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia defeated at Carchemish near the Euphrates River in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah:
3 “The Egyptian officers shout,
‘Get your shields ready
and march into battle!
4 Harness your horses and mount them!
Fall in line and put on your helmets!
Sharpen your spears!
Put on your armor!’
5 “But what do I see?” asks the Lord.
“They are turning back in terror.
Their soldiers are beaten back;
overcome with fear, they run as fast as they can
and do not look back.
6 Those who run fast cannot get away;
the soldiers cannot escape.
In the north, by the Euphrates,
they stumble and fall.
7 Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like a river flooding its banks?
8 It is Egypt, rising like the Nile,
like a river flooding its banks.
Egypt said, ‘I will rise and cover the world;
I will destroy cities and the people who live there.
9 Command the horses to go
and the chariots to roll!
Send out the soldiers:
men from Ethiopia[a] and Libya, carrying shields,
and skilled archers from Lydia.’”
10 This is the day of the Sovereign Lord Almighty:
today he will take revenge;
today he will punish his enemies.
His sword will eat them until it is full,
and drink their blood until it is satisfied.
Today the Almighty sacrifices his victims
in the north, by the Euphrates.
11 People of Egypt, go to Gilead[b]
and look for medicine!
All your medicine has proved useless;
nothing can heal you.
12 Nations have heard of your shame;
everyone has heard you cry.
One soldier trips over another,
and both of them fall to the ground.
The Coming of Nebuchadnezzar
13 (B)When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia came to attack Egypt, the Lord spoke to me. He said,
14 “Proclaim it in the towns of Egypt,
in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes:
‘Get ready to defend yourselves;
all you have will be destroyed in war!
15 Why has your mighty god Apis fallen?
The Lord has struck him down!’
16 Your soldiers have stumbled and fallen;[c]
each one says to the other,
‘Hurry! Let's go home to our people
and escape the enemy's sword!’
17 “Give the king of Egypt a new name—
‘Noisy Braggart Who Missed His Chance.’
18 I, the Lord Almighty, am king.
I am the living God.
As Mount Tabor towers above the mountains
and Mount Carmel stands high above the sea,
so will be the strength of the one who attacks you.
19 Get ready to be taken prisoner,
you people of Egypt!
Memphis will be made a desert,
a ruin where no one lives.
20 Egypt is like a splendid cow,
attacked by a stinging fly from the north.
21 Even her hired soldiers
are helpless as calves.
They did not stand and fight;
all of them turned and ran.
The day of their doom had arrived,
the time of their destruction.
22 Egypt runs away, hissing like a snake,
as the enemy's army approaches.
They attack her with axes,
like people cutting down trees
23 and destroying a thick forest.
Their soldiers are too many to count;
they outnumber the locusts.
24 The people of Egypt are put to shame;
they are conquered by the people of the north.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says, “I am going to punish Amon, the god of Thebes, together with Egypt and its gods and kings. I am going to take the king of Egypt and all who put their trust in him, 26 and hand them over to those who want to kill them, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army. But later on, people will live in Egypt again, as they did in times past. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Will Save His People
27 (C)“My people, do not be afraid,
people of Israel, do not be terrified.
I will rescue you from that faraway land,
from the land where you are prisoners.
You will come back home and live in peace;
you will be secure, and no one will make you afraid.
28 I will come to you and save you.
I will destroy all the nations
where I have scattered you,
but I will not destroy you.
I will not let you go unpunished;
but when I punish you, I will be fair.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 46:9 Hebrew Cush: Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).
- Jeremiah 46:11 See 8.22.
- Jeremiah 46:16 Probable text Your soldiers … fallen; Hebrew unclear.
Jeremiah 46
Complete Jewish Bible
46 This is the word of Adonai that came to Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning the nations. 2 Concerning Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh N’kho, king of Egypt, stationed by the Euphrates River in Kark’mish, which N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel attacked in the fourth year of Y’hoyakim son of Yoshiyahu, king of Y’hudah:
3 “Prepare breastplate and shield! Advance to battle!
4 Harness the horses! Riders, mount!
[Troops,] fall in! Helmets in place!
Polish the spears! Coats of mail on!
5 “Why do I see them retreating in panic,
their heroes routed, fleeing headlong,
not looking back, terror all around?”
asks Adonai.
6 “The swift cannot flee, nor the heroes escape.
In the north, by the Euphrates River,
they have stumbled and fallen.”
7 Who is this, rising up like the Nile,
like rivers whose waters surge out in flood?
8 It is Egypt, rising up like the Nile,
like rivers whose waters surge out in flood,
saying, “I will surge out and cover the earth,
destroying the city along with its people.”
9 Charge, horses! Full speed ahead, chariots!
Let the warriors attack! —
Kush and Put, bearing their shields,
and the Ludim, strung bows in hand.
10 For on that day Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot
will have a day of vengeance
for avenging himself on his enemies.
The sword will destroy, have its fill,
be made drunk on their blood.
Yes, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot
decrees slaughter in the land to the north
by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gil‘ad for its healing resin,
virgin daughter of Egypt.
You try many medicines, all in vain;
for you there is no cure.
12 The nations have heard about your disgrace;
your shrieks fill the earth
as warrior trips over warrior,
both falling down together.
13 This word Adonai spoke to Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning how N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel would come and attack the land of Egypt:
14 “Proclaim in Egypt, announce in Migdol,
announce in Nof and Tachpanches;
say: ‘Take your stand! Get ready!
For all around you the sword is destroying.
15 Why has your strong one been overthrown?
He failed to stand because Adonai pushed him down.
16 He caused many to trip;
yes, they fell all over each other.’”
Then they said, “Let’s get up,
let’s return to our own people,
back to the land where we were born,
away from the sword that destroys.”
17 They cried there, “Pharaoh king of Egypt makes noise,
but he lets the right time [for action] slip by.”
18 “As I live,” says the king,
whose name is Adonai-Tzva’ot,
“when he comes, he will be [as mighty]
as Tavor among the mountains,
as Karmel next to the sea.
19 “Daughter living in Egypt,
prepare what you need for exile;
for Nof will become a ruin,
laid waste, without inhabitant.
20 Egypt is a beautiful female calf;
but a horsefly from the north has come to attack her.
21 Her mercenaries too, that she had with her,
were like well-fed calves in a stable;
but they too have withdrawn in retreat,
they all ran away without standing their ground.
For their day of disaster has come over them,
the time for them to be punished.
22 Egypt hisses like a snake,
as the enemy’s army marches ahead,
attacking her with their axes
like lumbermen chopping trees.
23 They cut down her forest,” says Adonai,
“for they cannot be numbered;
yes, there are more of them than locusts,
far too many to count.
24 The daughter of Egypt is put to shame,
handed over to the people from the north.”
25 Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: “I will punish Amon from No, Pharaoh, and Egypt with her gods and kings — that is, Pharaoh and those who trust in him; 26 I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, to N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel and to his servants. But afterwards, Egypt will be inhabited, as in the past,” says Adonai.
27 “Yet don’t be afraid, Ya‘akov my servant;
don’t be distressed, Isra’el.
For I will save you from faraway places,
and your offspring from the lands where they are held captive.
Ya‘akov will return and be at peace,
quiet, with no one to make him afraid.
28 Don’t be afraid, Ya‘akov my servant,”
says Adonai, “for I am with you.
I will finish off all the nations
where I have scattered you.
However, you I will not finish off,
I will discipline you as you deserve,
but not completely destroy you.”
Jeremiah 46
The Message
You Vainly Collect Medicines
46 God’s Messages through the prophet Jeremiah regarding the godless nations.
2-5 The Message to Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt at the time it was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon while camped at Carchemish on the Euphrates River in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah:
“‘Present arms!
March to the front!
Harness the horses!
Up in the saddles!
Battle formation! Helmets on,
spears sharpened, armor in place!’
But what’s this I see?
They’re scared out of their wits!
They break ranks and run for cover.
Their soldiers panic.
They run this way and that,
stampeding blindly.
It’s total chaos, total confusion, danger everywhere!”
God’s Decree.
6 “The swiftest runners won’t get away,
the strongest soldiers won’t escape.
In the north country, along the River Euphrates,
they’ll stagger, stumble, and fall.
7-9 “Who is this like the Nile in flood?
like its streams torrential?
Why, it’s Egypt like the Nile in flood,
like its streams torrential,
Saying, ‘I’ll take over the world.
I’ll wipe out cities and peoples.’
Run, horses!
Roll, chariots!
Advance, soldiers
from Cush and Put with your shields,
Soldiers from Lud,
experts with bow and arrow.
10 “But it’s not your day. It’s the Master’s, me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies—
the day when I have it out with my enemies,
The day when Sword puts an end to my enemies,
when Sword exacts vengeance.
I, the Master, God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
will pile them on an altar—a huge sacrifice!—
In the great north country,
along the mighty Euphrates.
11-12 “Oh, virgin Daughter Egypt,
climb into the mountains of Gilead, get healing balm.
You will vainly collect medicines,
for nothing will be able to cure what ails you.
The whole world will hear your anguished cries.
Your wails fill the earth,
As soldier falls against soldier
and they all go down in a heap.”
Egypt’s Army Slithers Like a Snake
13 The Message that God gave to the prophet Jeremiah when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon was on his way to attack Egypt:
14 “Tell Egypt, alert Migdol,
post warnings in Noph and Tahpanhes:
‘Wake up! Be prepared!
War’s coming!’
15-19 “Why will your bull-god Apis run off?
Because God will drive him off.
Your ragtag army will fall to pieces.
The word is passing through the ranks,
‘Let’s get out of here while we still can.
Let’s head for home and save our skins.’
When they get home they’ll nickname Pharaoh
‘Big-Talk-Bad-Luck.’
As sure as I am the living God”
—the King’s Decree, God-of-the-Angel-Armies is his name—
“A conqueror is coming: like Tabor, singular among mountains;
like Carmel, jutting up from the sea!
So pack your bags for exile,
you coddled daughters of Egypt,
For Memphis will soon be nothing,
a vacant lot grown over with weeds.
20-21 “Too bad, Egypt, a beautiful sleek heifer
attacked by a horsefly from the north!
All her hired soldiers are stationed to defend her—
like well-fed calves they are.
But when their lives are on the line, they’ll run off,
cowards every one.
When the going gets tough,
they’ll take the easy way out.
22-24 “Egypt will slither and hiss like a snake
as the enemy army comes in force.
They will rush in, swinging axes
like lumberjacks cutting down trees.
They’ll level the country”—God’s Decree—“nothing
and no one standing for as far as you can see.
The invaders will be a swarm of locusts,
innumerable, past counting.
Daughter Egypt will be ravished,
raped by vandals from the north.”
25-26 God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says, “Watch out when I visit doom on the god Amon of Thebes, Egypt and its gods and kings, Pharaoh and those who trust in him. I’ll turn them over to those who are out to kill them, to Nebuchadnezzar and his military. Egypt will be set back a thousand years. Eventually people will live there again.” God’s Decree.
* * *
27-28 “But you, dear Jacob my servant, you have nothing to fear.
Israel, there’s no need to worry.
Look up! I’ll save you from that far country,
I’ll get your children out of the land of exile.
Things are going to be normal again for Jacob,
safe and secure, smooth sailing.
Yes, dear Jacob my servant, you have nothing to fear.
Depend on it, I’m on your side.
I’ll finish off all the godless nations
among which I’ve scattered you,
But I won’t finish you off.
I have more work left to do on you.
I’ll punish you, but fairly.
No, I’m not finished with you yet.”
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson