1 T he word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations.

That which hath been the word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations,

2 A gainst Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

For Egypt, concerning the force of Pharaoh-Necho king of Egypt, that hath been by the river Phrat, in Carchemish, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath smitten, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

3 “ Order the buckler and shield, And draw near to battle!

`Set ye in array shield and buckler, And draw nigh to battle.

4 H arness the horses, And mount up, you horsemen! Stand forth with your helmets, Polish the spears, Put on the armor!

Gird the horses, and go up, ye horsemen, And station yourselves with helmets, Polish the javelins, put on the coats of mail.

5 W hy have I seen them dismayed and turned back? Their mighty ones are beaten down; They have speedily fled, And did not look back, For fear was all around,” says the Lord.

Wherefore have I seen them dismayed -- They are turned backward, And their mighty ones are beaten down, And a refuge they have fled, and not turned the face? Fear round about -- an affirmation of Jehovah.

6 “ Do not let the swift flee away, Nor the mighty man escape; They will stumble and fall Toward the north, by the River Euphrates.

The swift do not flee, nor do the mighty escape, Northward, by the side of the river Phrat, They have stumbled and fallen.

7 “ Who is this coming up like a flood, Whose waters move like the rivers?

Who is this? as a flood he cometh up, As rivers do his waters shake themselves!

8 E gypt rises up like a flood, And its waters move like the rivers; And he says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth, I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’

Egypt, as a flood cometh up, And as rivers the waters shake themselves. And he saith, I go up; I cover the land, I destroy the city and the inhabitants in it.

9 C ome up, O horses, and rage, O chariots! And let the mighty men come forth: The Ethiopians and the Libyans who handle the shield, And the Lydians who handle and bend the bow.

Go up, ye horses; and boast yourselves, ye chariots, And go forth, ye mighty, Cush and Phut handling the shield, And Lud handling -- treading the bow.

10 F or this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, A day of vengeance, That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood; For the Lord God of hosts has a sacrifice In the north country by the River Euphrates.

And that day to the Lord Jehovah of Hosts A day of vengeance, To be avenged of His adversaries, And the sword hath devoured, and been satisfied, And it hath been watered from their blood, For a sacrifice to the Lord Jehovah of Hosts, In the land of the north, by the river Phrat.

11 “ Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured.

Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt, In vain thou hast multiplied medicines, Healing there is none for thee.

12 T he nations have heard of your shame, And your cry has filled the land; For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty; They both have fallen together.” Babylonia Will Strike Egypt

Nations have heard of thy shame, And thy cry hath filled the land, For the mighty on the mighty did stumble, Together they have fallen -- both of them!'

13 T he word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and strike the land of Egypt.

The word that Jehovah hath spoken unto Jeremiah the prophet concerning the coming in of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, to smite the land of Egypt:

14 “ Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; Proclaim in Noph and in Tahpanhes; Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves, For the sword devours all around you.’

`Declare ye in Egypt, and sound in Migdol, Yea, sound in Noph, and in Tahpanhes say: Station thyself, yea, prepare for thee, For a sword hath devoured around thee,

15 W hy are your valiant men swept away? They did not stand Because the Lord drove them away.

Wherefore hath thy bull been swept away? He hath not stood, because Jehovah thrust him away.

16 H e made many fall; Yes, one fell upon another. And they said, ‘Arise! Let us go back to our own people And to the land of our nativity From the oppressing sword.’

He hath multiplied the stumbling, Yea one hath fallen upon his neighbour, And they say: Rise, and we turn back to our people, And unto the land of our birth, Because of the oppressing sword.

17 T hey cried there, ‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise. He has passed by the appointed time!’

They have cried there: Pharaoh king of Egypt a desolation, Passed by hath the appointed time.

18 “ As I live,” says the King, Whose name is the Lord of hosts, “Surely as Tabor is among the mountains And as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come.

I live -- an affirmation of the King, Jehovah of Hosts His name, Surely as Tabor among mountains, And as Carmel by the sea -- he cometh in,

19 O you daughter dwelling in Egypt, Prepare yourself to go into captivity! For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.

Goods for removal make for thee, O inhabitant, daughter of Egypt, For Noph becometh a desolation, And hath been burnt up, without inhabitant.

20 “ Egypt is a very pretty heifer, But destruction comes, it comes from the north.

A heifer very fair Egypt, Rending from the north doth come into her.

21 A lso her mercenaries are in her midst like fat bulls, For they also are turned back, They have fled away together. They did not stand, For the day of their calamity had come upon them, The time of their punishment.

Even her hired ones in her midst as calves of the stall, For even they have turned, They have fled together, they have not stood, For the day of their calamity hath come on them, The time of their inspection.

22 H er noise shall go like a serpent, For they shall march with an army And come against her with axes, Like those who chop wood.

Its voice as a serpent goeth on, For with a force they go, And with axes they have come in to her, As hewers of trees.

23 “ They shall cut down her forest,” says the Lord, “Though it cannot be searched, Because they are innumerable, And more numerous than grasshoppers.

They have cut down her forest, An affirmation of Jehovah -- for it is not searched, For they have been more than the grasshopper, And they have no numbering.

24 T he daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed; She shall be delivered into the hand Of the people of the north.”

Ashamed hath been the daughter of Egypt, She hath been given into the hand of the people of the north.

25 T he Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on Amon of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

Said hath Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Lo, I am seeing after Amon of No, And after Pharaoh, and after Egypt, And after her gods, and after her kings, And after Pharaoh, and after those trusting in him,

26 A nd I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” says the Lord. God Will Preserve Israel

And I have given them into the hand of those seeking their life, And into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, And into the hand of his servants, And afterwards it is inhabited, As days of old -- an affirmation of Jehovah.

27 “ But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; No one shall make him afraid.

And thou, thou dost not fear, my servant Jacob, Nor thou dismayed, O Israel, For lo, I am saving thee from afar, And thy seed from the land of their captivity, And Jacob hath turned back, And hath been at rest, and been at ease, And there is none disturbing.

28 D o not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the Lord, “For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, But I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.”

Thou, thou dost not fear, My servant Jacob, An affirmation of Jehovah -- for with thee I, For I make an end of all the nations Whither I have driven thee, And of thee I do not make an end, And I have reproved thee in judgment, And do not entirely acquit thee!'