Jeremiah 46

1 This is the word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

2 For Egypt: “This is about the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt that was at Carchemish by the Euphrates river. This was the army that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:

Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh-neco 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 Get the small shields and the large shields ready, and go forward to fight.

Make ready buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.

4 Put the harness on the horses; mount up on the horses and take your stand with your helmets on; polish the spears and put on your armor.

Harness the horses, and mount, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, put on the coats of mail.

5 What am I seeing here? They are filled with terror and are running away, for their soldiers are defeated. They are running for safety and are not looking back. Terror is all around—this is Yahweh's declaration—

Wherefore do I see them dismayed and turned backward? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and they are fled apace, and look not back; terror is on every side, saith the LORD.

6 the swift cannot run away, and the soldiers cannot escape. They stumble in the north and fall beside the Euphrates River.

The swift cannot flee away, nor the mighty man escape; in the north by the river Euphrates have they stumbled and fallen.

7 Who is this who rises like the Nile, whose waters toss up and down like the rivers?

Who is this like the Nile that riseth up, like the rivers whose waters toss themselves?

8 Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers of water that rise and fall. Egypt says, 'I will go up and I will cover the earth. I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.

Egypt is like the Nile that riseth up, and like the rivers whose waters toss themselves; and he saith: 'I will rise up, I will cover the earth, I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.'

9 Go up, horses. Be angry, you chariots. Let the soldiers go out, Cush and Put, men skillful with a shield, and Ludim, men skillful at bending their bows.'

Prance, ye horses, and rush madly, ye chariots; and let the mighty men go forth: Cush and Put, that handle the shield, and the Ludim, that handle and bend the bow.

10 That day will be the day of vengeance for the Lord Yahweh of hosts, and he will avenge himself on his foes. The sword will devour and be satisfied. It will drink its fill of their blood. For there will be a sacrifice to the Yahweh Lord of hosts in the northern land by the Euphrates River.

For the Lord GOD of hosts shall have on that day a day of vengeance, that He may avenge Him of His adversaries; and the sword shall devour and be satiate, and shall be 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 to Gilead and obtain medicine, virgin daughter of Egypt. It is useless that you put much medicine on yourself. There is no cure for you.

Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt; in vain dost thou use many medicines; there is no cure for thee.

12 The nations have heard of your disgrace. The earth is filled with your laments, for soldier stumbles against soldier; both of them fall together.”

The nations have heard of thy shame, and the earth is full of thy cry; for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, they are fallen both of them together.

13 This is the word that Yahweh told Jeremiah the prophet when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came and attacked the land of Egypt:

The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.

14 “Announce in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes. 'Take your station and prepare yourself, for the sword will devour those around you.'

Declare ye in Egypt, and announce in Migdol, and announce in Noph and in Tahpanhes; say ye: 'Stand forth, and prepare thee, for the sword hath devoured round about thee.'

15 Why are your mighty ones face-down on the ground? They will not stand, because I, Yahweh, have pushed them to the ground.

Why is thy strong one overthrown? He stood not, because the LORD did thrust him down.

16 He increases the numbers of those who stumble. Each soldier falls against the next one. They are saying, 'Get up. Let us go home. Let us go back to our own people, to our native land. Let us leave this sword that is beating us down.'

He made many to stumble; yea, they fell one upon another, and said: 'Arise, and let us return to our own people, and to the land of our birth, from the oppressing sword.'

17 They proclaimed there, 'Pharaoh the king of Egypt is only a noise, one who has let his opportunity slip away.'

They cried there: 'Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath let the appointed time pass by.'

18 As I live—declares the King, whose name is Yahweh of hosts— someone will come like Mount Tabor and Mount Carmel by the sea.

As I live, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.

19 Pack for yourselves baggage to carry into exile, you who live in Egypt. For Memphis will become a waste, it will lie in ruins and no one will live there.

O thou daughter that dwellest in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity; for Noph shall become a desolation, and shall be laid waste, without inhabitant.

20 Egypt is a very beautiful young cow, but a stinging insect is coming from the north. It is coming.

Egypt is a very fair heifer; but the gadfly out of the north is come, it is come.

21 The hired soldiers in her midst are like a fattened bull, but they will also turn away and run away. They will not stand together, for the day of their disaster is coming against them, the time of their punishment.

Also her mercenaries in the midst of her are like calves of the stall, for they also are turned back, they are fled away together, they did not stand; for the day of their calamity is come upon them, the time of their visitation.

22 Egypt hisses like a snake and crawls away, for her enemies are marching against her. They are going toward her like woodcutters with axes.

The sound thereof shall go like the serpent's; for they march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.

23 They will cut down the forests—this is Yahweh's declaration—although it is very dense. For the enemies will be more numerous than locusts, unable to be counted.

They cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the locusts, and are innumerable.

24 The daughter of Egypt will be made ashamed. She will be given into the hand of people from the north.”

The daughter of Egypt is put to shame; she is delivered into the hand of the people of the north.

25 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “See, I am about to punish Amon of Thebes, Pharaoh, Egypt and her gods, her kings the Pharaohs, and those who trust in them.

The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith: Behold, I will punish Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with her gods, and her kings; even Pharaoh, and them that trust in him;

26 I am giving them into the hand of the ones seeking their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his servants. Then after this Egypt will be inhabited as in previous days—this is Yahweh's declaration.

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 afterwards it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the LORD.

27 But you, my servant Jacob, do not fear. Do not be dismayed, Israel, for see, I am about to bring you back from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Then Jacob will return, find peace, and be secure, and there will be no one to terrify him.

But fear not thou, O Jacob My servant, neither be dismayed, O Israel; for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

28 You, my servant Jacob, do not fear—this is Yahweh's declaration—for I am with you, so I will bring complete destruction against all the nations where I scattered you. But I will not destroy you completely. Yet I will discipline you justly and will certainly not leave you unpunished.”

Fear not thou, 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; and I will correct thee in measure, but will not utterly destroy thee.