23. They will cut down her people like trees,” says the lord,“for they are more numerous than locusts.
24. Egypt will be humiliated;she will be handed over to people from the north.”
25. The lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes, and all the other gods of Egypt. I will punish its rulers and Pharaoh, too, and all who trust in him.
26. I will hand them over to those who want them killed—to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his army. But afterward the land will recover from the ravages of war. I, the lord, have spoken!
27. “But do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant;do not be dismayed, Israel.For I will bring you home again from distant lands,and your children will return from their exile.Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet,and no one will terrorize them.
28. Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant,for I am with you,” says the lord.“I will completely destroy the nations to which I have exiled you,but I will not completely destroy you.I will discipline you, but with justice;I cannot let you go unpunished.”