1. That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.
2. To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3. "Line up the shield and buckler, And draw near for the battle!
4. "Harness the horses, And mount the steeds, And take your stand with helmets on! Polish the spears, Put on the scale-armor!
5. "Why have I seen it? They are terrified, They are drawing back, And their mighty men are defeated And have taken refuge in flight, Without facing back; Terror is on every side!" Declares the Lord.
6. Let not the swift man flee, Nor the mighty man escape; In the north beside the river Euphrates They have stumbled and fallen.
7. Who is this that rises like the Nile, Like the rivers whose waters surge about?
8. Egypt rises like the Nile, Even like the rivers whose waters surge about; And He has said, "I will rise and cover that land; I will surely destroy the city and its inhabitants."
9. Go up, you horses, and drive madly, you chariots, That the mighty men may march forward: Ethiopia and Put, that handle the shield, And the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
10. For that day belongs to the Lord God of hosts, A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the sword will devour and be satiated And drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a slaughter for the Lord God of hosts, In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.
11. Go up to Gilead and obtain balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt! In vain have you multiplied remedies; There is no healing for you.