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Judgment on Egypt

46 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations:

Concerning Egypt, about the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

Order the buckler and shield,
    and draw near to battle!
Harness the horses;
    mount the steeds!
Take your positions
    with your helmets,
polish the spears,
    put on the armor!
Why have I seen them
    dismayed and drawing back?
Their mighty ones are beaten down
    and have taken refuge in flight,
and not looking back.
    Terror is on every side!
    says the Lord.
Let not the swift flee away,
    nor the mighty man escape;
they will stumble and fall
    towards the north by the River Euphrates.

Who is this that comes up as the Nile,
    whose waters surge about as the rivers?
Egypt rises up like the Nile,
    and his waters surge about like the rivers.
And he has said, I will go up and will cover the land.
    I will surely destroy the city and its inhabitants.
Come up, O horses,
    and rage, O chariots!
And let the mighty men come forth:
    the Ethiopians and the Libyans who handle the shield,
    and the Lydians who handle and bend the bow.
10 For this is the day of the Lord God of Hosts,
    a day of vengeance, so that He may avenge Himself of His adversaries.
And the sword will devour;
    and it will be satiated and made drunk with their blood;
for the Lord God of Hosts has a slaughter
    in the north country by the River Euphrates.

11 Go up into Gilead and take balm,
    O virgin daughter of Egypt;
in vain you shall use many medicines,
    for you will not be cured.
12 The nations have heard of your shame,
    and your cry has filled the land;
for the mighty man has stumbled over the mighty,
    and they both have fallen together.

Defeat of Egypt Foretold

13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, about Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon coming to strike the land of Egypt.

14 Declare in Egypt and publish in Migdol,
    and publish in Memphis and in Tahpanhes;
say, “Stand fast and prepare yourself,
    for the sword will devour those about you.”
15 Why have your valiant men become prostrate?
    They do not stand because the Lord has thrust them down.
16 He made many to fall.
    Indeed, each one has fallen upon another.
Then they said, “Arise and let us go back
    to our own people and to the land of our nativity,
    away from the oppressing sword.”
17 They cried there,
    “Pharaoh king of Egypt is a tumult.
    He has let the time appointed pass by!”

18 As I live, says the King
    whose name is the Lord of Hosts,
surely as Tabor is among the mountains,
    and as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come.
19 O daughter dwelling in Egypt,
    prepare your baggage for captivity,
for Memphis will become desolate,
    it will even be burned down without an inhabitant.

20 Egypt is like a very fair heifer,
    but destruction comes,
    it comes out of the north.
21 Also her mercenaries are in her midst
    like fat bulls,
for they also have turned back and have fled away together.
    They did not stand their ground
because the day of their calamity has come upon them,
    even the time of their punishment.
22 Its sound goes along like a serpent,
    for they march on as an army,
and come against her with axes,
    as choppers of wood.
23 They have cut down her forest,
    says the Lord.
    Surely it will not be found any more,
even though they are now more numerous than the grasshoppers,
    and are innumerable.
24 The daughter of Egypt has been humiliated;
    she has been delivered into the hand of the people of the north.

25 The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: See, I will punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods and their kings, even Pharaoh and all those who trust in him. 26 And I shall deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his servants. But afterwards it will be inhabited, as in the days of old, says the Lord.

God Will Save Israel

27 But do not fear, O My servant Jacob,
    and do not be dismayed, O Israel.
For I will save you from afar off,
    and your seed from the land of their captivity;
and Jacob shall return and be in rest and at ease,
    and no one shall make him afraid.
28 Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,
    says the Lord, for I am with you;
for I will make a full end of all the nations
    where I have driven you.
    However, I will not make a full end of you,
but correct you in measure,
    and I will not leave you wholly unpunished.

A Message About Egypt

46 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:(A)

Concerning Egypt:(B)

This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho(C) king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish(D) on the Euphrates(E) River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(F) son of Josiah king of Judah:

“Prepare your shields,(G) both large and small,
    and march out for battle!
Harness the horses,
    mount the steeds!
Take your positions
    with helmets on!
Polish(H) your spears,
    put on your armor!(I)
What do I see?
    They are terrified,
they are retreating,
    their warriors are defeated.
They flee(J) in haste
    without looking back,
    and there is terror(K) on every side,”
declares the Lord.
“The swift cannot flee(L)
    nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphrates(M)
    they stumble and fall.(N)

“Who is this that rises like the Nile,
    like rivers of surging waters?(O)
Egypt rises like the Nile,(P)
    like rivers of surging waters.
She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;
    I will destroy cities and their people.’(Q)
Charge, you horses!
    Drive furiously, you charioteers!(R)
March on, you warriors—men of Cush[a](S) and Put who carry shields,
    men of Lydia(T) who draw the bow.
10 But that day(U) belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—
    a day of vengeance(V), for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devour(W) till it is satisfied,
    till it has quenched its thirst with blood.(X)
For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice(Y)
    in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.(Z)

11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm,(AA)
    Virgin(AB) Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
    there is no healing(AC) for you.
12 The nations will hear of your shame;
    your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
    both will fall(AD) down together.”

13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(AE) to attack Egypt:(AF)

14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
    proclaim it also in Memphis(AG) and Tahpanhes:(AH)
‘Take your positions and get ready,
    for the sword devours(AI) those around you.’
15 Why will your warriors be laid low?
    They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.(AJ)
16 They will stumble(AK) repeatedly;
    they will fall(AL) over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back
    to our own people(AM) and our native lands,
    away from the sword of the oppressor.’(AN)
17 There they will exclaim,
    ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;(AO)
    he has missed his opportunity.(AP)

18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King,(AQ)
    whose name is the Lord Almighty,
“one will come who is like Tabor(AR) among the mountains,
    like Carmel(AS) by the sea.
19 Pack your belongings for exile,(AT)
    you who live in Egypt,
for Memphis(AU) will be laid waste(AV)
    and lie in ruins without inhabitant.

20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
    but a gadfly is coming
    against her from the north.(AW)
21 The mercenaries(AX) in her ranks
    are like fattened calves.(AY)
They too will turn and flee(AZ) together,
    they will not stand their ground,
for the day(BA) of disaster is coming upon them,
    the time(BB) for them to be punished.
22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
    as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
    like men who cut down trees.(BC)
23 They will chop down her forest,”
declares the Lord,
    “dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,(BD)
    they cannot be counted.
24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
    given into the hands of the people of the north.(BE)

25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,(BF) on Pharaoh,(BG) on Egypt and her gods(BH) and her kings, and on those who rely(BI) on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands(BJ) of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king(BK) of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited(BL) as in times past,” declares the Lord.

27 “Do not be afraid,(BM) Jacob(BN) my servant;(BO)
    do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
    your descendants from the land of their exile.(BP)
Jacob will again have peace and security,
    and no one will make him afraid.
28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
    for I am with you,”(BQ) declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy(BR) all the nations
    among which I scatter you,
    I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
    I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile region