14  “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in ^bMigdol;

proclaim in ^bMemphis and ^bTahpanhes;

say, ^c‘Stand ready and be prepared,

for ^dthe sword shall devour around you.’

15  Why are your mighty ones face down?

They do not stand¹

because the Lord thrust them down.

16  He made many stumble, ^fand they fell,

and they said one to another,

‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people

and to the land of our birth,

^gbecause of the sword of the oppressor.’

17  Call the name of ^hPharaoh, king of Egypt,

‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.’

18  ⁱ“As I live, declares the King,

^jwhose name is the Lord of hosts,

like ^kTabor among the mountains

and like ^lCarmel by the sea, shall one come.

19  ^mPrepare yourselves baggage for exile,

O ⁿinhabitants of Egypt!

For ^oMemphis shall become a waste,

a ruin, ^pwithout inhabitant.

20  “A beautiful ^qheifer is Egypt,

but a biting fly ^rfrom the north has come upon her.

21  Even her hired soldiers in her midst

are like ^sfattened calves;

yes, they have turned and fled together;

they did not stand,

for the day of their calamity has come upon them,

^tthe time of their punishment.

22  “She makes ^ua sound like a serpent gliding away;

for her enemies march in force

and come against her with axes

^vlike those who fell trees.

23  ^vThey shall cut down her forest,

declares the Lord,

though it is impenetrable,

because ^wthey are more numerous than locusts;

they are without number.

24  The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame;

she shall be delivered into the hand of ^ra people from the north.”

27  ^d“But fear not, O Jacob my servant,

nor be dismayed, O Israel,

for behold, I will save you from far away,

and your offspring from the land of their captivity.

Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease,

and none shall make him afraid.

28  ^dFear not, O Jacob my servant,

declares the Lord,

for I am with you.

I will make a full end of all the nations

to which I have driven you,

but of you I will not make a full end.

^eI will discipline you in just measure,

and I will by no means leave you unpunished.”