Jeremiah 46:1-12

The Lord's messages about Egypt

1 The Lord gave the prophet Jeremiah messages about the nations.

2 This is the message about Egypt.

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his army fought against the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt. Babylon's army won the battle against Egypt's army at Carchemish on the Euphrates river. That happened in the fourth year that Josiah's son Jehoiakim ruled Judah as king.

3 ‘Get ready to march to the battle!

Pick up your shields and your weapons.

4 Prepare your horses and sit on them.

Put on your helmets and be ready to fight.

Make your spears sharp.

Put on your armour!’

5 The Lord says,

‘But I see this:

The soldiers are afraid and they are running away!

They cannot win the fight.

Terror is everywhere around them.

They do not turn to look behind them.

They run away as fast as they can.

6 But none of them can run fast enough.

Even the strongest soldiers cannot escape.

In the north, beside the River Euphrates,

they fall down to the ground.

7 A nation is rising up, like the great waters of the Nile river.

Who is this nation?

8 Egypt is rising like the waters of the Nile.

Its streams of water quickly pour out over the earth.

Egypt says, “I will rise up and I will cover the earth.

I will destroy cities.

I will kill the people who live in them.”

9 So ride your horses quickly into the battle!

Drive your chariots as fast as they will go!

Tell your soldiers to march forward into the battle.

Send your soldiers of Ethiopia and Libya who carry shields.

Send your soldiers of Lydia who have bows and arrows.

10 But it is the Lord God Almighty who will win!

It is the day when he will punish his enemies.

His sword will completely destroy them,

like a hungry person who cannot stop eating!

His sword will cause a lot of blood to pour out.

The Lord God Almighty will accept his enemies as a sacrifice.

That is what will happen in the northern land beside the Euphrates river.

11 Dear people of Egypt,

go to Gilead and find medicine to make you well.

But that will not help you.

There is no medicine that will make you better.

12 The other nations will see that you are ashamed.

All over the earth, people will hear you as you weep.

As your soldiers run from the battle,

they will fall over each other.

They will fall to the ground together.’