Study Desk

That which came as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles;

To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah.

"Set up the buckler and shield, And advance to the battle!

Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.

"Harness the horses, And mount the steeds, Take your stand with helmets on! Polish the spears, Put on the coats of armor!

Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.

"Why have I seen it? They are terrified, They are retreating, And their warriors are defeated And have taken refuge in flight, Without facing back. Terror is on every side!" Declares the LORD.

Wherefore have I seen them dismayed and turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: for fear was round about, saith the Lord .

Let not the swift man flee, Nor the warrior escape. In the north beside the river Euphrates They have stumbled and fallen.

Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

Who is this that rises like the Nile, Like the rivers whose waters surge?

Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?

Egypt rises like the Nile, And like the rivers whose waters surge; And He has said, "I will rise and cover that land; I will destroy the city and its inhabitants."

Egypt riseth up like a flood, and his waters are moved like the rivers; and he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof.

Go up, you horses, and drive wildly, you chariots, So that the warriors may march forward: Cush and Put, who handle the shield, And the Lydians, who handle and bend the bow.

Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.

For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of armies, A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes; And the sword will devour and be satisfied, And drink its fill of their blood; For there will be a slaughter for the Lord GOD of armies, In the land of the north at the river Euphrates.

For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

Go up to Gilead and obtain balm, Virgin daughter of Egypt! You have used many remedies in vain; There is no healing for you.

Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.

The nations have heard of your shame, And the earth is full of your cry of distress; For one warrior has stumbled over another, And both of them have fallen down together.

The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land: for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, and they are fallen both together.

This is the message which the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:

The word that the Lord spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.

"Declare in Egypt and proclaim in Migdol, Proclaim also in Memphis and Tahpanhes; Say, 'Take your stand and get yourself ready, For the sword has devoured those around you.'

Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about thee.

"Why have your powerful ones been cut down? They do not stand because the LORD has thrust them away.

Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the Lord did drive them.

"They have repeatedly stumbled; Indeed, they have fallen, one against another. Then they said, 'Get up, and let's go back To our own people and our native land, Away from the sword of the oppressor!'

He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.

"They shouted there, 'Pharaoh king of Egypt is nothing but a big noise; He has let the appointed time pass by!'

They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.

"As I live," declares the King, Whose name is the LORD of armies, "One certainly shall come who is like Tabor among the mountains, Or like Carmel by the sea.

As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.

"Make your baggage ready for exile, Daughter living in Egypt, For Memphis will become a desolation; It will be destroyed and deprived of inhabitants.

O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.

"Egypt is a pretty heifer, But a horsefly is coming from the north—it is coming!

Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.

"Also her mercenaries in her midst Are like fattened calves, For they too have turned away and have fled together; They did not stand their ground. For the day of their disaster has come upon them, The time of their punishment.

Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.

"Its sound moves along like a serpent; For they move on like an army And come to her as woodcutters with axes.

The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.

"They have cut down her forest," declares the LORD; "Certainly it will no longer be found, Even though they are more numerous than locusts And are without number.

They shall cut down her forest, saith the Lord , though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.

"The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame, Turned over to the power of the people of the north."

The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.

The LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: "Behold, I am going to punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her gods and her kings, indeed, Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:

"I shall hand them over to those who are seeking their lives, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to his officers. Afterward, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old," declares the LORD.

And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the Lord .

"But as for you, Jacob My servant, do not fear, Nor be dismayed, Israel! For, see, I am going to save you from far away, And your descendants from the land of their captivity; And Jacob will return and be undisturbed And secure, with no one making him afraid.

But fear not thou, O my servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

"Jacob My servant, do not fear," declares the LORD, "For I am with you. For I will make a complete destruction of all the nations Where I have driven you, Yet I will not make a complete destruction of you; But I will correct you properly And by no means leave you unpunished."

Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the Lord : for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.