¹This is the word of the LORD about the nations— the word that came to Jeremiah the prophet ²concerning Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish on the Euphrates River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah: ³“Deploy your shields, small and large; ⁴Harness the horses; mount the steeds; ⁵Why am I seeing this? ⁶“The swift cannot flee, ⁷Who is this, rising like the Nile, ⁸Egypt rises like the Nile, ⁹Advance, O horses! Race furiously, O chariots! ¹⁰For that day belongs to the Lord GOD of Hosts, ¹¹Go up to Gilead for balm, ¹²The nations have heard of your shame, ¹³This is the word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: ¹⁴“Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; ¹⁵Why have your warriors been laid low? ¹⁶They continue to stumble; ¹⁷There they will cry out: ¹⁸As surely as I live, declares the King, ¹⁹Pack your bags for exile, ²⁰Egypt is a beautiful heifer, ²¹Even the mercenaries among her ²²Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent, ²³They will chop down her forest, declares the LORD, ²⁴The Daughter of Egypt will be put to shame; ²⁵The LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I am about to punish Amon god of Thebes, along with Pharaoh, Egypt with her gods and kings, and those who trust in Pharaoh. ²⁶I will deliver them into the hands of those who seek their lives— of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. But after this, Egypt will be inhabited as in days of old, declares the LORD. ²⁷But you, O Jacob My servant, do not be afraid, ²⁸And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid,