Jeremiah 46:3-27

3“1Set up the 2buckler and shield, And advance to the battle!4Harness the horses, And 3mount the steeds, Take your stand with helmets on! 4Polish the spears, Put on the 5coats of armor!5Why have I seen it? They are terrified, They are 6retreating, And their 7warriors 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 warrior 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?8Egypt rises like the Nile, And like the rivers whose waters surge; And He has said, “I will 13rise and cover that land; I will 14destroy the city and its inhabitants.”9Go up, you horses, and 1516drive wildly, you chariots, So that the warriors may 17march forward: 18Cush and 1920Put, who handle the shield, And the 2122Lydians, who handle and bend the bow.10For 23that day belongs to the Lord 24God of armies, A day of 25vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the 26sword will devour and be satisfied, And 27drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a 28slaughter for the Lord 29God of armies, In the land of the north at the river Euphrates.11Go 30up to Gilead and obtain balm, 31Virgin daughter of Egypt! You have used many 32remedies in vain; There is 33no healing for you.12The nations have heard of your 34shame, And the earth is full of your 35cry of distress; For one 36warrior has stumbled over 37another, And both of them have fallen down together.

13This is the 38message which the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the 39coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to 40strike the land of Egypt:14“Declare in Egypt and proclaim in 41Migdol, Proclaim also in Memphis and 42Tahpanhes; Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready, For the 43sword has devoured those around you.’15Why have your 44powerful ones been cut down? They do not stand because the Lord has 45thrust them away.16They have repeatedly 46stumbled; Indeed, they have fallen, one against another. Then they said, ‘Get up, and 47let’s go back To our own people and our native land, Away from the 4849sword of the oppressor!’1750They shouted there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is nothing but 51a big noise; He has let the appointed time pass by!’18As I live,” declares the 52King, Whose name is the Lord of armies, “One certainly shall come who is like 53Tabor among the mountains, Or like 54Carmel by the sea.19Make your baggage ready for 55exile, 56Daughter living in Egypt, For 57Memphis will become a desolation; It will be destroyed and 58deprived of inhabitants.20Egypt is a pretty 59heifer, But a 60horsefly is coming 61from the north--it is coming!21Also her 62mercenaries in her midst Are like fattened 63calves, For they too have turned away and have fled together; They did not stand their ground. For the day of their disaster 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; “Certainly it will no longer be found, Even though 67they are more numerous than 68locusts And are without number.24The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame, Turned over to the 69power of the 70people of the north.”

25The Lord of armies, 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, indeed, Pharaoh and those who 74trust in him. 26I shall hand them over to those who are 75seeking their lives, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to his 76officers. 77Afterward, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old,” declares the Lord.

27“But as for you, Jacob My servant, 78do not fear, Nor be dismayed, Israel! For, see, I am going to 79save you from far away, And your descendants from the land of their captivity; And Jacob will return and be 80undisturbed And secure, with no one making him afraid.