1. The Lord spoke to me about the nations,
2. beginning 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 readyand march into battle!
4. Harness 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 canand do not look back.
6. Those who run fast cannot get away;the soldiers cannot escape.In the north, by the Euphrates,they stumble and fall.
7. Who is this that rises like the Nile,like a river flooding its banks?
8. It 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.
9. Command the horses to goand the chariots to roll!Send out the soldiers:men from Ethiopia and Libya, carrying shields,and skilled archers from Lydia.’ ”
10. This 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 victimsin the north, by the Euphrates.