Jeremiah 46:1-28 (New American Standard)

Defeat of Pharaoh Foretold

1 That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet ¹concerning the nations. 2 To ²Egypt, concerning the army of ³Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at ⁴Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the ⁵fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah : 3 "⁶Line up the shield and ^abuckler, And draw near for the battle ! 4 "Harness the horses, And ^bmount the steeds, And take your stand with helmets on! ⁷Polish the spears, Put on the ⁸scale-armor ! 5 "Why have I seen it? They are terrified, They are ⁹drawing back, And their ¹⁰mighty men are defeated And have taken refuge in flight, Without facing back ; ^c11Terror is on every side !" Declares the LORD. 6 Let not the ¹²swift man flee, Nor the mighty man escape ; In the north beside the river Euphrates They have ¹³stumbled and fallen. 7 Who is this that ¹⁴rises like the Nile, Like the rivers whose waters surge about? 8 Egypt rises like the Nile, Even like the rivers whose waters surge about; And He has said, "I will ¹⁵rise and cover that land ; I will surely ¹⁶destroy the city and its inhabitants." 9 Go up, you horses, and ^d17drive madly, you chariots, That the mighty men may ^emarch forward : Ethiopia and ^f18Put, that handle the shield, And the ^g19Lydians, that handle and bend the bow. 10 For ²⁰that day belongs to the Lord ^hGOD of hosts, A day of ²¹vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes ; And the ²²sword will devour and be satiated And ⁱdrink its fill of their blood ; For there will be a ²³slaughter for the Lord ^jGOD of hosts, In the land of the north by the river Euphrates. 11 Go ²⁴up to Gilead and obtain balm, ²⁵O virgin daughter of Egypt ! In vain have you multiplied ^kremedies ; There is ²⁶no healing for you. 12 The nations have heard of your ²⁷shame, And the earth is full of your ²⁸cry of distress; For one ²⁹warrior has stumbled over ^lanother, And both of them have fallen down together. 13 This is the ^mmessage which the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the ³⁰coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to ³¹smite the land of Egypt : 14 "Declare in Egypt and proclaim in ³²Migdol, Proclaim also in Memphis and ³³Tahpanhes ; Say, 'Take your stand and get yourself ready, For the ³⁴sword has devoured those around you.' 15 "Why have your ³⁵mighty ones become prostrate ? They do not stand because the LORD has ³⁶thrust them down. 16 "They have repeatedly ³⁷stumbled ; Indeed, they have fallen one against another. Then they said, 'Get up! And ³⁸let us go back To our own people and our native land Away from the ⁿ³⁹sword of the oppressor.' 17 "^oThey cried there, 'Pharaoh king of Egypt is but ⁴⁰a big noise ; He has let the appointed time pass by!' 18 "As I live," declares the ⁴¹King Whose name is the LORD of hosts, "Surely one shall come who looms up like ⁴²Tabor among the mountains, Or like ⁴³Carmel by the sea. 19 "Make your baggage ready for ⁴⁴exile, O ⁴⁵daughter dwelling in Egypt, For ⁴⁶Memphis will become a desolation ; It will even be burned down and ^pbereft of inhabitants. 20 "Egypt is a pretty ⁴⁷heifer, But a ^qhorsefly is coming ⁴⁸from the north -it is coming ! 21 "Also her ⁴⁹mercenaries in her midst Are like ^rfattened ⁵⁰calves, For even they too have turned back and have fled away together ; They did not stand their ground. For the day of their calamity has come upon them, The time of their ⁵¹punishment. 22 "Its sound moves along like a serpent ; For they move on ^slike an army And come to her as woodcutters with axes. 23 "They have cut down her ⁵²forest," declares the LORD ; "Surely it will no more be found, Even though ^tthey are now more numerous than ⁵³locusts And are without number. 24 "The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame, Given over to the ^upower of the ⁵⁴people of the north." 25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says, "Behold, I am going to punish Amon of ⁵⁵Thebes, and ⁵⁶Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her ⁵⁷gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who ⁵⁸trust in him. 26 "I shall give them over to the ^vpower of those who are ⁵⁹seeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his ^wofficers. ⁶⁰Afterwards , however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old," declares the LORD. 27 "But as for you, O Jacob My servant, ⁶¹do not fear, Nor be dismayed, O Israel ! For, see, I am going to ⁶²save you from afar, And your descendants from the land of their captivity ; And Jacob will return and be ⁶³undisturbed And secure, with no one making him tremble. 28 "O Jacob My servant, do not fear," declares the LORD, "For ⁶⁴I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations Where I have driven you, Yet I will ⁶⁵not make a full end of you; But I will ⁶⁶correct you properly And by no means leave you unpunished."