1 The word of the Lord, that was made to Jeremy, the prophet, against heathen men; (The word of the Lord, that was made to the prophet Jeremiah, against the heathen or about the nations;)

2 to Egypt, against the host of Pharaohnecho, king of Egypt, that was beside the flood [of] Euphrates, in Carchemish, whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, smote, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah. (about Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, the king of Egypt, who was by the Euphrates River, in Carchemish, whom Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, struck, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah.)

3 Make ye ready shield and target, and go ye forth to battle.

4 Join ye horses, and ascend, ye knights; stand ye in helmets, polish ye spears, clothe ye you in habergeons. (Join ye up the horses, and ye horsemen go upon them; stand ye in helmets, polish ye the spears, clothe ye yourselves with breastplates.)

5 What therefore? I saw them dreadful, either afeared, and turning the(ir) backs, the strong men of them (be) slain; and they fled swiftly, and beheld not; dread was on each side, saith the Lord. (But what did I see? I saw them fearful, or afraid, and turning their backs, for their strong men be killed; and the rest swiftly fled away, and beheld not; fear was on all sides, saith the Lord.)

6 A swift man shall not flee, and a strong man guess not himself to be saved; at the north, beside the flood [of] Euphrates, they were overcome, and fell down. (But the swift shall not be able to flee away, and the strong shall not be able to save themselves; in the north, by the Euphrates River, they were overcome, and fell down.)

7 Who is this, that ascendeth as a flood, and his swells waxed great as of floods? (Who is this, who goeth up like a flood, yea, like a river overflowing its banks?)

8 Egypt ascended at the likeness of a flood, and his waves shall be moved as [the] floods; and it shall say, I shall ascend, and cover the earth; I shall lose the city, and (the) dwellers thereof. (It is Egypt that goeth up like a flood, yea, like a river overflowing its banks; and it shall say, I shall rise, and cover the earth; I shall destroy the city, and its inhabitants.)

9 Ascend ye upon horses, and make ye full out joy in chariots, (or Go ye upon horses, and rejoice, or shout, ye in the chariots); and strong men, come forth, Ethiopia and Libya, holding shield, and Lydia, taking and shooting arrows.

10 Forsooth that day of the Lord God of hosts is a day of vengeance, that he take vengeance of his enemies; the sword shall devour, and shall be [full-]filled, and shall greatly be filled with the blood of them; for why the slain sacrifice of the Lord of hosts is in the land of the north, beside the flood [of] Euphrates. (For that day of the Lord God of hosts is a day of vengeance, that he take vengeance on his enemies; the sword shall devour, and shall be filled full, yea, it shall be greatly filled with their blood; for the slain sacrifice of the Lord of hosts is in the land of the north, by the Euphrates River.)

11 Thou virgin, the daughter of Egypt, go up into Gilead, and take medicine. In vain thou shalt multiply medicines; health shall not be to thee. (O virgin, the daughter of Egypt, go up into Gilead, and get some medicine. But thou shalt take thy many medicines in vain; for health, or healing, shall not be to thee.)

12 Heathen men heard thy shame (or The heathen heard of thy shame), and thy yelling filled the earth; for a strong man hurtled against a strong man, and both fell down together.

13 The word which the Lord spake to Jeremy, the prophet, on that that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was to coming, and to smiting the land of Egypt. (The word which the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, when Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was coming to strike the land of Egypt.)

14 Tell ye (out) to Egypt, and make ye heard in Migdol, and sound it in Memphis, and say ye in Tahpanhes, Stand thou, and make thee ready, for a sword shall devour those things that be by thy compass (or for a sword shall devour those things that be all around thee).

15 Why hath thy strong man waxed rotten? He stood not, for the Lord underturned him.

16 He multiplied fallers, and a man fell down to his neighbour; and they shall say, Rise ye, and turn we again to our people, and to the land of our birth, from the face of (the) sword of the culver. (He multiplied the fallen, yea, a man fell upon his neighbour; and they shall say, Rise ye up, and let us return to our people, and to the land of our birth, away from the cruel sword.)

17 Call ye the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, The time hath brought noise. (Call ye the name of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, The man who missed his chance.)

18 I live, saith the king, the Lord of hosts is his name; for it shall come as Tabor in hills, and as Carmel in the sea. (As I live, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts; for he shall come as surely as Tabor is in the hills, and that Carmel is by the sea.)

19 Thou dwelleress, the daughter of Egypt, make to thee vessels of passing over; for why Memphis shall be into wilderness, and it shall be forsaken [and] unhabitable. (O dwelleress, the daughter of Egypt, make ready for thyself vessels for a time of captivity; for Memphis shall be turned into a wilderness, and it shall be deserted, and uninhabited.)

20 Egypt is a shapely cow calf, and fair (or and beautiful); (but) a pricker from the north shall come to it.

21 Also the hired men thereof, that lived as calves made fat in the midst thereof, be turned, and fled (away) together, and might not stand; for the day of (the) slaying of them shall come on them, the time of the visiting of them. (And its hired men, who lived like calves made fat in its midst, shall turn, and flee away together, and they shall not stand; for the day of their slaughter hath come upon them, the time of their punishment.)

22 The voice of them shall sound as of brass, for they shall hasten with (a) host, and with axes they shall come to it. As men cutting down trees, (The voice of Egypt shall hiss like a snake, but the enemy shall make haste with their host, and shall come against them with axes. Yea, like men cutting down trees,)

23 they cutted down the forest thereof, saith the Lord, which may not be numbered; they be multiplied over locusts, and no number is in them. (they shall cut down the Egyptians, saith the Lord, like falling the trees in a forest, which cannot be numbered; and the men in this army be multiplied over the locusts, yea, there is no number of them, or yea, they be innumerable.)

24 The daughter of Egypt is shamed, and betaken into the hand of the people of the north, (And so the daughter of Egypt shall be shamed, and taken into the hands of the people of the north,)

25 said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel. Lo! I shall visit on the noise of Alexandria, and on Pharaoh, and on Egypt, and on the gods thereof, and on the kings thereof, and on them that trust in him. (said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Behold! I shall punish Amon, the god of No or the god of Thebes, and Egypt, and its gods, and its kings, and Pharaoh, and all those who trust in him.)

26 And I shall give them into the hands of men that seek the life of them (or And I shall give them into the hands of those who seek their lives), and into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hands of his servants; and after these things it shall be inhabited, as in the former days, saith the Lord.

27 And thou, Jacob, my servant, dread thou not, and Israel, dread thou not; for lo! I shall make thee safe from (a) far place, and thy seed from the land of his captivity; and Jacob shall turn again, and shall rest, and shall have prosperity, and none shall be, that shall make him afeared. (And thou, my servant Jacob, fear thou not, O Israel, fear thou not; for behold! I shall bring thee home safe from a far off place, and thy descendants from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall rest, and shall have prosperity, and no one shall be, who shall make him afraid.)

28 And Jacob, my servant, do not thou dread, saith the Lord, for I am with thee; for I shall waste all folks, to which I casted thee out; but I shall not waste thee, but I shall chastise thee in doom, and I shall not spare thee as innocent. (And my servant Jacob, do not thou fear, saith the Lord, for I am with thee; for I shall waste all the nations, to whom I cast thee out; but I shall not destroy thee, but I shall discipline, or correct, thee with justice or in judgement, and I shall not spare thee as innocent.)