Catholic Public Domain Version

Jeremiah 46:2-19 Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)

2. about Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh Neco, the king of Egypt, which was beside the river Euphrates at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, struck down, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah:

3. " 'Prepare the heavy and the light shield, and advance to war!

4. Harness the horses, and let the horsemen climb upon them! Stand forth with helmets! Sharpen the lances! Clothe yourselves in armor!'

5. And what is next? I have seen them terrified, and turning their backs, their strong ones cut down. They have fled in disorder and have not looked back. Terror on every side, says the Lord.

6. Let not the swift take flight; let not the strong ones think to save themselves. They have been conquered and ruined, toward the north, near the river Euphrates.

7. Who is this, who ascends like a flood, and whose streams swell up, like those of the rivers?

8. Egypt ascends in the form of a river, and its waves will be moved like those of a river. And he will say: 'I will ascend and cover the earth! I will perish the city and its inhabitants!'

9. Mount the horses, and exult upon chariots, and let the strong ones advance: the Ethiopians, and the Libyans, who hold the heavy shield, and the Lydians, who grasp and shoot arrows.

10. For this is the day of the Lord, the God of hosts, a day of vengeance, so that he may vindicate himself of his enemies. The sword will devour, and be satiated, and be inebriated with their blood. For there is a victim of the Lord, the God of hosts, in the land of the north, beside the river Euphrates.

11. Ascend to Gilead, and take its balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! It is in vain that you multiply medicines; there will be no health for you!

12. The nations have heard of your disgrace, and your wailing has filled the earth. For the strong have stumbled against the strong, and both have fallen together."

13. The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, concerning how Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, would arrive and strike the land of Egypt:

14. "Announce it to Egypt, and make it heard in Migdol, and let it resonate in Memphis and in Tahpanhes. Say this: Stand and prepare yourself! For the sword will devour everything around you.

15. Why have your strong ones decayed? They have not stood firm, because the Lord has overthrown them.

16. He has multiplied those in ruin, and each man has fallen beside his neighbor. And they will say: 'Rise up, and let us return to our own people and to the land of our nativity, away from the face of the sword of the dove.

17. Call the name of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt: 'Time has brought tumult.'

18. As I live, says the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, just as Tabor is among the mountains, and just as Carmel is beside the sea, so will he come.

19. Equip yourself for the transmigration, O daughter who inhabitants Egypt. For Memphis will be in desolation, and it will be deserted and uninhabited.