1 Word Against Egypt That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.
2 To Egypt, concerning the military force of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3 “Arrange the shield and large shield,And draw near for the battle!
4 “Harness the horses,And 46:4Or go up, you horsemen mount the steeds,And take your stand with helmetson!Polish the spears,Put on the scale-armor!
5 “Why have I seenit?They are shattered;They are drawing back,And their mighty men are crushedAnd have fled to refuge,Without facing back; 46:5Heb Magor-missabib Terror is on every side!”Declares Yahweh.
6 Let not the swift man flee,Nor the mighty man escape;In the north beside the river EuphratesThey have stumbled and fallen.
7 Who is this that rises like the Nile,Like the rivers whose waters toss about?
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,Even like the rivers whose waters toss about;And He has said, “I will rise and coverthatland;I will surely cause the city to perish, as well as its inhabitants.”
9 Go up, you horses, and 46:9Lit act like madmen drive madly, you chariots,That the mighty men may go forth: 46:9Or Cush, cf. Gen 10:6 Ethiopia and 46:9Libya (or Somaliland) Put, who seize the shield,And the 46:9Heb Ludim Lydians, who seizeandbend the bow.
10 Indeed, that day belongs to Lord Yahweh of hosts,A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His adversaries;And the sword will devour and be satiatedAnd 46:10Lit be saturated with drink its fill of their blood;For there will be a sacrifice to Lord Yahweh of hostsIn the land of the north by the river Euphrates.
11 Go up to Gilead and obtain balm,O virgin daughter of Egypt!In vain have you multiplied 46:11Lit healings remedies;There is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your disgrace,And the earth is full of your outcry;For one warrior has stumbled over 46:12Lit warrior another,And both of them have fallen down together.
13 This isthe 46:13Lit word message which Yahweh spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike down the land of Egypt:
14 “Declare in Egypt and causeitto be heard in Migdol;Causeitto be heard also in Memphis and Tahpanhes;Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready,For the sword has devoured those around you.’
15 “Why are your mighty ones thrown down?They do not stand because Yahweh has thrust them down.
16 “They have repeatedly stumbled;Indeed, they have fallen one against another.Then they said, ‘Rise up! And let us returnTo our own people and land of our birthAway from the 46:16Lit oppressing sword sword of the oppressor.’
17 “ 46:17Some ancient versions Call the name of Pharaoh a rumbling They called out there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egyptis buta rumbling;He has let the appointed time pass by!’
18 “As I live,” declares the KingWhose name is Yahweh of hosts,“Surely one shall comewho looms uplike Tabor among the mountains,Or like Carmel by the sea.
19 “Make your baggage ready for exile,O inhabitant of the daughter of Egypt,For Memphis will become a desolation;It will even be turned into ruinandwithout inhabitants.
20 “Egypt is a pretty heifer,Buta 46:20Or possibly mosquito horsefly is coming from the north—it is coming!
21 “Also her mercenaries in her midstAre like 46:21Lit of the stall fattened calves,For even they have turned backandhave fled away together;They did not standtheir ground.For the day of their disaster has come upon them,The time of their punishment.
22 “Its sound moves along like a serpent;For they move on 46:22Or in force like a military forceAnd come to her as woodcutters with axes.
23 “They have cut down her forest,” declares Yahweh;“Surely it will nolongerbe searched out,Even though 46:23Trees of the forest, the Egyptians they arenowmore numerous than locustsAnd are without number.
24 “The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame,Given over to the hand of the people of the north.”
25 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I am going to punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who trust in him.
26 I shall give them into the hand of those who are seeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his servants. Afterwards, however, it will be dwelt in like in the days of old,” declares Yahweh.
27 ¶“But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,Nor be dismayed, O Israel!For behold, I am going to save you from afar,And your seed from the land of their captivity;And Jacob will return and have quietAnd be at ease, with no one makinghimtremble.
28 “O Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares Yahweh,“For I am with you.For I will make a complete destruction of all the nationsWhere I have banished you,Yet I will not make a complete destruction of you;But I will discipline you with justiceAnd by no means leave you unpunished.”