Prophecies against the Nations

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

Prophecies against Egypt

About Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco, Egypt’s king,(B) which was defeated at Carchemish(C) on the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in the fourth year of Judah’s King Jehoiakim son of Josiah:(D)

Deploy small shields(E) and large;
approach for battle!
Harness the horses;
mount the steeds;[a]
take your positions with helmets on!
Polish the lances;
put on armor!(F)
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.
The swift cannot flee,
and the warrior cannot escape!(H)
In the north by the bank of the Euphrates River,
they stumble and fall.(I)
Who is this, rising like the Nile,(J)
with waters that churn like rivers?
Egypt rises like the Nile,(K)
and its waters churn like rivers.
He boasts, “I will go up, I will cover the earth;
I will destroy cities with their residents.”
Rise up, you cavalry!
Race furiously, you chariots!
Let the warriors march out—
Cush and Put,(L)
who are able to handle shields,
and the men of Lud,(M)
who are able to handle and string the bow.(N)
10 That day belongs to the Lord, the God of Armies,
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(O) to the Lord, the God of Armies,
in the northern land by the Euphrates River.(P)
11 Go up to Gilead and get balm,(Q)
Virgin Daughter Egypt!
You have multiplied remedies in vain;
there is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your dishonor,(R)
and your cries fill the earth,
because warrior stumbles against warrior
and together both of them have fallen.

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Footnotes

  1. 46:4 Or mount up, riders

Messages Concerning Egypt

46 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. Concerning Egypt: Concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco, the king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah.

“Prepare small shield and shield,
    and approach for the battle!
Harness the horses and mount the steeds!
    And take your stand with helmets!
Polish the spears!
    Put on the body armor!
Why do I see them terrified?
    They are turning back
and their warriors are beaten down.
    And they have fled to a place of refuge
and they do not turn back.
    Terror is from all around,” declares[a] Yahweh.
The swift cannot flee,
    and the warrior cannot escape.
They have stumbled and they have fallen,
    by the bank of the Euphrates River.
Who is this that rises like the Nile,
    like the rivers whose waters surge?
Egypt rises like the Nile,
    even like the rivers whose waters surge.
And he says, “Let me rise,
    let me cover the earth,
let me destroy cities,
    and the inhabitants in them.”
Go up, O horses,
    and drive madly, O chariots,[b]
and let the warriors go forth;
    Cush and Put, who wield the small shield,
    and Lud, who wield and bend the bow.
10 For that day is to the Lord Yahweh of hosts
    a day of retribution,
    to take revenge on his foes.
And the sword will devour and be satisfied,
    and it will drink its fill of their blood,
for a sacrifice is for the Lord Yahweh of hosts
    in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.
11 Go up to Gilead and take balm,
    O virgin of the daughter of Egypt.
In vain[c] you make use of many medicines;
    there is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard your shame,
    and your cry of lament fills the earth.
For warrior has stumbled against warrior,
    together they have fallen, the two of them.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 46:5 Literally “a declaration of”
  2. Jeremiah 46:9 Hebrew “chariot”
  3. Jeremiah 46:11 Literally “To the vanity”