Jeremiah 46
1 The LORD’s word which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.
The word of the Lord, that was maad to Jeremye, the profete, ayens hethene men;
2 Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh Necoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah.
to Egipt, ayens the oost of Farao Nechao, kyng of Egipt, that was bisidis the flood Eufrates, in Charchamys, whom Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, smoot, in the fourthe yeer of Joachym, sone of Josie, kyng of Juda.
3 “Prepare the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle!
Make ye redi scheeld and targat, and go ye forth to batel.
4 Harness the horses, and get up, you horsemen, and stand up with your helmets. Polish the spears, put on the coats of mail.
Ioyne ye horsis, and stie, ye knyytis; stonde ye in helmes, polische ye speris, clothe ye you in haburiowns.
5 Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and are turned backward. Their mighty ones are beaten down, have fled in haste, and don’t look back. Terror is on every side,” says the LORD.
What therfor? Y siy hem dredeful, and turnynge the backis, the stronge men of hem slayn; and thei fledden swiftli, and bihelden not; drede was on ech side, seith the Lord.
6 “Don’t let the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape. In the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen.
A swift man schal not fle, and a strong man gesse not hym silf to be saued; at the north, bisidis the flood Eufrates, thei weren ouer comun, and fellen doun.
7 “Who is this who rises up like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?
Who is this, that stieth as a flood, and hise swelewis wexen greet as of floodis?
8 Egypt rises up like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He says, ‘I will rise up. I will cover the earth. I will destroy cities and its inhabitants.’
Egipte stiede at the licnesse of a flood, and hise wawis schulen be mouyd as floodis; and it schal seie, Y schal stie, and hile the erthe; Y schal leese the citee, and dwelleris therof.
9 Go up, you horses! Rage, you chariots! Let the mighty men go out: Cush and Put, who handle the shield; and the Ludim, who handle and bend the bow.
Stie ye on horsis, and make ye ful out ioie in charis; and stronge men, come forth, Ethiopie and Libie, holdynge scheeld, and Lidii, takynge and schetynge arowis.
10 For that day is of the Lord, GOD of Armies, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge himself of his adversaries. The sword will devour and be satiated, and will drink its fill of their blood; for the Lord, GOD of Armies, has a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
Forsothe that dai of the Lord God of oostis is a dai of veniaunce, that he take veniaunce of hise enemyes; the swerd schal deuoure, and schal be fillid, and schal greetli be fillid with the blood of hem; for whi the slayn sacrifice of the Lord of oostis is in the lond of the north, bisidis the flood Eufrates.
11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, virgin daughter of Egypt. You use many medicines in vain. There is no healing for you.
Thou virgyn, the douyter of Egipt, stie in to Galaad, and take medicyn. In veyn thou schalt multiplie medecyns; helthe schal not be to thee.
12 The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty, they both fall together.”
Hethene men herden thi schenschipe, and thi yellyng fillide the erthe; for a strong man hurtlide ayens a strong man, and bothe fellen doun togidere.
13 The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon should come and strike the land of Egypt:
The word which the Lord spak to Jeremye, the profete, on that that Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, was to comynge, and to smytynge the lond of Egipt.
14 “Declare in Egypt, publish in Migdol, and publish in Memphis and in Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand up, and prepare, for the sword has devoured around you.’
Telle ye to Egipt, and make ye herd in Magdalo, and sowne it in Memphis, and seie ye in Taphnys, Stonde thou, and make thee redi, for a swerd schal deuoure tho thingis that ben bi thi cumpas.
15 Why are your strong ones swept away? They didn’t stand, because the LORD pushed them.
Whi hath thi strong man wexe rotun? He stood not, for the Lord vndurturnede hym.
16 He made many to stumble. Yes, they fell on one another. They said, ‘Arise! Let’s go again to our own people, and to the land of our birth, from the oppressing sword.’
He multipliede falleris, and a man felle doun to his neiybore; and thei schulen seie, Rise ye, and turne we ayen to oure puple, and to the lond of oure birthe, fro the face of swerd of the culuer.
17 They cried there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he has let the appointed time pass by.’
Clepe ye the name of Farao, kyng of Egipt; the tyme hath brouyt noise.
18 “As I live,” says the King, whose name is the LORD of Armies, “surely like Tabor amongst the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so he will come.
Y lyue, seith the kyng, the Lord of oostis is his name; for it schal come as Thabor in hillis, and as Carmele in the see.
19 You daughter who dwells in Egypt, furnish yourself to go into captivity; for Memphis will become a desolation, and will be burnt up, without inhabitant.
Thou dwelleresse, the douyter of Egipt, make to thee vessels of passyng ouer; for whi Memfis schal be in to wildirnesse, and schal be forsakun vnhabitable.
20 “Egypt is a very beautiful heifer; but destruction out of the north has come. It has come.
Egipt is a schapli cow calf, and fair; a prickere fro the north schal come to it.
21 Also her hired men in the middle of her are like calves of the stall, for they also are turned back. They have fled away together. They didn’t stand, for the day of their calamity has come on them, the time of their visitation.
Also the hirid men therof, that liueden as caluys maad fatte in the myddis therof, ben turned, and fledden togidere, and miyten not stonde; for the dai of sleynge of hem schal come on hem, the tyme of the visityng of hem.
22 Its sound will go like the serpent, for they will march with an army, and come against her with axes, as wood cutters.
The vois of hem schal sowne as of bras, for thei schulen haste with oost, and with axis thei schulen come to it. As men kittynge doun trees thei kittiden doun the forest therof,
23 They will cut down her forest,” says the LORD, “though it can’t be searched; because they are more than the locusts, and are innumerable.
seith the Lord, which mai not be noumbrid; thei ben multiplied ouer locustis, and no noumbre is in hem.
24 The daughter of Egypt will be disappointed; she will be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.”
The douytir of Egipt is schent, and bitakun in to the hond of the puple of the north,
25 The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will punish Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh, and those who trust in him.
seide the Lord of oostis, God of Israel. Lo! Y schal visite on the noise of Alisaundre, and on Farao, and on Egipt, and on the goddis therof, and on the kyngis therof, and on hem that tristen in hym.
26 I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants. Afterwards it will be inhabited, as in the days of old,” says the LORD.
And Y schal yyue hem in to the hondis of men that seken the lijf of hem, and in to the hondis of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and in to the hondis of hise seruauntis; and aftir these thingis it schal be enhabitid, as in the formere daies, seith the Lord.
27 “But don’t you be afraid, Jacob my servant. Don’t be dismayed, Israel; for, behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob will return, and will be quiet and at ease. No one will make him afraid.
And thou, Jacob, my seruaunt, drede thou not, and Israel, drede thou not; for lo! Y schal make thee saaf fro fer place, and thi seed fro the lond of his caitiftee; and Jacob schal turne ayen, and schal reste, and schal haue prosperite, and noon schal be, that schal make hym aferd.
28 Don’t be afraid, O Jacob my servant,” says the LORD, “for I am with you; for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, but I will not make a full end of you, but I will correct you in measure, and will in no way leave you unpunished.”
And Jacob, my seruaunt, nyle thou drede, seith the Lord, for Y am with thee; for Y schal waste alle folkis, to whiche Y castide thee out; but Y schal not waste thee, but Y schal chastise thee in doom, and Y schal not spare thee as innocent.
