461 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations . 2 To Egypt , concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt , which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish , which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah , king of Judah : 3 " Line up the shield and buckler , And draw near for the battle ! 4 "Harness the horses , And mount the steeds , And take your stand with helmets on! Polish the spears , Put on the scale-armor ! 5 "Why have I seen it? They are terrified , They are drawing back , And their mighty men are defeated And have taken refuge in flight , Without facing back ; Terror is on every side !" Declares the Lord . 6 Let not the swift man flee , Nor the mighty man escape ; In the north beside e the river Euphrates They have stumbled and fallen . 7 Who is this that rises 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 rise and cover that land ; I will surely destroy the city and its inhabitants ." 9 Go up, you horses , and drive madly , you chariots , That the mighty men may march forward : Ethiopia and Put , that handle the shield , And the Lydians , that handle and bend the bow . 10 For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of hosts , A day of vengeance , so as to avenge Himself on His foes ; And the sword will devour and be satiated And drink its fill of their blood ; For there will be a slaughter for the Lord GOD of hosts , In the land of the north by the river Euphrates . 11 Go up to Gilead and obtain balm , O virgin daughter of Egypt ! In vain have you multiplied remedies ; There is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your shame , And the earth is full of your cry of distress; For one warrior has stumbled over another , And both of them have fallen down together . 13 This is the message which the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to smite the land of Egypt : 14 "Declare in Egypt and proclaim in Migdol , Proclaim also in Memphis and Tahpanhes ; Say , 'Take your stand and get yourself ready , For the sword has devoured those around you.' 15 "Why have your mighty ones become prostrate ? They do not stand because the Lord has thrust them down . 16 "They have repeatedly stumbled ; Indeed , they have fallen one against another . Then they said , 'Get up! And let us go back To our own people and our native land Away from the sword of the oppressor .' 17 "They cried there , 'Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a big noise ; He has let the appointed time pass by!' 18 "As I live ," declares the King Whose name is the Lord of hosts , "Surely one shall come who looms up like Tabor among the mountains , Or like Carmel by the sea . 19 "Make your baggage ready for exile , O daughter dwelling in Egypt , For Memphis will become a desolation ; It will even be burned down and bereft e of inhabitants . 20 "Egypt is a pretty heifer , But a horsefly is coming from the north -it is coming ! 21 "Also her mercenaries in her midst Are like fattened calves , 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 punishment . 22 "Its sound moves along like a serpent ; For they move on like an army And come to her as woodcutters with axes . 23 "They have cut down her forest ," declares the Lord ; "Surely it will no more be found , Even though they are now more numerous than locusts And are without number . 24 "The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame , Given over to the power of the people of the north ." 25 The Lord of hosts , the God of Israel , says , "Behold , I am going to punish Amon of Thebes , and Pharaoh , and Egypt along with her gods and her kings , even Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 "I shall give them over to the power of those who are seeking their lives , even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his officers . Afterwards e , however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old ," declares the Lord . 27 "But as for you, O Jacob My servant , do not fear , Nor be dismayed , O Israel ! For, see , I am going to save you from afar , And your descendants from the land of their captivity ; And Jacob will return and be undisturbed And secure , with no one making him tremble . 28 "O Jacob My servant , do not fear ," declares the Lord , "For I am with you. For I will make a full end of all the nations Where e I have driven you, Yet I will not make a full end of you; But I will correct you properly And by no means leave you unpunished ."
