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Jeremiah 46
New Catholic Bible
Jeremiah 46
New Catholic Bible
Prophecies against the Nations[a]
Chapter 46
1 This is the word of the Lord that came to the prophet Jeremiah in regard to the nations.
Against Egypt.[b] 2 Concerning Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco, the king of Egypt, which was stationed at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, defeated in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim of Judah, the son of Josiah:
3 Prepare your bucklers and
shields and march forth for battle.
4 Harness the horses;
let the riders mount.
Don your helmets
and take your stations.
Sharpen your spears
and put on your breastplates.
5 What is this shameful spectacle I behold?
They fall back in terror.
Their warriors are routed
and are in headlong flight
without glancing back.
There is terror on every side,
says the Lord.
6 The swift cannot flee,
nor can the brave warriors escape.
In the north, by the River Euphrates,
they have stumbled and fallen.
7 Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like rivers of torrential waters?
8 Egypt rises up like the Nile,
like rivers of torrential waters.
I will rise up, Egypt says, and cover the earth;
I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.
9 Advance, O horses,
and drive madly, O chariots.
Let the warriors advance:
men from Ethiopia and Put bearing shields,
and men from Lud who draw their bows.
10 This day belongs to the Lord God of hosts,
a day of retribution
and vengeance on his enemies.
The sword will devour and be sated
until drunk with their blood.
For the Lord God of hosts
is holding a sacrificial feast
in the land of the north
by the River Euphrates.
11 Go up to Gilead and obtain balm,
O virgin daughter Egypt.
The many medicines you have used
have afforded you no healing.
12 The nations have heard of your shame;
the earth is filled with your cries.
Warrior stumbles against warrior,
and both fall down together.
13 The word that the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah in regard to the advance of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to attack the land of Egypt:
14 Announce it in Egypt and proclaim it in Migdol;
proclaim it also in Noph and Tahpanhes.
Say, “Take your stations and be prepared,
for the sword will devour those around you.”
15 Why have your warriors been laid low?
They were unable to stand
because the Lord has thrust them down.
16 They stumbled and fell,
and then they said to one another,
“Come, let us return to our own people
and to the land of our birth,
far from the swords of our oppressors.”
17 They gave this nickname to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt:
“One who boasts but never succeeds.”
18 As I live, says the King,
whose name is the Lord of hosts,
one is coming like Tabor[c] among the mountains,
like Carmel by the sea.
19 Prepare your baggage to go into exile,
you inhabitants of Egypt.
Memphis will become a desert waste,
a desolate, uninhabited ruin.
20 Egypt is a beautiful heifer,[d]
but a gadfly from the north
is preparing to move against her.
21 Even the mercenaries in her midst
are like fatted calves,
but they have turned and fled together
rather than stand their ground.
For the day of disaster has overtaken them,
the time of their punishment.
22 Egypt is hissing like a retreating snake,
for her enemies are advancing in force.
They move against her with axes,
like men who fell her trees.
23 They will cut down her forest,[e] says the Lord,
even though it appears impenetrable,
because they are more numerous than locusts;
they are beyond counting.
24 Daughter Egypt will be disgraced,
handed over to a people from the north.
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, has said: Behold, I will punish Amon[f] of Thebes, and Egypt, her gods and her kings, Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and his officials. At a later time, Egypt will be inhabited again as in times past, says the Lord.
27 But as for you, my servant Jacob, fear not;
Israel, do not be dismayed.
Behold, I will rescue you from afar
and your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will return and be at peace again,
tranquil, with no one to trouble him.
28 Have no fear, my servant Jacob,
for I am with you, says the Lord.
I will make an end of all the nations
where I have dispersed you,
but I will not make an end of you.
I will discipline you only as you deserve;
I will not allow you to escape totally unpunished.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 46:1 These threats to the nations are not in their proper place here at the end of the Book. It is thought that they were originally located between verses 1-13 and verses 14-19 of chapter 25, these two sections being respectively an appeal of the prophet to his fellow countrymen and a vision of the cup of the Lord’s wrath. And, in fact, it is at that point that the ancient Greek translation usually inserts the present chapters.
- Jeremiah 46:2 When the Assyrian empire broke up, two powers entered the lists to win control of the Mediterranean East: the kingdoms of Babylon and of Egypt. Shortly before being enthroned as king, Nebuchadnezzar II (605–561 B.C.) defeated the army of Pharaoh Neco (609–593 B.C.) at Carchemish (today Jerablus), an ancient Hittite metropolis on the upper Euphrates. The battle was a historical turning point.
- Jeremiah 46:18 Like Tabor: the reference is to Nebuchadnezzar. Tabor dominates the plain of Galilee.
- Jeremiah 46:20 Heifer: an allusion to the worship of Hathor, the cow-headed goddess.
- Jeremiah 46:23 The forest symbolizes the especially dense population of the Nile Delta.
- Jeremiah 46:25 Amon: the national god of Egypt.
Jeremías 46
Nueva Versión Internacional
Jeremías 46
Nueva Versión Internacional
Mensaje para Egipto
46 La palabra del Señor acerca de las naciones vino a Jeremías el profeta.
2 En cuanto a Egipto:
Este es el mensaje contra el ejército del faraón Necao, rey de Egipto, que en el año cuarto del gobierno de Joacim, hijo de Josías y rey de Judá, fue derrotado en Carquemis, junto al río Éufrates, por Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia:
3 «¡Preparen sus escudos, grandes y pequeños,
y avancen al combate!
4 ¡Ensillen los caballos,
monten los corceles!
¡Alístense, pónganse los cascos!
¡Afilen las lanzas, vístanse las corazas!
5 Pero ¿qué es lo que veo?
Sus guerreros están derrotados;
aterrados retroceden.
Sin mirar atrás, huyen despavoridos.
¡Cunde el terror por todas partes!»,
afirma el Señor.
6 «El más veloz no puede huir
ni el más fuerte, escapar.
En el norte, a orillas del río Éufrates
tropiezan y caen.
7 »¿Quién es ese que sube como el Nilo,
como ríos de aguas agitadas?
8 Es Egipto que sube como el Nilo,
como ríos de aguas agitadas.
Dice Egipto: “Subiré y cubriré toda la tierra;
destruiré las ciudades y sus habitantes”.
9 ¡Ataquen, corceles!
¡Carros, avancen con furia!
¡Que marchen los guerreros!
¡Que tomen sus escudos
los soldados de Cus y de Fut!
¡Que tensen el arco
los soldados de Lidia!
10 »Aquel día pertenece al Señor, al Señor de los Ejércitos.
Será un día de venganza;
se vengará de sus enemigos.
La espada devorará hasta saciarse;
con sangre apagará su sed.
En la tierra del norte,
a orillas del río Éufrates,
para el Señor, el Señor de los Ejércitos,
se ofrecerá un sacrificio.
11 »¡Virginal hija de Egipto,
ve a Galaad y consigue bálsamo!
En vano multiplicas los remedios;
ya no sanarás.
12 Las naciones ya saben de tu humillación;
tus gritos llenan la tierra.
Un guerrero tropieza contra otro,
y juntos caen al suelo».
13 Esta es la palabra del Señor que vino a Jeremías el profeta cuando Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, vino para atacar el país de Egipto:
14 «Anuncien esto en Egipto,
proclámenlo en Migdol, Menfis[a] y Tafnes:
“¡A sus puestos! ¡Manténganse alerta!
¡La espada devora a su alrededor!”.
15 ¿Por qué yacen postrados tus guerreros?
¡No pueden mantenerse en pie,
porque el Señor los ha derribado!
16 Tropiezan una y otra vez,
se caen uno sobre otro.
Se dicen: “¡Levántate,
volvamos a nuestra gente, a la tierra donde nacimos,
lejos de la espada del opresor!”.
17 Allí gritan:
“¡El faraón es puro ruido!
¡El rey de Egipto ya perdió su oportunidad!”.
18 »Tan cierto como que yo vivo», declara el Rey,
cuyo nombre es el Señor de los Ejércitos,
«vendrá un enemigo que será como el Tabor, que sobresale de entre los montes,
y como el Carmelo, que se erige sobre el mar.
19 Tú, que habitas en Egipto,
prepara tu equipaje para el exilio,
porque Menfis quedará desolada,
en una ruina deshabitada.
20 »Ternera hermosa es Egipto,
pero viene contra ella un tábano del norte.
21 Los mercenarios en sus filas
son como becerros engordados;
también ellos se vuelven atrás;
todos juntos huyen sin detenerse,
porque ha llegado el día de su ruina,
el momento de su castigo.
22 Egipto huye silbando como serpiente,
pues el enemigo avanza con fuerza.
Se acercan contra ella con hachas,
como si fueran leñadores;
23 por impenetrables que sean sus bosques,
los talan por completo»,
afirma el Señor.
«Más numerosos que langostas
son los leñadores;
nadie los puede contar.
24 La hija de Egipto será avergonzada
y entregada a la gente del norte».
25 El Señor de los Ejércitos, el Dios de Israel, dice: «Voy a castigar a Amón, dios de Tebas,[b] a Egipto, a sus dioses y reyes, al faraón y a los que en él confían. 26 Los entregaré al poder de quienes atentan contra su vida, al poder de Nabucodonosor, rey de Babilonia, y de sus siervos. Luego Egipto será habitada como en los días de antaño», afirma el Señor.
27 «Pero tú, Jacob, siervo mío, no temas;
no te asustes, Israel.
Porque te salvaré de un lugar remoto;
y a tu descendencia, del destierro.
Jacob volverá a vivir en paz;
estará seguro y tranquilo.
28 Tú, Jacob, siervo mío, no temas,
porque yo estoy contigo»,
afirma el Señor.
«Aunque aniquile a todas las naciones
por las que te he dispersado,
a ti no te aniquilaré.
Te corregiré con justicia,
pero no te dejaré sin castigo».
Jeremiah 46
King James Version
Jeremiah 46
King James Version
46 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;
2 Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.
3 Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
4 Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.
5 Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the Lord.
6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.
7 Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
8 Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.
9 Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
10 For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.
12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.
13 The word that the Lord spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.
14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.
15 Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the Lord did drive them.
16 He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.
17 They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.
18 As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.
19 O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.
20 Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.
21 Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.
22 The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
23 They shall cut down her forest, saith the Lord, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.
25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:
26 And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the Lord.
27 But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.
28 Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.
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