Jeremiah 46
46
The Lord Speaks to Jeremiah about the Nations
1The Lord often told me what to say about the different nations of the world.
What the Lord Says about Egypt
2 #
Is 19.1-25; Ez 29.1—32.32. In the fourth year that Jehoiakim#46.2 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3. was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar#46.2 King Nebuchadnezzar: Ruled 605–562 b.c. At the time of the battle in 605 b.c., he was crown prince, but his father died a few months later, and he became king. of Babylonia defeated King Neco of Egypt#46.2 King Neco of Egypt: Neco II, ruled 609–594 b.c. in a battle at the city of Carchemish near the Euphrates River. And here is what the Lord told me to say about the Egyptian army:
3It's time to go into battle!
So grab your shields,
4saddle your horses,
and polish your spears.
Put on your helmets and armor,
then take your positions.
5I can see the battle now—
you are defeated
and running away,
never once looking back.
Terror is all around.
6You are strong and run fast,
but you can't escape.
You fall in battle
near the Euphrates River.
7What nation is this,
that rises like the Nile River
overflowing its banks?
8It is Egypt, rising with a roar
like a raging river
and saying,
“I'll flood the earth,
destroying cities, and killing
everyone in them.”
9Go ahead, Egypt.
Tell your chariots and cavalry
to attack and fight hard.
Order your troops to march out,
with Ethiopians#46.9 Ethiopians: See the note at 38.7,8. and Libyans
carrying shields,
and the Lydians#46.9 Lydians: Probably hired soldiers from Lydia, an area in west-central Asia minor. armed with bows
and arrows.
10But the Lord All-Powerful
will win this battle
and take revenge
on his enemies.
His sword will eat them
and drink their blood
until it is full.
They will be killed in the north
near the Euphrates River,
as a sacrifice to the Lord.
11Egypt, no medicine can heal you,
not even the soothing lotion
from Gilead.
12All nations have heard you weep;
you are disgraced,
and they know it.
Your troops fall to the ground,
stumbling over each other.
A Warning for Egypt
13-14 #
Jr 43.10-13. When King Nebuchadnezzar#46.13,14 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2. of Babylonia was on his way to attack Egypt, the Lord sent me with a warning for every Egyptian town, but especially for Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes. He said to tell them:
Prepare to defend yourselves!
Everywhere in your nation,
people are dying in war.
15I have struck down
your mighty god Apis#46.15 Apis: A sacred bull, kept in a temple at Memphis, Egypt, and worshiped as a god.
and chased him away.#46.15 I have … him away: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
16Your soldiers stumble
over each other
and say, “Get up!
The enemy will kill us,
unless we can escape
to our own land.”
17Give the king of Egypt
this new name,
“Talks-Big-Does-Nothing.”
18Egypt, I am the true king,
the Lord All-Powerful,
and as surely as I live,
those enemies who attack
will tower over you
like Mount Tabor among the hills
or Mount Carmel by the sea.
19You will be led away captive,
so pack a few things
to bring with you.
Your capital, Memphis,
will lie empty and in ruins.
20An enemy from the north
will attack you, beautiful Egypt,
like a fly biting a cow.
21The foreign soldiers you hired
will turn and run.
But they are doomed,
like well-fed calves
being led to the butcher.
* 22The enemy army will go forward
like a swarm of locusts.#46.22 locusts: A type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to plant life.
Your troops will feel helpless,
like a snake in a forest
23when men with axes
start chopping down trees.
It can only hiss
and try to escape.
24Your people will be disgraced
and captured by the enemy
from the north.
25I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. Soon I will punish the god Amon of Thebes#46.25 the god Amon of Thebes: Amon was the king of the Egyptian gods and was the special god of the Egyptian kings. and the other Egyptian gods, the Egyptian kings, the people of Egypt, and everyone who trusts in the Egyptian power. 26I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar and his army. But I also promise that Egypt will someday have people living here again, just as it had before. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Will Bring Israel Home
The Lord said:
27 #
Jr 30.10,11. Israel,#46.27 Israel: See the note at 30.10. don't be afraid.
Someday I will bring you home
from foreign lands.
You and your descendants
will live in peace and safety,
with nothing to fear.
28So don't be afraid,
even though now
you deserve to be punished
and have been scattered
among other nations.
But when I destroy them,
I will protect you.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 46
46
A message about Egypt
1This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:
2Concerning Egypt:
This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the River Euphrates by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:
3‘Prepare your shields, both large and small,
and march out for battle!
4Harness the horses,
mount the steeds!
Take your positions
with helmets on!
Polish your spears,
put on your armour!
5What do I see?
They are terrified,
they are retreating,
their warriors are defeated.
They flee in haste
without looking back,
and there is terror on every side,’ declares the Lord.
6‘The swift cannot flee
nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphrates
they stumble and fall.
7‘Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like rivers of surging waters?
8Egypt rises like the Nile,
like rivers of surging waters.
She says, “I will rise and cover the earth;
I will destroy cities and their people.”
9Charge, you horses!
Drive furiously, you charioteers!
March on, you warriors – men of Cush#46:9 That is, the upper Nile region and Put who carry shields,
men of Lydia who draw the bow.
10But that day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty –
a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devour till it is satisfied,
till it has quenched its thirst with blood.
For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice
in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.
11‘Go up to Gilead and get balm,
Virgin Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
there is no healing for you.
12The nations will hear of your shame;
your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
both will fall down together.’
13This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to attack Egypt:
14‘Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
proclaim it also in Memphis and Tahpanhes:
“Take your positions and get ready,
for the sword devours those around you.”
15Why will your warriors be laid low?
They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.
16They will stumble repeatedly;
they will fall over each other.
They will say, “Get up, let us go back
to our own people and our native lands,
away from the sword of the oppressor.”
17There they will exclaim,
“Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;
he has missed his opportunity.”
18‘As surely as I live,’ declares the King,
whose name is the Lord Almighty,
‘one will come who is like Tabor among the mountains,
like Carmel by the sea.
19Pack your belongings for exile,
you who live in Egypt,
for Memphis will be laid waste
and lie in ruins without inhabitant.
20‘Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
but a gadfly is coming
against her from the north.
21The mercenaries in her ranks
are like fattened calves.
They too will turn and flee together,
they will not stand their ground,
for the day of disaster is coming upon them,
the time for them to be punished.
22Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
like men who cut down trees.
23They will chop down her forest,’ declares the Lord,
‘dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,
they cannot be counted.
24Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
given into the hands of the people of the north.’
25The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. 26I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them – Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,’ declares the Lord.
27‘Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;
do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no-one will make him afraid.
28Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
for I am with you,’
declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.’
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