Jeremiah 46

Judgment Against Egypt

1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

Egypt Defeated at Carchemish

2 Concerning Egypt, About the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, Which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, And which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3 “Prepare the buckler and shield, And march out for battle!”

4 “Harness the horses; Mount up, horsemen! Take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears; Put on your armor!”

5 “But what do I see, They are terrified, retreating backward. Their warriors are beaten down and flee in panic, Not looking back, Terror is on every side,” Declares the LORD.

6 “The swift cannot flee, And the strong cannot escape. In the north, by the Euphrates River, They stumble and fall.”

The Pride of Egypt Brought Low

7 “Who is this rising like the Nile, Like rivers whose waters surge?”

8 “Egypt rises like the Nile, Like rivers whose waters surge. She says, ‘I will rise, cover the earth, Destroy cities and their inhabitants.’”

9 “Charge, horses! Race wildly, chariots! Let the warriors march out, Cush and Put who carry shields, Lud who draw the bow.”

10 “But that day belongs to the Lord, the LORD of armies, A day of vengeance, To avenge Himself on His enemies. The sword will devour till it is satisfied, Drink its fill of blood. For the Lord, the LORD of armies, Has a sacrifice in the north country By the Euphrates River.”

Egypt’s Healing Is Refused

11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin daughter Egypt. You have multiplied remedies, But there is no healing for you.”

12 “The nations have heard of your shame, And your outcry fills the earth. One warrior stumbles over another; Both fall together.”

Babylon Will Invade Egypt

13 This is the word the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet About the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon To strike the land of Egypt:

14 “Announce it in Egypt, Proclaim it in Migdol, Proclaim it in Memphis and Tahpanhes. Say, ‘Take your stand and get ready, For the sword devours all around you.’”

15 “Why have your strong ones been swept away, They did not stand, For the LORD knocked them down.”

16 “He made many stumble; They fell over one another. They said, ‘Get up! Let us go back to our own people And our native land, Away from the sword of the oppressor.’”

17 They cried out there, “Pharaoh king of Egypt is just noise, He missed his moment.”

The LORD Speaks Against Pharaoh

18 “As surely as I live,” Declares the King, Whose name is the LORD of armies, “one will come like Tabor among the mountains, Like Carmel by the sea.”

19 “Pack your belongings for exile, You who live in Egypt. For Memphis will become a wasteland, Ruined and uninhabited.”

20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer, But a gadfly from the north is coming against her.”

21 “Even her hired soldiers are like fattened calves; They too turn back and flee together. They do not stand, For the day of disaster has come on them, The time of their punishment.”

22 “Her sound is like a slithering snake; The enemy advances in force, Coming against her with axes Like woodsmen.”

23 “They will cut down her forest,” Declares the LORD, “dense though it is. They are more numerous than locusts; They cannot be counted.”

24 “The daughter of Egypt will be put to shame, Handed over to a people from the north.”

The LORD of Armies Declares Judgment

25 The LORD of armies, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to punish Amon of Thebes, Pharaoh, Egypt, her gods, and her kings, Pharaoh and those who trust in him.”

26 “I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, To Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Afterward, Egypt will be inhabited as in days of old,” Declares the LORD.

Hope for Israel

27 “But you, My servant Jacob, Do not be afraid, And do not be dismayed, Israel. For I will surely save you from far away, Your descendants from the land of captivity. Jacob will return and have peace and security, With no one to make him afraid.”

28 “And you, My servant Jacob, Do not be afraid,” Declares the LORD, “for I am with you. I will completely destroy all the nations Where I scatter you, But I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you with justice, And I will not let you go unpunished.”