Defeat of Pharaoh Foretold

1That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

2To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3“Set up the [a]buckler and shield,

And advance to the battle!

4“Harness the horses,

And [b]mount the steeds,

Take your stand with helmets on!

Polish the spears,

Put on the coats of armor!

5“Why have I seen it?

They are terrified,

They are retreating,

And their warriors are defeated

And have taken refuge in flight,

Without facing back.

[c]Terror is on every side!”

Declares the LORD.

6Let not the swift man flee,

Nor the warrior escape.

In the north beside the river Euphrates

They have stumbled and fallen.

7Who is this that rises 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 rise and cover that land;

I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.”

9Go up, you horses, and [d]drive wildly, you chariots,

So that the warriors may [e]march forward:

[f]Cush and [g]Put, who handle the shield,

And the [h]Lydians, who handle and bend the bow.

10For that day belongs to the Lord [i]GOD of armies,

A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes;

And the sword will devour and be satisfied,

And [j]drink its fill of their blood;

For there will be a slaughter for the Lord [k]GOD of armies,

In the land of the north at the river Euphrates.

11Go up to Gilead and obtain balm,

Virgin daughter of Egypt!

You have used many [l]remedies in vain;

There is no healing for you.

12The nations have heard of your shame,

And the earth is full of your cry of distress;

For one warrior has stumbled over [m]another,

And both of them have fallen down together.

13This is the [n]message which the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike 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 powerful ones been cut down?

They do not stand because the LORD has thrust them away.

16“They have repeatedly stumbled;

Indeed, they have fallen, one against another.

Then they said, ‘Get up, and let’s go back

To our own people and our native land,

Away from the [o]sword of the oppressor!’

17“[p]They shouted there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is nothing 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 armies,

“One certainly shall come who is like Tabor among the mountains,

Or like Carmel by the sea.

19“Make your baggage ready for exile,

Daughter living in Egypt,

For Memphis will become a desolation;

It will be destroyed and [q]deprived of inhabitants.

20“Egypt is a pretty heifer,

But a [r]horsefly is coming from the north—it is coming!

21“Also her mercenaries in her midst

Are like fattened calves,

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 punishment.

22“Its sound moves along like a serpent;

For they move on [s]like an army

And come to her as woodcutters with axes.

23“They have cut down her forest,” declares the LORD;

“Certainly it will no longer be found,

Even though [t]they are more numerous than locusts

And are without number.

24“The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame,

Turned over to the [u]power of the people of the north.”

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

27“But as for you, Jacob My servant, do not fear,

Nor be dismayed, Israel!

For, see, I am going to save you from far away,

And your descendants from the land of their captivity;

And Jacob will return and be undisturbed

And secure, with no one making him afraid.

28“Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares the LORD,

“For I am with you.

For I will make a complete destruction of all the nations

Where I have driven you,

Yet I will not make a complete destruction of you;

But I will correct you properly

And by no means leave you unpunished.”

[a] 3 I.e., small shield
[b] 4 Or go up, you horsemen
[c] 5 Heb Magor-missabib i.e., Terror is on every side
[d] 9 Lit act like madmen
[e] 9 Lit go forth
[f] 9 Or Ethiopia
[g] 9 I.e., Libya (or Somaliland)
[h] 9 Heb Ludim
[i] 10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LORD
[j] 10 Lit be saturated with
[k] 10 Heb YHWH, usually rendered LORD
[l] 11 Lit healings
[m] 12 Lit warrior
[n] 13 Lit word
[o] 16 Lit oppressing sword
[p] 17 Some ancient versions Call the name of Pharaoh a big noise
[q] 19 Lit without
[r] 20 Or possibly mosquito
[s] 22 Or in force
[t] 23 I.e., trees of the forest, the Egyptians
[u] 24 Lit hand
[v] 26 Lit servants