Online Bible

Word Against Egypt

That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet ^aconcerning the nations.

2 To ^aEgypt, concerning the military force of ^bPharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at ^cCarchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down in the ^dfourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3 “^aArrange the shield and large shield,And draw near for the battle!4 “Harness the horses,And ¹mount the steeds,And take your stand with helmets on!^aPolish the spears,Put on the ^bscale-armor!5 “Why have I seen it?They are shattered;They are ^adrawing back,And their ^bmighty men are crushedAnd have fled to refuge,Without facing back;¹^cTerror is on every side!”Declares Yahweh.6 Let not the ^aswift man flee,Nor the mighty man escape;In the north beside the river EuphratesThey have ^bstumbled and fallen.7 Who is this that ^arises 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 ^arise and cover that land;I will surely ^bcause the city to perish, as well as its inhabitants.”9 Go up, you horses, and ¹^adrive madly, you chariots,That the mighty men may go forth:²Ethiopia and ³^bPut, who seize the shield,And the ⁴^cLydians, who seize and bend the bow.10 Indeed, ^athat day belongs to Lord Yahweh of hosts,A day of ^bvengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His adversaries;And the ^csword will devour and be satiatedAnd ¹drink its fill of their blood;For there will be a ^dsacrifice to Lord Yahweh of hostsIn the land of the north by the river Euphrates.11 Go ^aup to Gilead and obtain balm,^bO virgin daughter of Egypt!In vain have you multiplied ¹remedies;There is ^cno healing for you.12 The nations have heard of your ^adisgrace,And the earth is full of your ^boutcry;For one ^cwarrior has stumbled over ¹another,And both of them have fallen down together.

13 This is the ¹message which Yahweh spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the ^acoming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to ^bstrike down the land of Egypt:

14 “Declare in Egypt and cause it to be heard in ^aMigdol;Cause it to be heard also in Memphis and ^bTahpanhes;Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready,For the ^csword has devoured those around you.’15 “Why are your ^amighty ones thrown down?They do not stand because Yahweh has ^bthrust them down.16 “They have repeatedly ^astumbled;Indeed, they have fallen one against another.Then they said, ‘Rise up! And ^blet us returnTo our own people and land of our birthAway from the ¹^csword of the oppressor.’17 “¹They called out there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is but ^aa rumbling;He has let the appointed time pass by!’18 “As I live,” declares the ^aKingWhose name is Yahweh of hosts,“Surely one shall come who looms up like ^bTabor among the mountains,Or like ^cCarmel by the sea.19 “Make your baggage ready for ^aexile,O inhabitant of the ^bdaughter of Egypt,For ^cMemphis will become a desolation;It will even be turned into ruin and without inhabitants.20 “Egypt is a pretty ^aheifer,But a ¹horsefly is coming ^bfrom the north—it is coming!21 “Also her ^amercenaries in her midstAre like ¹fattened ^bcalves,For even they have turned back and have fled away together;They did not stand their ground.For the day of their disaster has come upon them,The time of their ^cpunishment.22 “Its sound moves along like a serpent;For they move on ¹like a military forceAnd come to her as woodcutters with axes.23 “They have cut down her ^aforest,” declares Yahweh;“Surely it will no longer be searched out,Even though ¹they are now more numerous than ^blocustsAnd are without number.24 “The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame,Given over to the hand of the ^apeople of the north.”

25 Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I am going to punish Amon of ^aThebes, and ^bPharaoh, and Egypt along with her ^cgods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who ^dtrust in him. 26 I shall give them into the hand of those who are ^aseeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his servants. ^bAfterwards, however, it will be dwelt in like in the days of old,” declares Yahweh.

27 “But as for you, O Jacob My servant, ^ado not fear,Nor be dismayed, O Israel!For behold, I am going to ^bsave you from afar,And your seed from the land of their captivity;And Jacob will return and have ^cquietAnd be at ease, with no one making him tremble.28 “O Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares Yahweh,“For ^aI am with you.For I will make a complete destruction of all the nationsWhere I have banished you,Yet I will ^bnot make a complete destruction of you;But I will ^cdiscipline you with justiceAnd by no means leave you unpunished.”