13 When the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar was coming to attack Egypt, Yahweh gave the prophet Yirmeyah this message:[ref]

14 Announce in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes:

‘Take your station and prepare to defend yourself,

because everyone around you will be killed.’

15 Why are your powerful warriors lying face down on the ground?

They can’t stand against the enemy,

because I Yahweh, have pushed them to the ground.

16 He increases the numbers of those who stumble.

Each soldier falls against the next one.

They’re saying, ‘Get ready.

Let’s go back to our own people, to our native land.

Let’s leave this oppressive war.

17 There in Egypt they’ll call out,

‘Our King Far-oh is all noise—

he’s let his opportunity slip away.

18 The king whose name is Commander-in-chief Yahweh declares:

‘As surely as I live

an invader is coming

who’s as tall as Mt. Tavor among the mountains,

≈ and like Mt. Karmel by the sea.

19 You inhabitants of Egypt,

pack your own baggage to carry into exile,

because Memfis will become a wasteland—

it will lie in ruins and no one will live there.

20 Egypt is a very beautiful young cow,

but a stinging insect is coming from the north.

It’s on its way.

21 Its hired soldiers are like calves that have been protected and well-fed,

but they’ll also turn away and run away.

They won’t stand together, because the day of their disaster is coming against them—

it’s time for their punishment.

22 Egypt hisses like a snake and crawls away,

because her enemies are coming with a show of strength.

They’re coming toward her like woodcutters with axes.

23 Yahweh declares that they’ll cut down the forest

so there’ll be nowhere to hide

because their soldiers will be more numerous than locusts

and no one will even be able to count them.

24 Egypt’s inhabitants will be humiliated—

they’ll be handed over to those northern people.

25 Yisrael’s god, Commander-in-chief Yahweh says, “Listen, I’m about to punish Amon the god of Thebes city, Egypt and her other gods, its kings the Far-ohs (Pharaohs), and all those who trust in them. 26 I’ll hand them over to those who want them dead, and over to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and his servants. But after that, Egypt will be inhabited as in past times. That is Yahweh’s declaration.