Jeremiah 46:3-27

3“1Line up the shield and 2buckler, And draw near for the battle!4Harness the horses, And 3mount the steeds, And take your stand with helmets on! 4Polish the spears, Put on the 5scale-armor!5Why have I seen it? They are terrified, They are 6drawing back, And their 7mighty men are defeated And have taken refuge in flight, Without facing back; 89Terror is on every side!” Declares the Lord.6Let not the 10swift man flee, Nor the mighty man escape; In the north beside the river Euphrates They have 11stumbled and fallen.7Who is this that 12rises like the Nile, Like the rivers whose waters surge about?8Egypt rises like the Nile, Even like the rivers whose waters surge about; And He has said, “I will 13rise and cover that land; I will surely 14destroy the city and its inhabitants.”9Go up, you horses, and 1516drive madly, you chariots, That the mighty men may 17march forward: Ethiopia and 1819Put, that handle the shield, And the 2021Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.10For 22that day belongs to the Lord 23God of hosts, A day of 24vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the 25sword will devour and be satiated And 26drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a 27slaughter for the Lord 28God of hosts, In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.11Go 29up to Gilead and obtain balm, 30O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain have you multiplied 31remedies; There is 32no healing for you.12The nations have heard of your 33shame, And the earth is full of your 34cry of distress; For one 35warrior has stumbled over 36another, And both of them have fallen down together.

13This is the 37message which the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the 38coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to 39smite the land of Egypt:14“Declare in Egypt and proclaim in 40Migdol, Proclaim also in Memphis and 41Tahpanhes; Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready, For the 42sword has devoured those around you.’15Why have your 43mighty ones become prostrate? They do not stand because the Lord has 44thrust them down.16They have repeatedly 45stumbled; Indeed, they have fallen one against another. Then they said, ‘Get up! And 46let us go back To our own people and our native land Away from the 4748sword of the oppressor.’1749They cried there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is but 50a big noise; He has let the appointed time pass by!’18As I live,” declares the 51King Whose name is the Lord of hosts, “Surely one shall come who looms up like 52Tabor among the mountains, Or like 53Carmel by the sea.19Make your baggage ready for 54exile, O 55daughter dwelling in Egypt, For 56Memphis will become a desolation; It will even be burned down and 57bereft of inhabitants.20Egypt is a pretty 58heifer, But a 59horsefly is coming 60from the north--it is coming!21Also her 61mercenaries in her midst Are like 62fattened 63calves, 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 64punishment.22Its sound moves along like a serpent; For they move on 65like an army And come to her as woodcutters with axes.23They have cut down her 66forest,” declares the Lord; “Surely it will no more be found, Even though 67they are now more numerous than 68locusts And are without number.24The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame, Given over to the 69power of the 70people of the north.”

25The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I am going to punish Amon of 71Thebes, and 72Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her 73gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who 74trust in him. 26I shall give them over to the 75power of those who are 76seeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his 77officers. 78Afterwards, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old,” declares the Lord.

27“But as for you, O Jacob My servant, 79do not fear, Nor be dismayed, O Israel! For, see, I am going to 80save you from afar, And your descendants from the land of their captivity; And Jacob will return and be 81undisturbed And secure, with no one making him tremble.