Against Egypt.

This is the word of THE LORD that came to the prophet Jeremiah in regard to the nations.

       Concerning Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco, the king of Egypt, which was stationed at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and which Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, defeated in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim of Judah, the son of Josiah:

       Prepare your bucklers and

          shields and march forth for battle.

       Harness the horses;

          let the riders mount.

       Don your helmets

          and take your stations.

       Sharpen your spears

          and put on your breastplates.

       What is this shameful spectacle I behold?

          They fall back in terror.

       Their warriors are routed

          and are in headlong flight

          without glancing back.

       There is terror on every side,

          says THE LORD.

       The swift cannot flee,

          nor can the brave warriors escape.

       In the north, by the River Euphrates,

          they have stumbled and fallen.

       Who is this that rises like the Nile,

          like rivers of torrential waters?

       Egypt rises up like the Nile,

          like rivers of torrential waters.

       I will rise up, Egypt says, and cover the earth;

          I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.

       Advance, O horses,

          and drive madly, O chariots.

       Let the warriors advance:

          men from Ethiopia and Put bearing shields,

          and men from Lud who draw their bows.

       This day belongs to THE LORD GOD OF

              HOSTS,

          a day of retribution

          and vengeance on HIS enemies.

       The sword will devour and be sated

          until drunk with their blood.

       For THE LORD GOD OF HOSTS

          is holding a sacrificial feast

       in the land of the north

          by the River Euphrates.

       Go up to Gilead and obtain balm,

          O virgin daughter Egypt.

       The many medicines you have used

          have afforded you no healing.

       The nations have heard of your shame;

          the earth is filled with your cries.

       Warrior stumbles against warrior,

          and both fall down together.

       The word that THE LORD spoke to the prophet Jeremiah in regard to the advance of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to attack the land of Egypt:

       Announce it in Egypt and proclaim it in

              Migdol;

          proclaim it also in Noph and Tahpanhes.

       Say, "Take your stations and be prepared,

          for the sword will devour those around

              you."

       Why have your warriors been laid low?

          They were unable to stand

          because THE LORD has thrust them down.

       They stumbled and fell,

          and then they said to one another,

       "Come, let us return to our own people

          and to the land of our birth,

          far from the swords of our oppressors."

       They gave this nickname to Pharaoh, the king

              of Egypt:

          "One who boasts but never succeeds."

       As I live, says THE KING,

          whose name is THE LORD OF HOSTS,

       one is coming like Tabor among the

          mountains,

          like Carmel by the sea.

       Prepare your baggage to go into exile,

          you inhabitants of Egypt.

       Memphis will become a desert waste,

          a desolate, uninhabited ruin.

       Egypt is a beautiful heifer,

          but a gadfly from the north

          is preparing to move against her.

       Even the mercenaries in her midst

          are like fatted calves,

       but they have turned and fled together

          rather than stand their ground.

       For the day of disaster has overtaken them,

          the time of their punishment.

       Egypt is hissing like a retreating snake,

          for her enemies are advancing in force.

       They move against her with axes,

          like men who fell her trees.

       They will cut down her forest, says

              THE LORD,

          even though it appears impenetrable,

       because they are more numerous than

              locusts;

          they are beyond counting.

       Daughter Egypt will be disgraced,

          handed over to a people from the north.

       THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, has said: Behold, I will punish Amon of Thebes, and Egypt, her gods and her kings, Pharaoh and those who trust in him. I will hand them over to those who seek their lives, to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and his officials. At a later time, Egypt will be inhabited again as in times past, says THE LORD.

       But as for you, MY servant Jacob, fear not;

          Israel, do not be dismayed.

       Behold, I will rescue you from afar

          and your descendants from the land of their

              exile.

       Jacob will return and be at peace again,

          tranquil, with no one to trouble him.

       Have no fear, MY servant Jacob,

          for I am with you, says THE LORD.

       I will make an end of all the nations

          where I have dispersed you,

          but I will not make an end of you.

       I will discipline you only as you deserve;

          I will not allow you to escape totally

              unpunished.

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 46

Against the Philistines.

This is the word of THE LORD that came to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza. Thus says THE LORD:

       Behold how the waters are rising from the

              north;

          they will become an everlasting torrent.

       They shall flood the land and all that is in it,

          the towns and those who live in them.

       People will cry out for help,

          and all the inhabitants of the land will wail.

       On hearing the thundering hooves of the

              stallions,

          the noise of the chariots and their rumbling

              wheels,

       fathers do not turn to help their children;

          their hands fall limp,

       because the day has come

          to destroy all the Philistines,

       and to cut off Tyre and Sidon

          from any allies who could support them.

       THE LORD is destroying the Philistines,

          the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.

       Baldness has afflicted Gaza;

          Ashkelon has been silenced.

       O remnant of the Philistine strength,

          how long will you continue to gash

              yourselves?

       Ah, sword of THE LORD,

          how long will it be before you rest?

       Return back to your scabbard.

          Cease and be still.

       But how can you be at rest

          when THE LORD has given you an order,

       when he has commanded you to subdue

          Ashkelon and the seacoast?

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 47

Against Moab.

In regard to Moab, thus says THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL:

       How sad it is that Nebo has been laid waste;

          Kiriathaim has been captured and put to

              shame.

       The fortress has been disgraced and

             overthrown;

          the glory of Moab no longer exists.

       In Heshbon, they plot her downfall:

          "Come, let us put an end to her as a

              nation."

       And you too, inhabitants of Madmen,

          will be reduced to silence,

          slain by the sword.

       Cries of anguish rise up from Horoniam,

          speaking of devastation and complete

              destruction.

       Moab has been crushed;

          the agonized cries of her little ones

          can be heard as far away as Zoar.

       On the ascent to Luhith

          they climb weeping bitterly.

       On the descent to Horonaim

          the anguished cry of destruction is heard:

       "Flee! Save your lives!

          Survive like a wild ass in the desert!"

       Because you placed your trust

          in your strongholds and your treasures,

          you also will be captured.

       Chemosh will go into exile,

          along with all his priests and attendants.

       The destroyer will move against every town;

          not a single town will escape.

       The valley will be laid waste,

          and the plain will be destroyed,

          as THE LORD has said.

       Set aside salt for Moab,

          for she will be laid waste;

       her towns will be left in ruins,

          without a single inhabitant.

       Accursed are those who are negligent

          in doing the work of THE LORD,

       and accursed also is the one

          who withholds his sword from bloodshed.

       From its earliest days

          Moab has been undisturbed

          and never has gone into exile.

       It has been like wine settled on its lees

          that has never been transferred

          from one decanter to another.

       Thus its flavor has remained unaltered,

          and its aroma has stayed unchanged.

       Therefore, the days are coming, says

              THE LORD,

          when I will send men to him

          to tilt the jars.

       They will empty the vessels

          and smash the jars.

       Moab will then be ashamed of Chemosh,

          as the house of Israel was ashamed of

              Bethel

          in which they placed their trust.

       How can you say, "We are heroes,

          men who are valiant in battle"?

       The destroyer of Moab and its towns

          has launched an attack,

       and the flower of its youth has been

              slaughtered,

       says THE KING, whose name is

              THE LORD OF HOSTS.

       The destruction of Moab is near at hand,

          and its doom will come shortly.

       Grieve, all you neighbors of Moab

          and all who were familiar with its name.

       Say, "How the mighty staff is broken,

          the glorious scepter!"

       Descend from your seat of glory

          and sit on the parched ground,

          you who dwell in Dibon.

       For the ravager of Moab has advanced

              against you

          and destroyed your strongholds.

       Stand by the roadside and watch,

          you who dwell in Aroer.

       Question the man fleeing and the woman

              escaping;

          ask them, "What has happened?"

       Moab has been destroyed and reduced to

              shame.

          Wail and cry out, proclaim by the Arnon,

          that Moab has been laid waste.

       Judgment has come upon the plateau: upon Holon, Jahzah, and Mephaath, upon Dibon, Nebo, and Beth-diblathaim, upon Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul, and Beth-meon, upon Kiriath, and Bozrah, and all the towns of the land of Moab, far and near.

       The horn of Moab has been cut off,

          and her arm has been broken, says

              THE LORD.

       Make Moab drunk, because she has placed herself on an equal level with THE LORD. Let Moab wallow in her vomit and become a laughingstock. Israel was once a laughingstock for you, although she was never caught in the company of thieves. Yet each time you spoke about her, you would shake your head.

       Leave your towns, O inhabitants of Moab,

          and make your home among the rocks.

       Be like a dove that makes its nest

          along the edge of a gorge.

       We have heard about the pride of Moab,

          pride that exceeds all bounds:

       her pride and her arrogance

          and the haughtiness of her heart.

       I am fully aware of her arrogance, says

              THE LORD;

          her boasts are false, her deeds are false.

       Therefore, I wail over Moab;

          I cry out in anguish for all of Moab;

          I mourn for the men of Kir-heres.

       More than for Jazer I weep for you,

          O vineyard of Sibmah.

       Your branches stretched beyond the sea,

          reaching all the way to Jazer.

       Upon your harvest and your vintage,

          the despoiler has descended.

       Gladness and joy have been removed

          from the orchards of Moab.

       I have stanched the flow of wine from the

              vats;

          the joyful shouts of the treader of grapes

          can no longer be heard.

       Heshbon and Elealeh utter cries of anguish that can be heard as far away as Jahaz. The shrieks echo from Zoar to Horonaim and Eglath-shelishiyah. For even the waters of Nimrim have become a desert waste. In Moab, I will bring to an end the practice of those who offer holocausts on the high places or burn incense to their gods, says THE LORD.

       That is the reason why MY heart wails like a flute for Moab and laments like a flute for the men of Kir-heres. The wealth that they accumulated has been lost. Every head has been shaved, and every beard has been cut off. There are gashes on every hand, and every waist is covered with sackcloth.

       On all the housetops of Moab and in all its squares nothing is heard but cries of lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a piece of pottery that no one wants, says THE LORD. How terrified Moab is, and how loudly does it wail as it retreats in shame. Moab has become a laughingstock and a source of horror to all of its neighbors.

       For thus says THE LORD:

          Behold, like an eagle I will swoop down

          and spread MY wings over Moab.

       The towns will be captured

          and the strongholds will be seized.

       On that day, the hearts of Moab's warriors

          will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

       Moab will be destroyed as a nation,

          for it established itself in opposition to

              THE LORD.

       Terror, the pit, and the snare await you,

          O inhabitants of Moab, says THE LORD.

       Everyone who flees from the terror

          will fall into the pit,

       and everyone who climbs out of the pit

          will be caught in the snare.

       For I will bring all this upon Moab

          in the year of her punishment, says

              THE LORD.

       In the shadow of Heshbon,

          the fugitives stop in exhaustion.

       For a fire has blazed forth from Heshbon,

          and flames from the house of Sihon,

       consuming the brow of Moab

          and the skulls of the noisy revelers.

       Woe to you, O Moab!

          You have been destroyed, O people of

              Chemosh.

       For your sons have been led forth in exile

          and your daughters into captivity.

       Even so, I will restore the fortunes of Moab

          in the days to come, says THE LORD.

Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 48

Against the Ammonites.

In regard to the Ammonites, thus says THE LORD:

       Has Israel no sons?

          Has he no heir?

       Why then has Milcom inherited Gad,

          and why have his people settled in its towns?

       Therefore, the days are coming,

          says THE LORD,

       when I will sound the battle cry

          against Rabbah of the Ammonites.

       It will become a desolate mound,

          and its villages will be burned to the ground.

       Then Israel will dispossess

          those who dispossessed her,

              says THE LORD.

       Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai has been laid waste.

          Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah.

       Wrap yourselves in sackcloth and mourn;

          run to and fro and gash your bodies.

       For Milcom will go into exile

          together with his priests and his attendants.

       Why do you glory in your strength

          that is now beginning to ebb?

       O rebellious daughter,

          you place your trust in your treasures,

          saying, "Who will dare to attack me?"

       I will bring terror upon you from every side,

          says THE LORD GOD OF HOSTS.

       Every one of you will be driven away and

              scattered,

          with no one to rally the fugitives.

       But afterward, says THE LORD,

          I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites.

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 49, VERSES 1 - 6

Against Edom.

       In regard to Edom, thus says THE LORD OF HOSTS:

       Can wisdom no longer be found in Teman?

          Has counsel ceased to exist in the prudent?

          Has their wisdom become a thing of the

              past?

       Turn away and flee, O inhabitants of Dedan;

          seek refuge in remote locales.

       For I will inflict retribution on Esau

          when I decide upon the time to punish him.

       If those who gather grapes were to come upon

              you,

          would they not leave behind some

              gleanings?

       If thieves came during the night,

          would they not steal only what they wanted?

       But I for MY part will strip Esau bare;

          I will discover his hiding places,

          and he will have nowhere to conceal

              himself.

       His children will perish,

          as will his relatives and neighbors,

          and he will be no more.

       Leave behind your orphans;

          I will support them,

          and your widows will place their trust in

              ME.

       For thus says THE LORD: If those who were not doomed to drink the cup still must drink it, should you alone be the one to go unpunished? You will not go unpunished. You will be required to drink it. For by MY own self I have sworn, says THE LORD, that Bozrah will become an object of horror and reproach, a desolate wasteland, and a curse, and all her towns will be ruins forevermore.

       I have received a message from THE LORD,

          a herald has been sent to all the nations,

       "Gather together and prepare to attack her;

          rise up for battle."

       I will make you the least among the nations,

          the most despised of people, O Edom.

       You have been deceived by your proud heart

          and by the terror you inspire,

       you who dwell in rocky crags

          and look down from the heights of the hill.

       Even though you build your nest as high as

              the eagle's,

          I will drag you down from there, says

              THE LORD.

       Edom will become an object of horror. Everyone who passes by will be appalled and astounded at the sight of all her wounds. As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbors were overthrown, no one will live there, nor will anyone ever again settle there.

       As when a lion comes up to rich pastures

          from the dense thickets of the Jordan,

       so will I in an instant drive away Edom from

              its land

          and designate those whom I wish to settle

              there.

       For who is like ME?

          Who can bring charges against ME?
          What shepherd can stand his ground

              against ME?

       Therefore, hear the plan

          that THE LORD has devised against Edom

       and the schemes that HE has in mind

          to forestall the inhabitants of Teman.

       They will be dragged away

          like the smallest of the flock,

          and their pastures will be completely

              destroyed.

       At the sound of their downfall,

          the earth will tremble,

       and their anguished cries will be heard

          as far away as the Red Sea.

       Like an eagle HE will soar and swoop down

          and spread HIS wings against Bozrah,

       and the hearts of Edom's warriors on that day

          will be like the heart of a woman in labor.

JEREMIAH: CHAPTER 49, VERSES 7 - 22