1The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations2concerning 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 son of Josiah king of Judah3Prepare the shield and the large shield, and advance to battle4Harness the horses and mount the steeds, and take your positions with helmets; polish the spears; put on the armor5Why have I seen them shattered, turned back, and their mighty men crushed, and they fled without turning—terror on every side, declares the LORD6Let not the swift flee, nor let the mighty man escape; northward by the River Euphrates they stumbled and fell7Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge8Egypt rises like the Nile, and like rivers the waters surge; and he said, "I will rise, I will cover the land, I will destroy the city and those who dwell in it."9Mount the horses and drive the chariots madly, and let the mighty men go forth: Cush and Put who handle the shield, and the Ludites who handle and bend the bow10That day belongs to the Lord GOD of Hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes; the sword will devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood, for the Lord GOD of Hosts holds a sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates11Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt; in vain you multiply remedies—there is no healing for you12The nations have heard of your dishonor, and your outcry has filled the land; for warrior has stumbled against warrior—together they have fallen, both of them13The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to strike the land of Egypt14Declare it in Egypt and proclaim it in Migdol, and proclaim it in Memphis and in Tahpanhes; say, Stand ready and prepare yourselves, for the sword has devoured all around you15Why are your mighty ones prostrated? They do not stand, because the LORD thrust them down16He made many stumble; they also fell, each upon his neighbor; and they said, Arise, and let us return to our people and to the land of our birth, away from the sword of the oppressor17They called Pharaoh king of Egypt there a roar who let the appointed time pass.18As I live, declares the King whose name is the LORD of Hosts, surely one shall come like Tabor among the mountains and like Carmel by the sea19Prepare for yourself baggage for captivity, O inhabitant daughter of Egypt, for Memphis shall become a desolation and shall be burned and left without inhabitant20A beautiful heifer is Egypt; a gadfly from the north has come, has come21Even her hired men in her midst are like fattened calves, for they also have turned and fled together; they did not stand, because the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment22Her voice goes like a serpent, for they go with force and they come against her with axes like those who chop wood23They cut down her forest, declares the LORD, for it cannot be searched out, because they are more numerous than locusts and they have no number24The daughter of Egypt is put to shame; she is given into the hand of the people of the north25The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, has said: Behold, I am visiting Amon of Thebes and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings and Pharaoh and those who trust in him26And I will give them into the hand of those who seek their life and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his servants, and afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old, declares the LORD27But you, do not fear, O Jacob my servant, 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 and be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid28Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, for I am with you; I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end; I will discipline you in justice, and I will by no means leave you unpunished