1. The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations.
2. Against Egypt.Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3. “Order the buckler and shield,And draw near to battle!
4. Harness the horses,And mount up, you horsemen!Stand forth with your helmets,Polish the spears,Put on the armor!
5. Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back?Their mighty ones are beaten down;They have speedily fled,And did not look back,For fear was all around,” says the Lord.
6. “Do not let the swift flee away,Nor the mighty man escape;They will stumble and fallToward the north, by the River Euphrates.
7. “Who is this coming up like a flood,Whose waters move like the rivers?
8. Egypt rises up like a flood,And its waters move like the rivers;And he says, ‘I will go up and cover the earth,I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.’
9. Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots!And let the mighty men come forth:The Ethiopians and the Libyans who handle the shield,And the Lydians who handle and bend the bow.
10. For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts,A day of vengeance,That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries.The sword shall devour;It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood;For the Lord God of hosts has a sacrificeIn the north country by the River Euphrates.
11. “Go up to Gilead and take balm,O virgin, the daughter of Egypt;In vain you will use many medicines;You shall not be cured.
12. The nations have heard of your shame,And your cry has filled the land;For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty;They both have fallen together.”
13. The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and strike the land of Egypt.
14. “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol;Proclaim in Noph and in Tahpanhes;Say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves,For the sword devours all around you.’
15. Why are your valiant men swept away?They did not standBecause the Lord drove them away.