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Jeremiah 44:24-47:7
Contemporary English Version
Jeremiah 44:24-47:7
Contemporary English Version
24-25 Then I told the men and their wives, that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:
Here in Egypt you still keep your promises to burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to the so-called Queen of Heaven. 26 Keep these promises! But let me tell you what will happen. As surely as I am the Lord God, I swear that I will never again accept any promises you make in my name. 27 Instead of watching over you, I will watch for chances to harm you. Some of you will die in war, and others will starve to death. 28 Only a few will escape and return to Judah. Then everyone who went to live in Egypt will know that when I say something will happen, it will—no matter what you say.
29 And here is how you will know that I will keep my threats to punish you in Egypt. 30 (A) I will hand over King Hophra of Egypt to those who want to kill him,[a] just as I handed Zedekiah[b] over to Nebuchadnezzar,[c] who wanted to kill him.
The Lord Will Not Let Baruch Be Killed
45 (B) In the fourth year that Jehoiakim[d] was king of Judah, Baruch wrote down everything I had told him.[e] 2 Then later, the Lord God of Israel told me to say to Baruch:
3 You are moaning and blaming me, the Lord, for your troubles and sorrow, and for being so tired that you can't even rest. 4 But all over the earth I am tearing down what I built and pulling up what I planted. 5 I am bringing disaster everywhere, so don't even think about making any big plans for yourself. However, I promise that wherever you go, I will at least protect you from death. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Speaks to Jeremiah about the Nations
46 The Lord often told me what to say about the different nations of the world.
What the Lord Says about Egypt
2 (C) In the fourth year that Jehoiakim[f] was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar[g] of Babylonia defeated King Neco of Egypt[h] in a battle at the city of Carchemish near the Euphrates River. And here is what the Lord told me to say about the Egyptian army:
3 It's time to go into battle!
So grab your shields,
4 saddle your horses,
and polish your spears.
Put on your helmets and armor,
then take your positions.
5 I can see the battle now—
you are defeated
and running away,
never once looking back.
Terror is all around.
6 You are strong and run fast,
but you can't escape.
You fall in battle
near the Euphrates River.
7 What nation is this,
that rises like the Nile River
overflowing its banks?
8 It is Egypt, rising with a roar
like a raging river
and saying,
“I'll flood the earth,
destroying cities, and killing
everyone in them.”
9 Go ahead, Egypt.
Tell your chariots and cavalry
to attack and fight hard.
Order your troops to march out,
with Ethiopians[i] and Libyans
carrying shields,
and the Lydians[j] armed with bows
and arrows.
10 But the Lord All-Powerful
will win this battle
and take revenge
on his enemies.
His sword will eat them
and drink their blood
until it is full.
They will be killed in the north
near the Euphrates River,
as a sacrifice to the Lord.
11 Egypt, no medicine can heal you,
not even the soothing lotion
from Gilead.
12 All nations have heard you weep;
you are disgraced,
and they know it.
Your troops fall to the ground,
stumbling over each other.
A Warning for Egypt
13-14 (D) When King Nebuchadnezzar[k] of Babylonia was on his way to attack Egypt, the Lord sent me with a warning for every Egyptian town, but especially for Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes. He said to tell them:
Prepare to defend yourselves!
Everywhere in your nation,
people are dying in war.
15 I have struck down
your mighty god Apis[l]
and chased him away.[m]
16 Your soldiers stumble
over each other
and say, “Get up!
The enemy will kill us,
unless we can escape
to our own land.”
17 Give the king of Egypt
this new name,
“Talks-Big-Does-Nothing.”
18 Egypt, I am the true king,
the Lord All-Powerful,
and as surely as I live,
those enemies who attack
will tower over you
like Mount Tabor among the hills
or Mount Carmel by the sea.
19 You will be led away captive,
so pack a few things
to bring with you.
Your capital, Memphis,
will lie empty and in ruins.
20 An enemy from the north
will attack you, beautiful Egypt,
like a fly biting a cow.
21 The foreign soldiers you hired
will turn and run.
But they are doomed,
like well-fed calves
being led to the butcher.
* 22 The enemy army will go forward
like a swarm of locusts.[n]
Your troops will feel helpless,
like a snake in a forest
23 when men with axes
start chopping down trees.
It can only hiss
and try to escape.
24 Your people will be disgraced
and captured by the enemy
from the north.
25 I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. Soon I will punish the god Amon of Thebes[o] and the other Egyptian gods, the Egyptian kings, the people of Egypt, and everyone who trusts in the Egyptian power. 26 I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar and his army. But I also promise that Egypt will someday have people living here again, just as it had before. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Will Bring Israel Home
The Lord said:
27 (E) Israel,[p] don't be afraid.
Someday I will bring you home
from foreign lands.
You and your descendants
will live in peace and safety,
with nothing to fear.
28 So don't be afraid,
even though now
you deserve to be punished
and have been scattered
among other nations.
But when I destroy them,
I will protect you.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
What the Lord Says about the Philistines
47 (F) Before the king of Egypt attacked the town of Gaza,[q] the Lord told me to say to the Philistines:
2 I, the Lord, tell you
that your land will be flooded
with an army from the north.
It will destroy your towns
and sweep you away,
moaning and screaming.
3 When you hear the thunder
of horses and chariots,
your courage will vanish,
and parents will even abandon
their own children.
4 You refugees from Crete,[r]
your time has now come,
and I will destroy you.
None of you will be left
to help the cities
of Tyre and Sidon.
5 The Anakim who survive[s]
in Gaza and Ashkelon
will mourn for you
by shaving their heads
and sitting in silence.
6 You ask how long will I continue
to attack you with my sword,
then you tell me to put it away
and leave you alone.
7 But how can my sword rest,
when I have commanded it
to attack Ashkelon
and the seacoast?
Footnotes
- 44.30 King Hophra … kill him: Hophra, also known as Apries, ruled Egypt from 589 to 570 b.c., when he was killed by Ahmosis II, who then became king of Egypt and ruled until 526 b.c.
- 44.30 Zedekiah: See the note at 1.3.
- 44.30 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
- 45.1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
- 45.1 Baruch wrote down everything I had told him: See 36.1-32.
- 46.2 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
- 46.2 King Nebuchadnezzar: Ruled 605–562 b.c. At the time of the battle in 605 b.c., he was crown prince, but his father died a few months later, and he became king.
- 46.2 King Neco of Egypt: Neco II, ruled 609–594 b.c.
- 46.9 Ethiopians: See the note at 38.7,8.
- 46.9 Lydians: Probably hired soldiers from Lydia, an area in west-central Asia minor.
- 46.13,14 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
- 46.15 Apis: A sacred bull, kept in a temple at Memphis, Egypt, and worshiped as a god.
- 46.15 I have … him away: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 46.22 locusts: A type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to plant life.
- 46.25 the god Amon of Thebes: Amon was the king of the Egyptian gods and was the special god of the Egyptian kings.
- 46.27 Israel: See the note at 30.10.
- 47.1 attacked the town of Gaza: One of the major Philistine towns; nothing is known about this attack.
- 47.4 Crete: Hebrew “Caphtor,” another name for Crete, the original homeland of the ancestors of the Philistines.
- 47.5 Anakim who survive: One ancient translation; Hebrew “people in the valley who survive.” The Anakim may have been a group of very large people that lived in Palestine before the Israelites (see Numbers 13.33; Deuteronomy 2.10,11, 20,21; and Joshua 11.21,22).
Jeremiah 44:24-47:7
New International Version
Jeremiah 44:24-47:7
New International Version
24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,(A) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.(B) 25 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives(C) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’(D)
“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!(E) 26 But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:(F) ‘I swear(G) by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign(H) Lord lives.”(I) 27 For I am watching(J) over them for harm,(K) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish(L) by sword and famine(M) until they are all destroyed.(N) 28 Those who escape the sword(O) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.(P) Then the whole remnant(Q) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand(R)—mine or theirs.(S)
29 “‘This will be the sign(T) to you that I will punish(U) you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’(V) 30 This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh(W) Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah(X) king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’”(Y)
A Message to Baruch
45 When Baruch(Z) son of Neriah(AA) wrote on a scroll(AB) the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(AC) son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: 3 You said, ‘Woe(AD) to me! The Lord has added sorrow(AE) to my pain;(AF) I am worn out with groaning(AG) and find no rest.’(AH) 4 But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot(AI) what I have planted,(AJ) throughout the earth.(AK) 5 Should you then seek great(AL) things for yourself? Do not seek them.(AM) For I will bring disaster(AN) on all people,(AO) declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape(AP) with your life.’”(AQ)
A Message About Egypt
46 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:(AR)
2 Concerning Egypt:(AS)
This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho(AT) king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish(AU) on the Euphrates(AV) River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim(AW) son of Josiah king of Judah:
3 “Prepare your shields,(AX) both large and small,
and march out for battle!
4 Harness the horses,
mount the steeds!
Take your positions
with helmets on!
Polish(AY) your spears,
put on your armor!(AZ)
5 What do I see?
They are terrified,
they are retreating,
their warriors are defeated.
They flee(BA) in haste
without looking back,
and there is terror(BB) on every side,”
declares the Lord.
6 “The swift cannot flee(BC)
nor the strong escape.
In the north by the River Euphrates(BD)
they stumble and fall.(BE)
7 “Who is this that rises like the Nile,
like rivers of surging waters?(BF)
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,(BG)
like rivers of surging waters.
She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;
I will destroy cities and their people.’(BH)
9 Charge, you horses!
Drive furiously, you charioteers!(BI)
March on, you warriors—men of Cush[a](BJ) and Put who carry shields,
men of Lydia(BK) who draw the bow.
10 But that day(BL) belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—
a day of vengeance(BM), for vengeance on his foes.
The sword will devour(BN) till it is satisfied,
till it has quenched its thirst with blood.(BO)
For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice(BP)
in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.(BQ)
11 “Go up to Gilead and get balm,(BR)
Virgin(BS) Daughter Egypt.
But you try many medicines in vain;
there is no healing(BT) for you.
12 The nations will hear of your shame;
your cries will fill the earth.
One warrior will stumble over another;
both will fall(BU) down together.”
13 This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(BV) to attack Egypt:(BW)
14 “Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;
proclaim it also in Memphis(BX) and Tahpanhes:(BY)
‘Take your positions and get ready,
for the sword devours(BZ) those around you.’
15 Why will your warriors be laid low?
They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.(CA)
16 They will stumble(CB) repeatedly;
they will fall(CC) over each other.
They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back
to our own people(CD) and our native lands,
away from the sword of the oppressor.’(CE)
17 There they will exclaim,
‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;(CF)
he has missed his opportunity.(CG)’
18 “As surely as I live,” declares the King,(CH)
whose name is the Lord Almighty,
“one will come who is like Tabor(CI) among the mountains,
like Carmel(CJ) by the sea.
19 Pack your belongings for exile,(CK)
you who live in Egypt,
for Memphis(CL) will be laid waste(CM)
and lie in ruins without inhabitant.
20 “Egypt is a beautiful heifer,
but a gadfly is coming
against her from the north.(CN)
21 The mercenaries(CO) in her ranks
are like fattened calves.(CP)
They too will turn and flee(CQ) together,
they will not stand their ground,
for the day(CR) of disaster is coming upon them,
the time(CS) for them to be punished.
22 Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent
as the enemy advances in force;
they will come against her with axes,
like men who cut down trees.(CT)
23 They will chop down her forest,”
declares the Lord,
“dense though it be.
They are more numerous than locusts,(CU)
they cannot be counted.
24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,
given into the hands of the people of the north.(CV)”
25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,(CW) on Pharaoh,(CX) on Egypt and her gods(CY) and her kings, and on those who rely(CZ) on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands(DA) of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king(DB) of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited(DC) as in times past,” declares the Lord.
27 “Do not be afraid,(DD) Jacob(DE) my servant;(DF)
do not be dismayed, Israel.
I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.(DG)
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
28 Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant,
for I am with you,”(DH) declares the Lord.
“Though I completely destroy(DI) all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only in due measure;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.”
A Message About the Philistines
47 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines(DJ) before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:(DK)
2 This is what the Lord says:
“See how the waters are rising in the north;(DL)
they will become an overflowing torrent.
They will overflow the land and everything in it,
the towns and those who live in them.
The people will cry out;
all who dwell in the land will wail(DM)
3 at the sound of the hooves of galloping steeds,
at the noise of enemy chariots(DN)
and the rumble of their wheels.
Parents will not turn to help their children;
their hands will hang limp.(DO)
4 For the day has come
to destroy all the Philistines
and to remove all survivors
who could help Tyre(DP) and Sidon.(DQ)
The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines,(DR)
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.[b](DS)
5 Gaza will shave(DT) her head in mourning;
Ashkelon(DU) will be silenced.
You remnant on the plain,
how long will you cut(DV) yourselves?
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 46:9 That is, the upper Nile region
- Jeremiah 47:4 That is, Crete
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