Jeremiah 46

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

1This is the message the LORD gave to Jeremiah about the other nations. Jeremiah was a prophet, someone who told people what God said.

2Against 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.

2The message was about Egypt, and about the army of Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt. That army lost a battle at a city called Carchemish, by the Euphrates River. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, beat them. This happened in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah.

3Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.

3Get your shields ready, the small ones and the big ones. March out to fight!

4Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.

4Hitch up the horses. Riders, climb on. Line up with your helmets on. Polish your spears. Put on your armor.

Note"Furbish the spears" means polish them. "Brigandines" were coats of armor that soldiers wore in battle.

5Wherefore 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.

5But what do I see? They are scared. They are running away. Their best fighters are beaten. They run fast and never look back. Fear is all around them, says the LORD.

6Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

6The fast ones cannot get away. The strong ones cannot escape. Up north, by the Euphrates River, they trip and fall.

7Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?

7Who is this rising up like a river that floods? Its water swirls and churns.

8Egypt 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.

8Egypt rises up like a flooding river, with churning water. Egypt says, "I will rise up and cover the earth. I will destroy the city and the people in it."

9Come 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.

9Charge, horses! Race wildly, chariots! Let the strong fighters march out. Bring the Ethiopians and Libyans who carry shields. Bring the Lydians who bend the bow.

10For 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.

10This day belongs to the Lord GOD of hosts, the God who leads armies. It is the day he pays back his enemies. The sword will eat until it has had enough. It will drink their blood until it is full. The Lord GOD of hosts will hold a sacrifice up north, by the Euphrates River.

11Go 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.

11Go up to Gilead and get balm, dear daughter Egypt. Balm is a medicine that comes from a tree. You will try many medicines, but none will work. You will not get well.

12The 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.

12The nations have heard how you were shamed. Your crying fills the land. One strong fighter trips over another. Both of them fall down together.

13The word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.

13This is the message the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet. It told how Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, would come and attack the land of Egypt.

14Declare 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.

14Tell it in Egypt. Announce it in Migdol. Announce it in Noph and in Tahpanhes. Say, "Stand in your places and get ready. The sword is eating up everyone around you."

NoteNoph is the Egyptian city later called Memphis. Migdol and Tahpanhes were towns in Egypt.

15Why are thy valiant men swept away? they stood not, because the LORD did drive them.

15Why were your brave fighters swept away? They could not stand, because the LORD pushed them down.

16He 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.

16He made many of them fall. They fell on top of one another. They said, "Get up! Let's go back to our own people. Let's go home to the land where we were born, away from this cruel sword."

17They did cry there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.

17There they cried out, "Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a lot of noise. He let his chance go by."

18As 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.

18The King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, says, "As surely as I live, someone is coming. He will stand out like Mount Tabor among the mountains. He will stand out like Mount Carmel beside the sea."

19O thou daughter dwelling in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity: for Noph shall be waste and desolate without an inhabitant.

19You who live in Egypt, pack your bags. You will be taken away as a prisoner. Noph will be left empty and ruined. No one will live there.

20Egypt is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.

20Egypt is like a pretty young cow. But someone is coming to destroy her. He is coming from the north.

21Also 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.

21The soldiers Egypt paid to help are like fat young cows. They turn around and run away together. They do not stand and fight. Their day of trouble has come. It is time for them to be punished.

22The voice thereof shall go like a serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.

22Egypt will hiss like a snake sliding away. The enemy will march against her with a big army. They will come with axes, like men chopping down trees.

23They shall cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable.

23They will cut down her forest, says the LORD, even though it is too thick to walk through. There are more of them than grasshoppers. No one can count them.

24The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.

24Daughter Egypt will be shamed. She will be handed over to the people from the north.

25The 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:

25The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says this: "I am going to punish Amon, the god of the city of No. I will punish Pharaoh, and Egypt, and her gods and her kings. I will punish Pharaoh and everyone who trusts him."

NoteNo is the Egyptian city also called Thebes. The KJV's "the multitude of No" stands for Amon, the god worshiped in that city.

26And 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.

26"I will hand them over to people who want to kill them. I will hand them to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his officers. But later, people will live in Egypt again, like long ago," says the LORD.

27But 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.

27"But you, Jacob my servant, do not be afraid. Israel, do not lose heart. I will save you from a land far away. I will bring your children back from the land where they were prisoners. Jacob will come home. He will live quietly and safely. No one will make him afraid."

28Fear 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.

28"Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant," says the LORD. "I am with you. I will completely destroy all the nations where I sent you. But I will not completely destroy you. I will correct you, and only as much as is fair. Still, I will not leave you unpunished."