Jeremiah 46
46
Egypt's Defeat at Carchemish
1The LORD spoke to me about the nations, 2#Is 19.1–25; Ezek 29.1—32.32beginning with Egypt. This is what he said about the army of King Neco of Egypt, which King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia defeated at Carchemish near the River Euphrates in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah:
3“The Egyptian officers shout,
‘Get your shields ready
and march into battle!
4Harness your horses and mount them!
Fall in line and put on your helmets!
Sharpen your spears!
Put on your armour!’
5“But what do I see?” asks the LORD.
“They are turning back in terror.
Their soldiers are beaten back;
overcome with fear, they run as fast as they can
and do not look back.
6Those who run fast cannot get away;
the soldiers cannot escape.
In the north, by the Euphrates,
they stumble and fall.
7Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like a river flooding its banks?
8It is Egypt, rising like the Nile,
like a river flooding its banks.
Egypt said, ‘I will rise and cover the world;
I will destroy cities and the people who live there.
9Command the horses to go
and the chariots to roll!
Send out the soldiers:
men from Ethiopia#46.9 Ethiopia: See Word List. and Libya, carrying shields,
and skilled archers from Lydia.’ ”
10This is the day of the Sovereign LORD Almighty:
today he will take revenge;
today he will punish his enemies.
His sword will eat them until it is full,
and drink their blood until it is satisfied.
Today the Almighty sacrifices his victims
in the north, by the Euphrates.
11People of Egypt, go to Gilead#46.11 Gilead: See 8.22.
and look for medicine!
All your medicine has proved useless;
nothing can heal you.
12Nations have heard of your shame;
everyone has heard you cry.
One soldier trips over another,
and both of them fall to the ground.
The Coming of Nebuchadnezzar
13 #
Jer 43.10–13
When King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia came to attack Egypt, the LORD spoke to me. He said,
14“Proclaim it in the towns of Egypt,
in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes:
‘Get ready to defend yourselves;
all you have will be destroyed in war!
15Why has your mighty god Apis fallen?
The LORD has struck him down!’
16Your soldiers have stumbled and fallen;#46.16 Probable text Your soldiers… fallen; Hebrew unclear.
each one says to the other,
‘Hurry! Let's go home to our people
and escape the enemy's sword!’
17“Give the king of Egypt a new name —
‘Noisy Braggart who Missed his Chance’.
18I, the LORD Almighty, am king.
I am the living God.
As Mount Tabor towers above the mountains
and Mount Carmel stands high above the sea,
so will be the strength of the one who attacks you.
19Get ready to be taken prisoner,
you people of Egypt!
Memphis will be made a desert,
a ruin where no one lives.
20Egypt is like a splendid cow,
attacked by a stinging fly from the north.
21Even her hired soldiers
are helpless as calves.
They did not stand and fight;
all of them turned and ran.
The day of their doom had arrived,
the time of their destruction.
22Egypt runs away, hissing like a snake,
as the enemy's army approaches.
They attack her with axes,
like men cutting down trees
23and destroying a thick forest.
Their men are too many to count;
their soldiers outnumber the locusts.
24The people of Egypt are put to shame;
they are conquered by the people of the north.
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
25The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says, “I am going to punish Amon, the god of Thebes, together with Egypt and its gods and kings. I am going to take the king of Egypt and all who put their trust in him, 26and hand them over to those who want to kill them, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army. But later on, people will live in Egypt again, as they did in times past. I, the LORD, have spoken.”
The LORD will Save his People
27 #
Jer 30.10–11
“My people, do not be afraid,
people of Israel, do not be terrified.
I will rescue you from that distant land,
from the land where you are prisoners.
You will come back home and live in peace;
you will be secure, and no one will make you afraid.
28I will come to you and save you.
I will destroy all the nations
where I have scattered you,
but I will not destroy you.
I will not let you go unpunished;
but when I punish you, I will be fair.
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Jeremiah 46
46
The Lord’s Messages About the Nations
1These messages about different nations came to Jeremiah the prophet from the Lord.
Messages About Egypt
2This message is about the nation of Egypt. It is about the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt. His army was defeated at the town of Carchemish. Carchemish is on the Euphrates River. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated the army of Pharaoh Neco at Carchemish in the fourth year that Jehoiakim#46:2 the fourth year … Jehoiakim This was about 605 B.C. son of Josiah was king of Judah. The Lord said,
3“Get your large and small shields ready.
March out for battle.
4Get the horses ready.
Soldiers, get on your horses.
Go to your places for battle.
Put your helmets on.
Sharpen your spears.
Put your armor on.
5What do I see?
That army is afraid.
The soldiers are running away.
Their brave soldiers are defeated.
They run away in a hurry.
They don’t look back.
There is danger all around.”
This is what the Lord said.
6“Fast men cannot run away.
Strong soldiers cannot escape.
They will all stumble and fall.
This will happen in the north, by the Euphrates River.
7Who is coming like the Nile River?
Who is coming like that strong, fast river?
8It is Egypt that comes like the rising Nile River.
It is Egypt that comes like that strong, fast river.
Egypt says, ‘I will come and cover the earth.
I will destroy the cities and the people in them.’
9Horse soldiers, charge into battle.
Chariot drivers, drive fast.
March on, brave soldiers.
Soldiers from Cush and Put, carry your shields.
Soldiers from Lydia, use your bows.
10“But on that day, the Lord GOD All-Powerful will win.
He will give his enemies the punishment they deserve.
His sword will kill until it is finished,
until it has satisfied its thirst for blood.
Yes, the Lord GOD All-Powerful will kill them as a sacrifice
in the land of the north by the Euphrates River.
11“Egypt, go to Gilead and get some medicine.
You will make up many medicines, but they will not help.
You will not be healed.
12The nations will hear you crying.
Your cries will be heard all over the earth.
One ‘brave soldier’ will run into another ‘brave soldier.’
And both ‘brave soldiers’ will fall down together.”
13This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about Nebuchadnezzar coming to attack Egypt.
14“Announce this message in Egypt.
Tell it in the city of Migdol.
Tell it in Memphis and Tahpanhes.
‘Get ready for war,
because people all around you are being killed with swords.’
15Egypt, your strong soldiers will be killed.
They will not be able to stand
because the Lord will push them down.
16They will stumble again and again.
They will fall over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up; let’s go back to our own people.
Let us go back to our homeland.
Our enemy is defeating us.
We must get away.’
17In their homelands, those soldiers will say,
‘Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is only a lot of noise.
His time of glory is over.’”
18This message is from the King.
The King is the Lord All-Powerful.
“I promise, as surely as I live, a powerful leader will come.
He will be like Mount Tabor or Mount Carmel among smaller mountains.
19People of Egypt, pack your things.
Get ready for captivity,
because Memphis will be a ruined, empty land.
Those cities will be destroyed,
and no one will live there.
20“Egypt is like a beautiful cow.
But a horsefly#46:20 horsefly A large insect that often flies around cows and horses and bites them. is coming from the north#46:20 north The Babylonian army came from this direction to attack Judah. Armies from countries north and east of Israel often came this way to attack Judah and Israel. to attack her.
21The hired soldiers in Egypt’s army are like fat calves.
They will all turn and run away.
They will not stand strong against the attack.
Their time of destruction is coming.
They will soon be punished.
22Egypt is like a snake hissing
and trying to escape.
The enemy comes closer and closer,
and the Egyptian army is trying to slither away.
The enemy will attack Egypt with axes,
like men cutting down trees.”
23This is what the Lord says:
“They will chop down Egypt’s forest.
There are many trees in that forest,
but they will all be cut down.
There are more enemy soldiers than locusts.
There are so many soldiers that no one can count them.
24Egypt will be ashamed.
The enemy from the north will defeat her.”
25The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says, “Very soon I will punish Amon,#46:25 Amon For many centuries Amon was the most important god of Egypt. At the time of this prophecy, he was not worshiped as much in northern Egypt. But he was still the most important god in southern Egypt, especially around the old Egyptian capital city of Thebes. the god of Thebes, and I will punish Pharaoh, Egypt, and her gods. I will punish the kings of Egypt, and I will punish the people who depend on Pharaoh. 26I will let all of them be defeated by their enemies—their enemies want to kill them. I will give the people to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his servants.
“Long ago, Egypt lived in peace. And after all these times of trouble, Egypt will live in peace again.” This is what the Lord said.
A Message for Northern Israel
27“Jacob, my servant, do not be afraid.
Do not be frightened, Israel.
I will save you from those faraway places.
I will save your children from the countries where they are captives.
Jacob will have peace and safety again,
and no one will make him afraid.”
28This is what the Lord says.
“Jacob, my servant, do not be afraid.
I am with you.
I sent you away to many different places.
But I will not destroy you completely.
But I will destroy all those nations.
You must be punished for the bad things you did.
So I will not let you escape your punishment.
I will discipline you, but I will be fair.”
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