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The Lord Will Not Let Baruch Be Killed

45 (A) In the fourth year that Jehoiakim[a] was king of Judah, Baruch wrote down everything I had told him.[b] Then later, the Lord God of Israel told me to say to Baruch:

You are moaning and blaming me, the Lord, for your troubles and sorrow, and for being so tired that you can't even rest. But all over the earth I am tearing down what I built and pulling up what I planted. 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

(B) In the fourth year that Jehoiakim[c] was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar[d] of Babylonia defeated King Neco of Egypt[e] 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:

It's time to go into battle!
    So grab your shields,
    saddle your horses,
    and polish your spears.
Put on your helmets and armor,
    then take your positions.

I can see the battle now—
    you are defeated
and running away,
    never once looking back.
Terror is all around.
You are strong and run fast,
    but you can't escape.
You fall in battle
    near the Euphrates River.

What nation is this,
that rises like the Nile River
    overflowing its banks?
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.”

Go ahead, Egypt.
Tell your chariots and cavalry
    to attack and fight hard.
Order your troops to march out,
with Ethiopians[f] and Libyans
    carrying shields,
and the Lydians[g] 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 (C) When King Nebuchadnezzar[h] 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[i]
    and chased him away.[j]
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.[k]
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[l] 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 (D) Israel,[m] 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.

Footnotes

  1. 45.1 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
  2. 45.1 Baruch wrote down everything I had told him: See 36.1-32.
  3. 46.2 Jehoiakim: See the note at 1.3.
  4. 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.
  5. 46.2 King Neco of Egypt: Neco II, ruled 609–594 b.c.
  6. 46.9 Ethiopians: See the note at 38.7,8.
  7. 46.9 Lydians: Probably hired soldiers from Lydia, an area in west-central Asia minor.
  8. 46.13,14 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
  9. 46.15 Apis: A sacred bull, kept in a temple at Memphis, Egypt, and worshiped as a god.
  10. 46.15 I have … him away: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  11. 46.22 locusts: A type of grasshopper that comes in swarms and causes great damage to plant life.
  12. 46.25 the god Amon of Thebes: Amon was the king of the Egyptian gods and was the special god of the Egyptian kings.
  13. 46.27 Israel: See the note at 30.10.

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