Jeremiah 46
1 In the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, the Lord's message that came to Jeremiah the prophet about foreign nations.
The wordes of the Lord, which came to Ieremiah the Prophet against the Gentiles,
2 This concerns Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt and the Egyptian army which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
As against Egypt, against ye armie of Pharaoh Necho King of Egypt, which was by the riuer Perath in Carchemish, which Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel smote in the fourth yere of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah.
3 Pick up both your small and large shields, and advance ready for battle!
Make readie buckler and shielde, and goe forth to battell.
4 Put the harnesses on the horses and get into your chariots; take your positions with your helmets on! Sharpen your spears; put on your armor!
Make readie the horses, and let the horsemen get vp, and stande vp with your sallets, fourbish the speares, and put on the brigandines.
5 Why do I see their lines broken and retreating? Their soldiers are defeated. They run away so quickly they don't even look back because they're so terrified by what's happening around them, declares the Lord.
Wherefore haue I seene them afraid, and driuen backe? for their mighty men are smitten, and are fled away, and looke not backe: for feare was rounde about, sayeth the Lord.
6 Even the fastest of them can't get away; the soldiers can't escape. There in the north beside the Euphrates they fall and die.
The swift shall not flee away, nor the strong man escape: they shall stumble, and fall towarde the North by the riuer Perath.
7 Who is this that's coming, rising like the Nile, like swirling rivers whose waters flood?
Who is this, that commeth vp, as a flood, whose waters are mooued like the riuers?
8 Egypt is rising like the Nile; its waters swirl like flooding rivers, boasting, “I will rise and sweep over the earth; I will destroy towns and the people in them.”
Egypt riseth vp like the flood, and his waters are mooued like the riuers, and he sayth, I wil goe vp, and will couer the earth: I wil destroy the citie with them that dwell therein.
9 Horses, charge in! Chariots, drive like crazy! Have the infantry advance: soldiers from Ethiopia and Put carrying their shields, archers from Lydia with their bows.
Come vp, ye horses, and rage ye charets, and let the valiant men come foorth, the blacke Mores, and the Lybians that beare the shield, and the Lydians that handle and bend the bowe.
10 But this is the day of the Lord God Almighty, a day of retribution when he takes vengeance on his enemies. The sword will destroy until it is satisfied, until it's had enough of their blood. The Lord God Almighty is having a sacrifice in the north country beside the Euphrates.
For this is the day of ye Lord God of hostes, and a day of vengeance, that he may auenge him of his enemies: for the sworde shall deuoure, and it shall be saciate, and made drunke with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the North countrey by the Riuer Perath.
11 Go and find some healing ointment in Gilead, Virgin Daughter of Egypt! But whatever you use to help you will fail, because there's nothing that will heal you.
Goe vp vnto Gilead, and take balme, O virgine, the daughter of Egypt: in vaine shalt thou vse many medicines: for thou shalt haue no health.
12 The other nations have heard how you were humiliated in defeat. Everyone can hear your cries of pain. Soldiers fall over each other, and die together.
The nations haue heard of thy shame, and thy crie hath filled the lande: for the strong hath stumbled against the strong and they are fallen both together.
13 This is the message that the Lord gave to Jeremiah the prophet about the attack by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon on Egypt:
The woorde that the Lord spake to Ieremiah the Prophet, howe Nebuchad-nezzar king of Babel shoulde come and smite the lande of Egypt.
14 Shout a warning in Egypt! Tell everyone in Migdol, and in Memphis and Tahpanhes: Get ready to defend yourselves, because war is destroying everything around you.
Publish in Egypt and declare in Migdol, and proclaime in Noph, and in Tahpanhes, and say, Stand still, and prepare thee: for the sworde shall deuoure rounde about thee.
15 Why did Apis your bull god run away? He couldn't stand his ground because the Lord has knocked him down.
Why are thy valiant men put backe? they could not stand, because the Lord did driue them.
16 Many soldiers trip and fall over one another and say, “Come on! Let's get back home to our people where we were born, otherwise we're going to be killed.”
Hee made many to fall, and one fell vpon another: and they saide, Arise, let vs goe againe to our owne people, and to the land of our natiuitie from the sworde of the violent.
17 When they get there they'll say about Pharaoh king of Egypt, “He just makes a lot of noise. He wasted his opportunity.”
They did cry there, Pharaoh King of Egypt, and of a great multitude hath passed the time appointed.
18 As I live, declares the King who has the name “the Lord Almighty,” the king of Babylon will come. He is like Mount Tabor that stands out from the other mountains, like Mount Carmel high above the sea.
As I liue, saith the King, whose Name is the Lord of hostes, surely as Tabor is in the mountaines, and as Carmel is in the sea: so shall it come.
19 Pack your bags ready for exile, daughter living in Egypt! Memphis is going to be destroyed, an empty place where no one lives.
O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, make thee geare to goe into captiuitie: for Noph shall be waste and desolate, without an inhabitant.
20 Egypt is a beautiful young cow, but a stinging insect from the north is coming to attack her.
Egypt is like a faire calfe, but destruction commeth: out of the North it commeth.
21 The soldiers that Egypt hired are like calves made fat for slaughter. They will also retreat. They won't stand and fight—they will all run away. Their day of destruction is coming; the time when they'll be punished.
Also her hired men are in the middes of her like fat calues: they are also turned backe and fled away together: they could not stand, because the day of their destruction was come vpon them, and the time of their visitation.
22 The Egyptians will retreat with a rustle like a snake sliding away, because the enemy will attack them with axes, coming at them like wood-cutters chopping down trees.
The voyce thereof shall goe foorth like a serpent: for they shall march with an armie, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
23 They will cut them down like a thick forest, declares the Lord, because the invaders are like a swarm of locusts—there's so many of them that they can't be counted.
They shall cut downe her forest, saith the Lord: for they cannot be counted, because they are moe then ye grashoppers, and are innumerable.
24 The people of Egypt will be humiliated. They will be handed over to the people of the north.
The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded: she shall be deliuered into the handes of the people of the North.
25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Watch, because I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes, and Pharaoh. I will punish the people of Egypt with their gods and kings, and everyone who trusts in Pharaoh.
Thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Behold, I will visite the common people of No and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods and their Kings, euen Pharaoh, and al them that trust in him,
26 I'm going to hand them over to those who want to kill them, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. But after all this happens, people will live in Egypt as they used to, declares the Lord.
And I will deliuer them into the handes of those, that seeke their liues, and into the hand of Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel, and into the handes of his seruants, and afterwarde she shall dwell as in the olde time, saith the Lord.
27 But you, descendants of Jacob my servant, you don't have to be fearful. Israelites, you don't need to be discouraged. I promise to rescue you from your distant places of exile, your descendants from the countries where they're being held captive. You will go home to a quiet and comfortable life, free from any threats.
But feare not thou, O my seruant Iaakob, and be not thou afraid, O Israel: for behold, I will deliuer thee from a farre countrey, and thy seede from the land of their captiuitie, and Iaakob shall returne and be in rest, and prosperitie, and none shall make him afraid.
28 You descendants of Jacob, don't be afraid! declares the Lord, for I will be with you. I will completely destroy all the nations where I've scattered you, I won't completely destroy you. However, I will discipline you as you deserve, and you can be sure I won't leave you unpunished.
Feare thou not, O Iaakob my seruant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee, and I will vtterly destroy all the nations, whither I haue driuen thee: but I will not vtterly destroy thee, but correct thee by iudgement, and not vtterly cut thee off.
