15. Egypt, your strong soldiers will be killed. They will not be able to stand because the Lord will push them down.
16. They will stumble again and again. They will fall over each other. They will say, ‘Get up; let’s go back to our own people. Let us go back to our homeland. Our enemy is defeating us. We must get away.’
17. In their homelands, those soldiers will say, ‘Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is only a lot of noise. His time of glory is over.’”
18. This message is from the King. The King is the Lord All-Powerful. “I promise, as surely as I live, a powerful leader will come. He will be like Mount Tabor or Mount Carmel among smaller mountains.
19. People of Egypt, pack your things. Get ready for captivity, because Memphis will be a ruined, empty land. Those cities will be destroyed, and no one will live there.
20. “Egypt is like a beautiful cow. But a horsefly is coming from the north to attack her.
21. The hired soldiers in Egypt’s army are like fat calves. They will all turn and run away. They will not stand strong against the attack. Their time of destruction is coming. They will soon be punished.
22. Egypt is like a snake hissing and trying to escape. The enemy comes closer and closer, and the Egyptian army is trying to slither away. The enemy will attack Egypt with axes, like men cutting down trees.”
23. This is what the Lord says: “They will chop down Egypt’s forest. There are many trees in that forest, but they will all be cut down. There are more enemy soldiers than locusts. There are so many soldiers that no one can count them.
24. Egypt will be ashamed. The enemy from the north will defeat her.”
25. The Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says, “Very soon I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes, and I will punish Pharaoh, Egypt, and her gods. I will punish the kings of Egypt, and I will punish the people who depend on Pharaoh.
26. I will let all of them be defeated by their enemies—their enemies want to kill them. I will give the people to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his servants. “Long ago, Egypt lived in peace. And after all these times of trouble, Egypt will live in peace again.” This is what the Lord said.
27. “Jacob, my servant, do not be afraid. Do not be frightened, Israel. I will save you from those faraway places. I will save your children from the countries where they are captives. Jacob will have peace and safety again, and no one will make him afraid.”