Keraia
Major Prophets

Jeremiah 46

Judgment on Egypt

1This is the word of the LORD about the nations—the word that came to Jeremiah the prophet

1That which was the word of YHWH to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations,

2concerning Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah:

2for Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt which was alongside the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

3“Deploy your shields, small and large;

advance for battle!

3“Arrange the buckler and shield, and draw near for the battle!

4Harness the horses; mount the steeds;

take your positions with helmets on!

Polish your spears;

put on armor!

4Harness the horses, and mount up O horsemen! And take your stand with helmets on; polish the spears, and put on the armor!

5Why am I seeing this?

They are terrified,

they are retreating;

their warriors are defeated,

they flee in haste without looking back;

terror is on every side!”

declares the LORD.

5Why have I seen it? They are terrified; they are turning back, and their mighty ones are crushed, and in haste they have fled; not even did they turn; fear was all around!” A declaration of YHWH.

6“The swift cannot flee,

and the warrior cannot escape!

In the north by the River Euphrates

they stumble and fall.

6“Swift cannot flee, and the mighty one cannot escape; in the north, alongside the River Euphrates, they stumble and fall.

7Who is this, rising like the Nile,

like rivers whose waters churn?

7Who is this like the River coming up, like the rivers with their surging waters?

8Egypt rises like the Nile,

and its waters churn like rivers,

boasting, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;

I will destroy the cities and their people.’

8Egypt like the River rises up, and like the rivers its waters surge; and he says, ‘I will go up, and will cover the earth, and I will destroy the city and those dwelling in it!

9Advance, O horses! Race furiously, O chariots!

Let the warriors come forth—

Cush and Put carrying their shields,

men of Lydia drawing the bow.

9Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots! And let come forth the mighty ones, Cush and Put handling the shield, and the Lydians handling and bending the bow.

10For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of Hosts,

a day of vengeance against His foes.

The sword will devour until it is satisfied,

until it is quenched with their blood.

For the Lord GOD of Hosts will hold a sacrifice

in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.

10And that day is unto the Lord YHWH of hosts! A day of vengeance, to avenge Himself on His adversaries! And the sword will devour and be satisfied and made drunk with their blood; for a sacrifice is unto the Lord YHWH of Hosts in the land of the north, by the River Euphrates.

11Go up to Gilead for balm,

O Virgin Daughter of Egypt!

In vain you try many remedies,

but for you there is no healing.

11Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain you have multiplied remedies; there is no healing for you.

12The nations have heard of your shame,

and your outcry fills the earth,

because warrior stumbles over warrior

and both of them have fallen together.”

12The nations have heard of your shame, and your outcry has filled the land; for mighty one against mighty one has stumbled—together” have fallen the two of them!

13This is the word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:

13The word that YHWH spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, regarding the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt.

14“Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;

proclaim it in Memphis and Tahpanhes:

‘Take your positions and prepare yourself,

for the sword devours those around you.’

14“Declare it in Egypt, and let it be heard in Migdol! And let it also be heard in Memphis, and in Tahpanhes say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves, for the sword will devour those around you!’

15Why have your warriors been laid low?

They cannot stand, for the LORD has thrust them down.

15Why have your mighty ones been laid low? He has not stood, because YHWH has thrust him away.

16They continue to stumble;

indeed, they have fallen over one another.

They say, ‘Get up! Let us return to our people

and to the land of our birth,

away from the sword of the oppressor.’

16He has multiplied those stumbling, yes, a man has fallen upon his neighbor. And they say, ‘Stand up, and let us return to our people and to the land of our birth, from the face of the sword of the oppressor!’

17There they will cry out:

‘Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise;

he has let the appointed time pass him by.’

17They call out there: ‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, a loud noise; he has let pass by’ the appointed time!

18As surely as I live, declares the King,

whose name is the LORD of Hosts,

there will come one who is like Tabor among the mountains

and like Carmel by the sea.

18As I live, a declaration of the King, YHWH of Hosts is His name—surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, he will come.

19Pack your bags for exile,

O daughter dwelling in Egypt!

For Memphis will be laid waste,

destroyed and uninhabited.

19Vessels for exile you will make for yourself, O dweller and daughter of Egypt! For Memphis will become as a waste, and will be made desolate without one dwelling there.

20Egypt is a beautiful heifer,

but a gadfly from the north is coming against her.

20A heifer very beautiful is Egypt, a biting fly from the north is coming against her!

21Even the mercenaries among her

are like fattened calves.

They too will turn back;

together they will flee, they will not stand their ground,

for the day of calamity is coming upon them—

the time of their punishment.

21Even her hirelings among her are like calves of the stall, for also they have turned back; they have fled away together, they have not stood, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment.

22Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent,

for the enemy will advance in force;

with axes they will come against her

like woodsmen cutting down trees.

22Her noise is like a serpent that goes away, for with a force they go, and with axes they come against her, like those chopping down trees.

23They will chop down her forest, declares the LORD,

dense though it may be,

for they are more numerous than locusts;

they cannot be counted.

23They will cut down her forest, a declaration of YHWH, though it cannot be searched, for they are more numerous than locusts, and there is not for them numbering!

24The Daughter of Egypt will be put to shame;

she will be delivered into the hands of the people of the north.”

24The daughter of Egypt will be put to shame, and she will be given into the hand of the people of the north.”

25The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I am about to punish Amon god of Thebes, along with Pharaoh, Egypt with her gods and kings, and those who trust in Pharaoh.

25YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I am bringing punishment against Amon of Thebes, and upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt, and upon their gods, and upon their kings—and upon Pharaoh, and upon those trusting in him.

26I will deliver them into the hands of those who seek their lives—of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. But after this, Egypt will be inhabited as in days of old, declares the LORD.

26And I will give them into the hand of those seeking their souls, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants. And after this, it will be a dwelling place as in days of old, a declaration of YHWH.

27But you, O Jacob My servant, do not be afraid,

and do not be dismayed, O Israel.

For I will surely save you out of a distant place,

your descendants from the land of their captivity!

Jacob will return to quiet and ease,

with no one to make him afraid.

27And you, do not be afraid, O My servant Jacob, and you should not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I am bringing you salvation from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob will return, and he will have quiet, and he will find rest, with no one to make him afraid.

28And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid,

declares the LORD, for I am with you.

Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have banished you,

I will not completely destroy you.

Yet I will discipline you justly,

and will by no means leave you unpunished.”

28You will not fear, O My servant Jacob, a declaration of YHWH, for I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you there. And of you I will not make a full end; I will discipline you according to justice, and I will not entirely acquit you.”