46 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;

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.

Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.

Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.

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.

Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?

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.

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.

47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza.

Thus saith the Lord; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

At the noise of the stamping of the hoofs of his strong horses, at the rushing of his chariots, and at the rumbling of his wheels, the fathers shall not look back to their children for feebleness of hands;

Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon every helper that remaineth: for the Lord will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor.

Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?

O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still.

How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? there hath he appointed it.

48 Against Moab thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Woe unto Nebo! for it is spoiled: Kiriathaim is confounded and taken: Misgab is confounded and dismayed.

There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee.

A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.

Moab is destroyed; her little ones have caused a cry to be heard.

For in the going up of Luhith continual weeping shall go up; for in the going down of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.

For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.

And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord hath spoken.

Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.

10 Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.

11 Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.

12 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.

13 And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence.

14 How say ye, We are mighty and strong men for the war?

15 Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.

16 The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast.

17 All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say, How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod!

18 Thou daughter that dost inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strong holds.

19 O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say, What is done?

20 Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled,

21 And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath,

22 And upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim,

23 And upon Kiriathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmeon,

24 And upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near.

25 The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.

26 Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the Lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision.

27 For was not Israel a derision unto thee? was he found among thieves? for since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy.

28 O ye that dwell in Moab, leave the cities, and dwell in the rock, and be like the dove that maketh her nest in the sides of the hole's mouth.

29 We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart.

30 I know his wrath, saith the Lord; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it.

31 Therefore will I howl for Moab, and I will cry out for all Moab; mine heart shall mourn for the men of Kirheres.

32 O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for thee with the weeping of Jazer: thy plants are gone over the sea, they reach even to the sea of Jazer: the spoiler is fallen upon thy summer fruits and upon thy vintage.

33 And joy and gladness is taken from the plentiful field, and from the land of Moab, and I have caused wine to fail from the winepresses: none shall tread with shouting; their shouting shall be no shouting.

34 From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate.

35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the Lord, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.

36 Therefore mine heart shall sound for Moab like pipes, and mine heart shall sound like pipes for the men of Kirheres: because the riches that he hath gotten are perished.

37 For every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped: upon all the hands shall be cuttings, and upon the loins sackcloth.

38 There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab, and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the Lord.

39 They shall howl, saying, How is it broken down! how hath Moab turned the back with shame! so shall Moab be a derision and a dismaying to all them about him.

40 For thus saith the Lord; Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall spread his wings over Moab.

41 Kerioth is taken, and the strong holds are surprised, and the mighty men's hearts in Moab at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

42 And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord.

43 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, shall be upon thee, O inhabitant of Moab, saith the Lord.

44 He that fleeth from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that getteth up out of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for I will bring upon it, even upon Moab, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.

45 They that fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon because of the force: but a fire shall come forth out of Heshbon, and a flame from the midst of Sihon, and shall devour the corner of Moab, and the crown of the head of the tumultuous ones.

46 Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives.

47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the Lord. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

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.”

A Message About the Philistines

47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines(BS) before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:(BT)

This is what the Lord says:

“See how the waters are rising in the north;(BU)
    they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
    the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
    all who dwell in the land will wail(BV)
at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
    at the noise of enemy chariots(BW)
    and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
    their hands will hang limp.(BX)
For the day has come
    to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
    who could help Tyre(BY) and Sidon.(BZ)
The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines,(CA)
    the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[b](CB)
Gaza will shave(CC) her head in mourning;
    Ashkelon(CD) will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
    how long will you cut(CE) yourselves?

“‘Alas, sword(CF) of the Lord,
    how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
    cease and be still.’(CG)
But how can it rest
    when the Lord has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
    to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”(CH)

A Message About Moab(CI)

48 Concerning Moab:(CJ)

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:

“Woe to Nebo,(CK) for it will be ruined.
    Kiriathaim(CL) will be disgraced and captured;
    the stronghold[c] will be disgraced and shattered.
Moab will be praised(CM) no more;
    in Heshbon[d](CN) people will plot her downfall:
    ‘Come, let us put an end to that nation.’(CO)
You, the people of Madmen,[e] will also be silenced;
    the sword will pursue you.
Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim,(CP)
    cries of great havoc and destruction.
Moab will be broken;
    her little ones will cry out.[f]
They go up the hill to Luhith,(CQ)
    weeping bitterly as they go;
on the road down to Horonaim(CR)
    anguished cries over the destruction are heard.
Flee!(CS) Run for your lives;
    become like a bush[g] in the desert.(CT)
Since you trust in your deeds and riches,(CU)
    you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh(CV) will go into exile,(CW)
    together with his priests and officials.(CX)
The destroyer(CY) will come against every town,
    and not a town will escape.
The valley will be ruined
    and the plateau(CZ) destroyed,
    because the Lord has spoken.
Put salt(DA) on Moab,
    for she will be laid waste[h];(DB)
her towns will become desolate,
    with no one to live in them.

10 “A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!
    A curse on anyone who keeps their sword(DC) from bloodshed!(DD)

11 “Moab has been at rest(DE) from youth,
    like wine left on its dregs,(DF)
not poured from one jar to another—
    she has not gone into exile.
So she tastes as she did,
    and her aroma is unchanged.
12 But days are coming,”
    declares the Lord,
“when I will send men who pour from pitchers,
    and they will pour her out;
they will empty her pitchers
    and smash her jars.
13 Then Moab will be ashamed(DG) of Chemosh,(DH)
    as Israel was ashamed
    when they trusted in Bethel.(DI)

14 “How can you say, ‘We are warriors,(DJ)
    men valiant in battle’?
15 Moab will be destroyed and her towns invaded;
    her finest young men(DK) will go down in the slaughter,(DL)
    declares the King,(DM) whose name is the Lord Almighty.(DN)
16 “The fall of Moab is at hand;(DO)
    her calamity will come quickly.
17 Mourn for her, all who live around her,
    all who know her fame;(DP)
say, ‘How broken is the mighty scepter,(DQ)
    how broken the glorious staff!’

18 “Come down from your glory
    and sit on the parched ground,(DR)
    you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon,(DS)
for the one who destroys Moab
    will come up against you
    and ruin your fortified cities.(DT)
19 Stand by the road and watch,
    you who live in Aroer.(DU)
Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping,
    ask them, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is disgraced, for she is shattered.
    Wail(DV) and cry out!
Announce by the Arnon(DW)
    that Moab is destroyed.
21 Judgment has come to the plateau(DX)
    to Holon,(DY) Jahzah(DZ) and Mephaath,(EA)
22     to Dibon,(EB) Nebo(EC) and Beth Diblathaim,
23     to Kiriathaim,(ED) Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,(EE)
24     to Kerioth(EF) and Bozrah(EG)
    to all the towns(EH) of Moab, far and near.
25 Moab’s horn[i](EI) is cut off;
    her arm(EJ) is broken,”
declares the Lord.

26 “Make her drunk,(EK)
    for she has defied(EL) the Lord.
Let Moab wallow in her vomit;(EM)
    let her be an object of ridicule.(EN)
27 Was not Israel the object of your ridicule?(EO)
    Was she caught among thieves,(EP)
that you shake your head(EQ) in scorn(ER)
    whenever you speak of her?
28 Abandon your towns and dwell among the rocks,
    you who live in Moab.
Be like a dove(ES) that makes its nest
    at the mouth of a cave.(ET)

29 “We have heard of Moab’s pride(EU)
    how great is her arrogance!—
of her insolence, her pride, her conceit
    and the haughtiness(EV) of her heart.
30 I know her insolence but it is futile,”
declares the Lord,
    “and her boasts(EW) accomplish nothing.
31 Therefore I wail(EX) over Moab,
    for all Moab I cry out,
    I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth.(EY)
32 I weep for you, as Jazer(EZ) weeps,
    you vines of Sibmah.(FA)
Your branches spread as far as the sea[j];
    they reached as far as[k] Jazer.
The destroyer has fallen
    on your ripened fruit and grapes.
33 Joy and gladness are gone
    from the orchards and fields of Moab.
I have stopped the flow of wine(FB) from the presses;
    no one treads them with shouts of joy.(FC)
Although there are shouts,
    they are not shouts of joy.

34 “The sound of their cry rises
    from Heshbon(FD) to Elealeh(FE) and Jahaz,(FF)
from Zoar(FG) as far as Horonaim(FH) and Eglath Shelishiyah,
    for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up.(FI)
35 In Moab I will put an end
    to those who make offerings on the high places(FJ)
    and burn incense(FK) to their gods,”
declares the Lord.
36 “So my heart laments(FL) for Moab like the music of a pipe;
    it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth.(FM)
    The wealth they acquired(FN) is gone.
37 Every head is shaved(FO)
    and every beard(FP) cut off;
every hand is slashed
    and every waist is covered with sackcloth.(FQ)
38 On all the roofs in Moab
    and in the public squares(FR)
there is nothing but mourning,
    for I have broken Moab
    like a jar(FS) that no one wants,”
declares the Lord.
39 “How shattered(FT) she is! How they wail!
    How Moab turns her back in shame!
Moab has become an object of ridicule,(FU)
    an object of horror to all those around her.”

40 This is what the Lord says:

“Look! An eagle is swooping(FV) down,
    spreading its wings(FW) over Moab.
41 Kerioth[l](FX) will be captured
    and the strongholds taken.
In that day the hearts of Moab’s warriors(FY)
    will be like the heart of a woman in labor.(FZ)
42 Moab will be destroyed(GA) as a nation(GB)
    because she defied(GC) the Lord.
43 Terror(GD) and pit and snare(GE) await you,
    you people of Moab,”
declares the Lord.
44 “Whoever flees(GF) from the terror
    will fall into a pit,
whoever climbs out of the pit
    will be caught in a snare;
for I will bring on Moab
    the year(GG) of her punishment,”
declares the Lord.

45 “In the shadow of Heshbon
    the fugitives stand helpless,
for a fire has gone out from Heshbon,
    a blaze from the midst of Sihon;(GH)
it burns the foreheads of Moab,
    the skulls(GI) of the noisy boasters.
46 Woe to you, Moab!(GJ)
    The people of Chemosh are destroyed;
your sons are taken into exile
    and your daughters into captivity.

47 “Yet I will restore(GK) the fortunes of Moab
    in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

Here ends the judgment on Moab.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile region
  2. Jeremiah 47:4 That is, Crete
  3. Jeremiah 48:1 Or captured; / Misgab
  4. Jeremiah 48:2 The Hebrew for Heshbon sounds like the Hebrew for plot.
  5. Jeremiah 48:2 The name of the Moabite town Madmen sounds like the Hebrew for be silenced.
  6. Jeremiah 48:4 Hebrew; Septuagint / proclaim it to Zoar
  7. Jeremiah 48:6 Or like Aroer
  8. Jeremiah 48:9 Or Give wings to Moab, / for she will fly away
  9. Jeremiah 48:25 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  10. Jeremiah 48:32 Probably the Dead Sea
  11. Jeremiah 48:32 Two Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts as far as the Sea of
  12. Jeremiah 48:41 Or The cities

Judgment on Egypt

46 The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against (A)the nations. Against (B)Egypt.

(C)Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (D)defeated in the (E)fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

“Order[a] the [b]buckler and shield,
And draw near to battle!
Harness the horses,
And mount up, you horsemen!
Stand forth with your helmets,
Polish the spears,
(F)Put on the armor!
Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back?
Their mighty ones are beaten down;
They have speedily fled,
And did not look back,
For (G)fear was all around,” says the Lord.
“Do not let the swift flee away,
Nor the mighty man escape;
They will (H)stumble and fall
Toward the north, by the River Euphrates.

“Who is this coming up (I)like a flood,
Whose waters move like the rivers?
Egypt rises up like a flood,
And its waters move like the rivers;
And he says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth,
I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’
Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots!
And let the mighty men come forth:
[c]The Ethiopians and [d]the Libyans who handle the shield,
And the Lydians (J)who handle and bend the bow.
10 For this is (K)the day of the Lord God of hosts,
A day of vengeance,
That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries.
(L)The sword shall devour;
It shall be [e]satiated and made drunk with their blood;
For the Lord God of hosts (M)has a sacrifice
In the north country by the River Euphrates.

11 “Go(N) up to Gilead and take balm,
(O)O virgin, the daughter of Egypt;
In vain you will use many medicines;
(P)You shall not be cured.
12 The nations have heard of your (Q)shame,
And your cry has filled the land;
For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty;
They both have fallen together.”

Babylonia Will Strike Egypt

13 The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and (R)strike the land of Egypt.

14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in (S)Migdol;
Proclaim in [f]Noph and in (T)Tahpanhes;
Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves,
For the sword devours all around you.’
15 Why are your valiant men swept away?
They did not stand
Because the Lord drove them away.
16 He made many fall;
Yes, (U)one fell upon another.
And they said, ‘Arise!
(V)Let us go back to our own people
And to the land of our nativity
From the oppressing sword.’
17 They cried there,
‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise.
He has passed by the appointed time!’

18 As I live,” says the King,
(W)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 (X)you daughter dwelling in Egypt,
Prepare yourself (Y)to go into captivity!
For [g]Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.

20 “Egypt is a very pretty (Z)heifer,
But destruction comes, it comes (AA)from the north.
21 Also her mercenaries are in her midst like [h]fat bulls,
For they also are turned back,
They have fled away together.
They did not stand,
For (AB)the day of their calamity had come upon them,
The time of their punishment.
22 (AC)Her noise shall go like a serpent,
For they shall march with an army
And come against her with axes,
Like those who chop wood.

23 “They shall (AD)cut down her forest,” says the Lord,
“Though it cannot be searched,
Because they are innumerable,
And more numerous than (AE)grasshoppers.
24 The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed;
She shall be delivered into the hand
Of (AF)the people of the north.”

25 The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on [i]Amon of (AG)No,[j] and Pharaoh and Egypt, (AH)with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who (AI)trust in him. 26 (AJ)And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. (AK)Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” says the Lord.

God Will Preserve Israel(AL)

27 “But(AM) do not fear, O My servant Jacob,
And do not be dismayed, O Israel!
For behold, I will (AN)save you from afar,
And your offspring from the land of their captivity;
Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease;
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 complete end of all the nations
To which I have driven you,
But I will not make (AO)a complete end of you.
I will rightly (AP)correct you,
For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”

Judgment on Philistia

47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet (AQ)against the Philistines, (AR)before Pharaoh attacked Gaza.

Thus says the Lord:

“Behold, (AS)waters rise (AT)out of the north,
And shall be an overflowing flood;
They shall overflow the land and all that is in it,
The city and those who dwell within;
Then the men shall cry,
And all the inhabitants of the land shall wail.
At the (AU)noise of the stamping hooves of his strong horses,
At the rushing of his chariots,
At the rumbling of his wheels,
The fathers will not look back for their children,
[k]Lacking courage,
Because of the day that comes to plunder all the (AV)Philistines,
To cut off from (AW)Tyre and Sidon every helper who remains;
For the Lord shall plunder the Philistines,
(AX)The remnant of the country of (AY)Caphtor.[l]
(AZ)Baldness has come upon Gaza,
(BA)Ashkelon is cut off
With the remnant of their valley.
How long will you cut yourself?

“O you (BB)sword of the Lord,
How long until you are quiet?
Put yourself up into your scabbard,
Rest and be still!
How can [m]it be quiet,
Seeing the Lord has (BC)given it a charge
Against Ashkelon and against the seashore?
There He has (BD)appointed it.”

Judgment on Moab

48 Against (BE)Moab.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:

“Woe to (BF)Nebo!
For it is plundered,
(BG)Kirjathaim is shamed and taken;
[n]The high stronghold is shamed and dismayed—
(BH)No more praise of Moab.
In (BI)Heshbon they have devised evil against her:
‘Come, and let us cut her off as a nation.’
You also shall be cut down, O (BJ)Madmen![o]
The sword shall pursue you;
A voice of crying shall be from (BK)Horonaim:
‘Plundering and great destruction!’

“Moab is destroyed;
[p]Her little ones have caused a cry to be heard;
(BL)For in the Ascent of Luhith they ascend with continual weeping;
For in the descent of Horonaim the enemies have heard a cry of destruction.

“Flee, save your lives!
And be like [q]the (BM)juniper in the wilderness.
For because you have trusted in your works and your (BN)treasures,
You also shall be taken.
And (BO)Chemosh shall go forth into captivity,
His (BP)priests and his princes together.
And (BQ)the plunderer shall come against every city;
No one shall escape.
The valley also shall perish,
And the plain shall be destroyed,
As the Lord has spoken.

“Give(BR) wings to Moab,
That she may flee and get away;
For her cities shall be desolate,
Without any to dwell in them.
10 (BS)Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully,
And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

11 “Moab has been at ease from [r]his youth;
He (BT)has settled on his dregs,
And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,
Nor has he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him,
And his scent has not changed.

12 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I shall send him [s]wine-workers
Who will tip him over
And empty his vessels
And break the bottles.
13 Moab shall be ashamed of (BU)Chemosh,
As the house of Israel (BV)was ashamed of (BW)Bethel, their confidence.

14 “How can you say, (BX)‘We are mighty
And strong men for the war’?
15 Moab is plundered and gone up from her cities;
Her chosen young men have (BY)gone down to the slaughter,” says (BZ)the King,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts.

16 “The calamity of Moab is near at hand,
And his affliction comes quickly.
17 Bemoan him, all you who are around him;
And all you who know his name,
Say, (CA)‘How the strong staff is broken,
The beautiful rod!’

18 “O (CB)daughter inhabiting (CC)Dibon,
Come down from your glory,
And sit in thirst;
For the plunderer of Moab has come against you,
He has destroyed your strongholds.
19 O inhabitant of (CD)Aroer,
(CE)Stand by the way and watch;
Ask him who flees
And her who escapes;
Say, ‘What has happened?’
20 Moab is shamed, for he is broken down.
(CF)Wail and cry!
Tell it in (CG)Arnon, that Moab is plundered.

21 “And judgment has come on the plain country:
On Holon and Jahzah and Mephaath,
22 On Dibon and Nebo and Beth Diblathaim,
23 On Kirjathaim and Beth Gamul and Beth Meon,
24 On (CH)Kerioth and Bozrah,
On all the cities of the land of Moab,
Far or near.
25 (CI)The [t]horn of Moab is cut off,
And his (CJ)arm is broken,” says the Lord.

26 “Make(CK) him drunk,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
Moab shall wallow in his vomit,
And he shall also be in derision.
27 For (CL)was not Israel a derision to you?
(CM)Was he found among thieves?
For whenever you speak of him,
You shake your head in (CN)scorn.
28 You who dwell in Moab,
Leave the cities and (CO)dwell in the rock,
And be like (CP)the dove which makes her nest
In the sides of the cave’s mouth.

29 “We have heard the (CQ)pride of Moab
(He is exceedingly proud),
Of his loftiness and arrogance and (CR)pride,
And of the haughtiness of his heart.”

30 “I know his wrath,” says the Lord,
“But it is not right;
(CS)His [u]lies have made nothing right.
31 Therefore (CT)I will wail for Moab,
And I will cry out for all Moab;
[v]I will mourn for the men of Kir Heres.
32 (CU)O vine of Sibmah! I will weep for you with the weeping of (CV)Jazer.
Your plants have gone over the sea,
They reach to the sea of Jazer.
The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage.
33 (CW)Joy and gladness are taken
From the plentiful field
And from the land of Moab;
I have caused wine to [w]fail from the winepresses;
No one will tread with joyous shouting—
Not joyous shouting!

34 “From(CX) the cry of Heshbon to (CY)Elealeh and to Jahaz
They have uttered their voice,
(CZ)From Zoar to Horonaim,
Like [x]a three-year-old heifer;
For the waters of Nimrim also shall be desolate.

35 “Moreover,” says the Lord,
“I will cause to cease in Moab
(DA)The one who offers sacrifices in the [y]high places
And burns incense to his gods.
36 Therefore (DB)My heart shall wail like flutes for Moab,
And like flutes My heart shall wail
For the men of Kir Heres.
Therefore (DC)the riches they have acquired have perished.

37 “For (DD)every head shall be bald, and every beard clipped;
On all the hands shall be cuts, and (DE)on the loins sackcloth—
38 A general lamentation
On all the (DF)housetops of Moab,
And in its streets;
For I have (DG)broken Moab like a vessel in which is no pleasure,” says the Lord.
39 “They shall wail:
‘How she is broken down!
How Moab has turned her back with shame!’
So Moab shall be a derision
And a dismay to all those about her.”

40 For thus says the Lord:

“Behold, (DH)one shall fly like an eagle,
And (DI)spread his wings over Moab.
41 Kerioth is taken,
And the strongholds are surprised;
(DJ)The mighty men’s hearts in Moab on that day shall be
Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.
42 And Moab shall be destroyed (DK)as a people,
Because he exalted himself against the Lord.
43 (DL)Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon you,
O inhabitant of Moab,” says the Lord.
44 “He who flees from the fear shall fall into the pit,
And he who gets out of the pit shall be caught in the (DM)snare.
For upon Moab, upon it (DN)I will bring
The year of their punishment,” says the Lord.

45 “Those who fled stood under the shadow of Heshbon
Because of exhaustion.
But (DO)a fire shall come out of Heshbon,
A flame from the midst of (DP)Sihon,
And (DQ)shall devour the brow of Moab,
The crown of the head of the sons of tumult.
46 (DR)Woe to you, O Moab!
The people of Chemosh perish;
For your sons have been taken captive,
And your daughters captive.

47 “Yet I will bring back the captives of Moab
(DS)In the latter days,” says the Lord.

Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 46:3 Set in order
  2. Jeremiah 46:3 A small shield
  3. Jeremiah 46:9 Heb. Cush
  4. Jeremiah 46:9 Heb. Put
  5. Jeremiah 46:10 Filled to the full
  6. Jeremiah 46:14 Ancient Memphis
  7. Jeremiah 46:19 Ancient Memphis
  8. Jeremiah 46:21 Lit. calves of the stall
  9. Jeremiah 46:25 A sun god
  10. Jeremiah 46:25 Ancient Thebes
  11. Jeremiah 47:3 Lit. From sinking hands
  12. Jeremiah 47:4 Crete
  13. Jeremiah 47:7 Lit. you
  14. Jeremiah 48:1 Heb. Misgab
  15. Jeremiah 48:2 A city of Moab
  16. Jeremiah 48:4 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX Proclaim it in Zoar
  17. Jeremiah 48:6 Or Aroer, a city of Moab
  18. Jeremiah 48:11 Heb. uses masc. and fem. pronouns interchangeably in this chapter.
  19. Jeremiah 48:12 Lit. tippers of wine bottles
  20. Jeremiah 48:25 Strength
  21. Jeremiah 48:30 idle talk
  22. Jeremiah 48:31 So with DSS, LXX, Vg.; MT He
  23. Jeremiah 48:33 cease
  24. Jeremiah 48:34 Or The Third Eglath, an unknown city, Is. 15:5
  25. Jeremiah 48:35 Places for pagan worship