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46 The word of the Lord, that was made to Jeremy, the prophet, against heathen men; (The word of the Lord, that was made to the prophet Jeremiah, against the heathen/about the nations;)

to Egypt, against the host of Pharaohnecho, king of Egypt, that was beside the flood [of] Euphrates, in Carchemish, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, smote, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah. (about Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, the king of Egypt, who was by the Euphrates River, in Carchemish, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, struck, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah.)

Make ye ready shield and target, and go ye forth to battle.

Join ye horses, and ascend, ye knights; stand ye in helmets, polish ye spears, clothe ye you in habergeons. (Join ye up the horses, and ye horsemen go upon them; stand ye in helmets, polish ye the spears, clothe ye yourselves with breastplates.)

What therefore? I saw them dreadful, either afeared, and turning the(ir) backs, the strong men of them (be) slain; and they fled swiftly, and beheld not; dread was on each side, saith the Lord. (But what did I see? I saw them fearful, or afraid, and turning their backs, for their strong men be killed; and the rest swiftly fled away, and beheld not; fear was on all sides, saith the Lord.)

A swift man shall not flee, and a strong man guess not himself to be saved; at the north, beside the flood [of] Euphrates, they were overcome, and fell down. (But the swift shall not be able to flee away, and the strong shall not be able to save themselves; in the north, by the Euphrates River, they were overcome, and fell down.)

Who is this, that ascendeth as a flood, and his swells waxed great as of floods? (Who is this, who goeth up like a flood, yea, like a river overflowing its banks?)

Egypt ascended at the likeness of a flood, and his waves shall be moved as [the] floods; and it shall say, I shall ascend, and cover the earth; I shall lose the city, and (the) dwellers thereof. (It is Egypt that goeth up like a flood, yea, like a river overflowing its banks; and it shall say, I shall rise, and cover the earth; I shall destroy the city, and its inhabitants.)

Ascend ye upon horses, and make ye full out joy in chariots (Go ye upon horses, and rejoice, or shout, ye in the chariots); and strong men, come forth, Ethiopia and Libya, holding shield, and Lydia, taking and shooting arrows.

10 Forsooth that day of the Lord God of hosts is a day of vengeance, that he take vengeance of his enemies; the sword shall devour, and shall be [full-]filled, and shall greatly be filled with the blood of them; for why the slain sacrifice of the Lord of hosts is in the land of the north, beside the flood [of] Euphrates. (For that day of the Lord God of hosts is a day of vengeance, that he take vengeance on his enemies; the sword shall devour, and shall be filled full, yea, it shall be greatly filled with their blood; for the slain sacrifice of the Lord of hosts is in the land of the north, by the Euphrates River.)

11 Thou virgin, the daughter of Egypt, go up into Gilead, and take medicine. In vain thou shalt multiply medicines; health shall not be to thee. (O virgin, the daughter of Egypt, go up into Gilead, and get some medicine. But thou shalt take thy many medicines in vain; for health, or healing, shall not be to thee.)

12 Heathen men heard thy shame (The heathen heard of thy shame), and thy yelling filled the earth; for a strong man hurtled against a strong man, and both fell down together.

13 The word which the Lord spake to Jeremy, the prophet, on that that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was to coming, and to smiting the land of Egypt. (The word which the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, when Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was coming to strike the land of Egypt.)

14 Tell ye (out) to Egypt, and make ye heard in Migdol, and sound it in Memphis, and say ye in Tahpanhes, Stand thou, and make thee ready, for a sword shall devour those things that be by thy compass (for a sword shall devour those things that be all around thee).

15 Why hath thy strong man waxed rotten? He stood not, for the Lord underturned him.

16 He multiplied fallers, and a man fell down to his neighbour; and they shall say, Rise ye, and turn we again to our people, and to the land of our birth, from the face of (the) sword of the culver. (He multiplied the fallen, yea, a man fell upon his neighbour; and they shall say, Rise ye up, and let us return to our people, and to the land of our birth, away from the cruel sword.)

17 Call ye the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, The time hath brought noise. (Call ye the name of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, The man who missed his chance.)

18 I live, saith the king, the Lord of hosts is his name; for it shall come as Tabor in hills, and as Carmel in the sea. (As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts; for he shall come as surely as Tabor is in the hills, and that Carmel is by the sea.)

19 Thou dwelleress, the daughter of Egypt, make to thee vessels of passing over; for why Memphis shall be into wilderness, and it shall be forsaken [and] unhabitable. (Thou dwelleress, the daughter of Egypt, make ready for thyself vessels for a time of captivity; for Memphis shall be turned into a wilderness, and it shall be deserted, and uninhabited.)

20 Egypt is a shapely cow calf, and fair (and beautiful); (but) a pricker from the north shall come to it.

21 Also the hired men thereof, that lived as calves made fat in the midst thereof, be turned, and fled (away) together, and might not stand; for the day of (the) slaying of them shall come on them, the time of the visiting of them. (And its hired men, who lived like calves made fat in its midst, shall turn, and flee away together, and they shall not stand; for the day of their slaughter hath come upon them, the time of their punishment.)

22 The voice of them shall sound as of brass, for they shall hasten with (a) host, and with axes they shall come to it. As men cutting down trees, (The voice of Egypt shall hiss like a snake, but the enemy shall make haste with their host, and shall come against them with axes. Yea, like men cutting down trees,)

23 they cutted down the forest thereof, saith the Lord, which may not be numbered; they be multiplied over locusts, and no number is in them. (they shall cut down the Egyptians, saith the Lord, like falling the trees in a forest, which cannot be numbered; and the men in this army be multiplied over the locusts, yea, there is no number of them/yea, they be innumerable.)

24 The daughter of Egypt is shamed, and betaken into the hand of the people of the north, (And so the daughter of Egypt shall be shamed, and taken into the hands of the people of the north,)

25 said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel. Lo! I shall visit on the noise of Alexandria, and on Pharaoh, and on Egypt, and on the gods thereof, and on the kings thereof, and on them that trust in him. (said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Lo! I shall punish Amon, the god of No/the god of Thebes, and Egypt, and its gods, and its kings, and Pharaoh, and all those who trust in him.)

26 And I shall give them into the hands of men that seek the life of them (And I shall give them into the hands of those who seek their lives), and into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hands of his servants; and after these things it shall be inhabited, as in the former days, saith the Lord.

27 And thou, Jacob, my servant, dread thou not, and Israel, dread thou not; for lo! I shall make thee safe from (a) far place, and thy seed from the land of his captivity; and Jacob shall turn again, and shall rest, and shall have prosperity, and none shall be, that shall make him afeared. (And thou, my servant Jacob, fear thou not, O Israel, fear thou not; for lo! I shall bring thee home safe from a far off place, and thy descendants from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall rest, and shall have prosperity, and no one shall be, who shall make him afraid.)

28 And Jacob, my servant, do not thou dread, saith the Lord, for I am with thee; for I shall waste all folks, to which I casted thee out; but I shall not waste thee, but I shall chastise thee in doom, and I shall not spare thee as innocent. (And my servant Jacob, do not thou fear, saith the Lord, for I am with thee; for I shall waste all the nations, to whom I cast thee out; but I shall not destroy thee, but I shall discipline, or correct, thee with justice/in judgement, and I shall not spare thee as innocent.)

A Message About Egypt

46 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:(A)

Concerning Egypt:(B)

This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho(C) king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish(D) on the Euphrates(E) River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(F) son of Josiah king of Judah:

“Prepare your shields,(G) both large and small,
    and march out for battle!
Harness the horses,
    mount the steeds!
Take your positions
    with helmets on!
Polish(H) your spears,
    put on your armor!(I)
What do I see?
    They are terrified,
they are retreating,
    their warriors are defeated.
They flee(J) in haste
    without looking back,
    and there is terror(K) on every side,”
declares the Lord.
“The swift cannot flee(L)
    nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphrates(M)
    they stumble and fall.(N)

“Who is this that rises like the Nile,
    like rivers of surging waters?(O)
Egypt rises like the Nile,(P)
    like rivers of surging waters.
She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;
    I will destroy cities and their people.’(Q)
Charge, you horses!
    Drive furiously, you charioteers!(R)
March on, you warriors—men of Cush[a](S) and Put who carry shields,
    men of Lydia(T) who draw the bow.
10 But that day(U) belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—
    a day of vengeance(V), for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devour(W) till it is satisfied,
    till it has quenched its thirst with blood.(X)
For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice(Y)
    in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.(Z)

11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm,(AA)
    Virgin(AB) Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
    there is no healing(AC) for you.
12 The nations will hear of your shame;
    your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
    both will fall(AD) down together.”

13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(AE) to attack Egypt:(AF)

14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
    proclaim it also in Memphis(AG) and Tahpanhes:(AH)
‘Take your positions and get ready,
    for the sword devours(AI) those around you.’
15 Why will your warriors be laid low?
    They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.(AJ)
16 They will stumble(AK) repeatedly;
    they will fall(AL) over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back
    to our own people(AM) and our native lands,
    away from the sword of the oppressor.’(AN)
17 There they will exclaim,
    ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;(AO)
    he has missed his opportunity.(AP)

18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King,(AQ)
    whose name is the Lord Almighty,
“one will come who is like Tabor(AR) among the mountains,
    like Carmel(AS) by the sea.
19 Pack your belongings for exile,(AT)
    you who live in Egypt,
for Memphis(AU) will be laid waste(AV)
    and lie in ruins without inhabitant.

20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
    but a gadfly is coming
    against her from the north.(AW)
21 The mercenaries(AX) in her ranks
    are like fattened calves.(AY)
They too will turn and flee(AZ) together,
    they will not stand their ground,
for the day(BA) of disaster is coming upon them,
    the time(BB) for them to be punished.
22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
    as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
    like men who cut down trees.(BC)
23 They will chop down her forest,”
declares the Lord,
    “dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,(BD)
    they cannot be counted.
24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
    given into the hands of the people of the north.(BE)

25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,(BF) on Pharaoh,(BG) on Egypt and her gods(BH) and her kings, and on those who rely(BI) on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands(BJ) of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king(BK) of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited(BL) as in times past,” declares the Lord.

27 “Do not be afraid,(BM) Jacob(BN) my servant;(BO)
    do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
    your descendants from the land of their exile.(BP)
Jacob will again have peace and security,
    and no one will make him afraid.
28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
    for I am with you,”(BQ) declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy(BR) all the nations
    among which I scatter you,
    I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
    I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile region