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46 Yahweh’s word which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh Necoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah.

“Prepare the buckler and shield,
    and draw near to battle!
Harness the horses, and get up, you horsemen,
    and stand up with your helmets.
Polish the spears,
    put on the coats of mail.
Why have I seen it?
    They are dismayed and are turned backward.
Their mighty ones are beaten down,
    have fled in haste,
    and don’t look back.
Terror is on every side,”
    says Yahweh.
“Don’t let the swift flee away,
    nor the mighty man escape.
In the north by the river Euphrates
    they have stumbled and fallen.

“Who is this who rises up like the Nile,
    whose waters toss themselves like the rivers?
Egypt rises up like the Nile,
    and his waters toss themselves like the rivers.
He says, ‘I will rise up. I will cover the earth.
    I will destroy cities and its inhabitants.’
Go up, you horses!
    Rage, you chariots!
Let the mighty men go out:
    Cush and Put, who handle the shield;
    and the Ludim, who handle and bend the bow.
10 For that day is of the Lord, Yahweh of Armies,
    a day of vengeance,
    that he may avenge himself of his adversaries.
The sword will devour and be satiated,
    and will drink its fill of their blood;
    for the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, has a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, virgin daughter of Egypt.
    You use many medicines in vain.
    There is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your shame,
    and the earth is full of your cry;
    for the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty,
    they both fall together.”

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Messages for the Nations

46 The following messages were given to Jeremiah the prophet from the Lord concerning foreign nations.

Messages about Egypt

This message concerning Egypt was given in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, on the occasion of the battle of Carchemish[a] when Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, and his army were defeated beside the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzar[b] of Babylon.

“Prepare your shields,
    and advance into battle!
Harness the horses,
    and mount the stallions.
Take your positions.
    Put on your helmets.
Sharpen your spears,
    and prepare your armor.
But what do I see?
    The Egyptian army flees in terror.
The bravest of its fighting men run
    without a backward glance.
They are terrorized at every turn,”
    says the Lord.
“The swiftest runners cannot flee;
    the mightiest warriors cannot escape.
By the Euphrates River to the north,
    they stumble and fall.

“Who is this, rising like the Nile at floodtime,
    overflowing all the land?
It is the Egyptian army,
    overflowing all the land,
boasting that it will cover the earth like a flood,
    destroying cities and their people.
Charge, you horses and chariots;
    attack, you mighty warriors of Egypt!
Come, all you allies from Ethiopia, Libya, and Lydia[c]
    who are skilled with the shield and bow!
10 For this is the day of the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
    a day of vengeance on his enemies.
The sword will devour until it is satisfied,
    yes, until it is drunk with your blood!
The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will receive a sacrifice today
    in the north country beside the Euphrates River.

11 “Go up to Gilead to get medicine,
    O virgin daughter of Egypt!
But your many treatments
    will bring you no healing.
12 The nations have heard of your shame.
    The earth is filled with your cries of despair.
Your mightiest warriors will run into each other
    and fall down together.”

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Footnotes

  1. 46:2a This event occurred in 605 B.c., during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign (according to the calendar system in which the new year begins in the spring).
  2. 46:2b Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar; also in 46:13, 26.
  3. 46:9 Hebrew from Cush, Put, and Lud.