| New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations. | 1This is the word of the LORD that came to the prophet Jeremiah about the nations: |
| 2Against 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: | 2About Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco, Egypt's king, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in the fourth year of Judah's King Jehoiakim son of Josiah: |
| 3“Order the buckler and shield, And draw near to battle! | 3Deploy small shields and large; approach for battle! |
| 4Harness the horses, And mount up, you horsemen! Stand forth with your helmets, Polish the spears, Put on the armor! | 4Harness the horses; mount the steeds; take your positions with helmets on! Polish the lances; put on armor! |
| 5Why 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. | 5Why have I seen this? They are terrified, they are retreating, their warriors are crushed, they flee headlong, they never look back, terror is on every side! This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 6“Do not let the swift flee away, Nor the mighty man escape; They will stumble and fall Toward the north, by the River Euphrates. | 6The swift cannot flee, and the warrior cannot escape! In the north by the bank of the Euphrates River, they stumble and fall. |
| 7“Who is this coming up like a flood, Whose waters move like the rivers? | 7Who is this, rising like the Nile, with waters that churn like rivers? |
| 8Egypt 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.’ | 8Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn like rivers. He boasts, "I will go up, I will cover the earth; I will destroy cities with their residents." |
| 9Come 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. | 9Rise up, you cavalry! Race furiously, you chariots! Let the warriors march out--Cush and Put, who are able to handle shields, and the men of Lud, who are able to handle and string the bow. |
| 10For 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 sacrifice In the north country by the River Euphrates. | 10That day belongs to the Lord, the GOD of Armies, a day of vengeance to avenge himself against his adversaries. The sword will devour and be satisfied; it will drink its fill of their blood, because it will be a sacrifice to the Lord, the GOD of Armies, in the northern land by the Euphrates River. |
| 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. | 11Go up to Gilead and get balm, Virgin Daughter Egypt! You have multiplied remedies in vain; there is no healing for you. |
| 12The 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.” | 12The nations have heard of your dishonor, and your cries fill the earth, because warrior stumbles against warrior and together both of them have fallen. |
| 13The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and strike the land of Egypt. | 13This is the word the LORD spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about the coming of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to defeat 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.’ | 14Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol! Proclaim it in Memphis and in Tahpanhes! Say, "Take positions! Prepare yourself, for the sword devours all around you." |
| 15Why are your valiant men swept away? They did not stand Because the LORD drove them away. | 15Why have your strong ones been swept away? Each has not stood, for the LORD has thrust him down. |
| 16He made many fall; Yes, one fell upon another. And they said, ‘Arise! Let us go back to our own people And to the land of our nativity From the oppressing sword.’ | 16He continues to stumble. Indeed, each falls over the other. They say, "Get up! Let's return to our people and to our native land, away from the oppressor's sword." |
| 17They cried there, ‘Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise. He has passed by the appointed time!’ | 17There they will cry out, "Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise; he let the opportune moment pass." |
| 18“As I live,” says the King, Whose name is the LORD of hosts, “Surely as Tabor is among the mountains And as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come. | 18As I live--this is the King's declaration; the LORD of Armies is his name--the king of Babylon will come like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea. |
| 19O you daughter dwelling in Egypt, Prepare yourself to go into captivity! For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant. | 19Get your bags ready for exile, inhabitant of Daughter Egypt! For Memphis will become a desolation, uninhabited ruins. |
| 20“Egypt is a very pretty heifer, But destruction comes, it comes from the north. | 20Egypt is a beautiful young cow, but a horsefly from the north is coming against her. |
| 21Also her mercenaries are in her midst like fat bulls, For they also are turned back, They have fled away together. They did not stand, For the day of their calamity had come upon them, The time of their punishment. | 21Even her mercenaries among her are like stall-fed calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee; they will not take their stand, for the day of their calamity is coming on them, the time of their punishment. |
| 22Her noise shall go like a serpent, For they shall march with an army And come against her with axes, Like those who chop wood. | 22Egypt will hiss like a slithering snake, for the enemy will come with an army; with axes they will come against her like those who cut trees. |
| 23“They shall cut down her forest,” says the LORD, “Though it cannot be searched, Because they are innumerable, And more numerous than grasshoppers. | 23They will cut down her forest--this is the LORD's declaration--though it is dense, for they are more numerous than locusts; they cannot be counted. |
| 24The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed; She shall be delivered into the hand Of the people of the north.” | 24Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, handed over to a northern people. |
| 25The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will bring punishment on Amon of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who trust in him. | 25The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, "I am about to punish Amon, god of Thebes, along with Pharaoh, Egypt, her gods, and her kings--Pharaoh and those trusting in him. |
| 26And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old,” says the LORD. | 26I will hand them over to those who intend to take their lives--to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his officers. But after this, Egypt will be inhabited again as in ancient times." This is the LORD's declaration. |
| 27“But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; No one shall make him afraid. | 27But you, my servant Jacob, do not be afraid, and do not be discouraged, Israel, for without fail I will save you from far away, and your descendants from the land of their captivity! Jacob will return and have calm and quiet with no one to frighten him. |
| 28Do not fear, O Jacob My servant,” says the LORD, “For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, But I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished.” | 28And you, my servant Jacob, do not be afraid--this is the LORD's declaration--for I will be with you. I will bring destruction on all the nations where I have banished you, but I will not bring destruction on you. I will discipline you with justice, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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