القراءة بلغتين

كَلِمَةُ الرَّبِّ الَّتي كانَت إِلى إِرمِيا النَّبِيِّ على الأُمَم

على مِصرَ. على جَيشِ فِرعَونَ نَكْوٍ، مَلِكِ مِصرَ، الَّذي كانَ عِندَ نَهرِ الفُراتِ في كَركَميش، الَّذي ضَرَبَه نَبوكَدنَصَّر، مَلِكُ بابِل، في السَّنَةِ الرَّابِعَةِ لِيوياقيمَ بنِ يوشِيَّا، مَلِكِ يَهوذا

أَعِدُّوا التُرسَ والمِجنَب وٱزحَفوا لِلقِتال

شُدُّوا على الخَيل وٱركَبوا أَيُّها الفُرْسان وٱنتَصِبوا بِخُوَذِكم أُصقُلوا الرِّماحَ وٱلبَسوا الدُّروع

ما بالي رَأَيتُهم فَزِعين مُتَراجِعينَ إِلى الوَراء. ضُرِبَ أَبطالُهم وٱنهَزَموا ٱنهِزامًا ولم يَلتَفِتوا. والهَولُ مِن كُلِّ جانِب، يَقولُ الرَّبّ

لا يَهرُبِ الخَفيف ولا يُفلِتِ البَطَل في الشَّمالِ بِجانِبِ نَهرِ الفُرات عَثَروا وسَقَطوا

مَن هٰذا الَّذي يَرتَفِعُ كالنِّيل وتَلتَطِمُ أَمْواجُه كالأَنْهار؟

مِصرُ كالنِّيلِ تَرتَفِع وكالأَنْهارِ تَلتَطِمُ أَمْواجُها وتَقول: «أَرتَفِعُ وأُغَطِّي الأَرض وأُبيدُ المُدُنَ والسَّاكِنينَ فيها

إِصعَدي أَيَّتُها الخَيْل وٱنقَضِّي أَيَّتُها المَركَبات ولْيَبرُزِ الأَبْطالُ، أَهلُ كوشٍ وفوط القابِضونَ على التُّروس وأَهلُ لودي المُسَدِّدونَ السِّهام

هٰذا اليَومُ يَومُ السَّيِّدِ رَبِّ القُوَّات يَومُ ٱنتِقامٍ لِيَنتَقِمَ مِن أَعْدائِه. فالسَّيفُ يأكُلُ ويَشبَع ويَرتَوي مِن دِمائِهم لِأَنَّ لِلسَّيِّدِ رَبِّ القُوَّاتِ ذَبيحَةً في أَرضِ الشَّمالِ عِندَ نَهرِ الفُرات

إِصعَدي إِلى جِلْعادَ وخُذي بَلسانًا أَيَّتُها العَذْراءُ بِنتُ مِصرَ. إِنَّكِ باطِلًا تُكثِرينَ مِن الأَدوِيَة إِذ لا ٱلتِئامَ لِجُرحِكِ

قد سَمِعَتِ الأُمَمُ بفَضيحَتِكِ ومَلَأَ الأَرضَ صِياحُكِ لِأَنَّ البَطَلَ عَثَرَ بِالبَطَل فسَقَطا كِلاهُما معًا

الكَلامُ الَّذي كَلَّمَ بِه الرَّبُّ إِرمِيا النَّبِيَّ، حينَ قَدِمَ نَبوكَدنَصَّر، مَلِكُ بابِل، لِيَضرِبَ أَرضَ مِصْر

أَخبِروا في مِصرَ وأَسمِعوا في مِجْدول ونادوا في نوفَ وفي تَحْفَنْحيس. قولوا: قِفي وٱستَعِدِّي فإِنَّ السَّيفَ قد أَكَلَ ما حَولَكِ

لِماذا هَرَبَ أَپيس ولَم يَقِفْ ثَورُكِ؟ لِأَنَّ الرَّبَّ طَرَدَه

ما أَكثَرَ الَّذينَ عَثَّرَهم! سَقَطَ كُلُّ رَجُلٍ على صاحِبِه وقالوا: «قوموا نَرجِعُ إِلى شَعبِنا وإِلى مَسقَطِ رُؤُوسِنا مِن وَجهِ السَّيفِ الفَتَّاك»

سَمُّوا فِرعَونَ، مَلِكَ مِصرَ «جَلَبَةً ولكنَّ الفُرصَةَ تَفوتُها»

حَيٌّ أَنا، يَقولُ المَلِكُ الَّذي رَبُّ القُوَّاتِ ٱسمُه يَصِلُ كتابورَ بَينَ الجِبال ومِثلَ الكَرمَلِ المُطِلِّ على البَحْر

أَعِدِّي العُدَّةَ لِلجَلاء أَيَّتُها السَّاكِنَةُ، بِنتُ مِصْر فإِنَّ نوفَ تصيرُ خَرابًا ودَمارًا لا ساكِنَ فيها

مِصرُ عِجلَةٌ رائِعَةُ الجَمال دَهَمَتها مِنَ الشَّمالِ نُعَرَة

ومُرتَزِقَتُها أَيضًا في وَسَطِها كعُجولٍ مُسَمَّنَة. قد وَلَّوا هارِبينَ جَميعًا ولم يُقاوِموا فقَد وافى يَومُ بَلِيَّتِهم ووَقتُ ٱفتِقادِهم

صَوتُها كالحَيَّةِ يَسْري لِأَنَّهم زاحِفونَ بِجَيشِهم وبِفُؤوسٍ آتونَ علَيها كالحَطَّابين

قَطَعوا غابَها، يَقولُ الرَّبّ وإِن كانَ مُمتَنِعًا لِأَنَّهم أَكثَرُ مِنَ الجَراد حتَّى لا عَدَدَ لَهم

بِنتُ مِصرَ أُخزِيَت وأُسلِمَت إِلى أَيدي شَعبِ الشَّمال

قالَ رَبُّ القُوَّات، إِلْهُ إِسْرائيل: هاءَنَذا أَفتَقِدُ آمونَ نُوَ وفِرعَونَ ومِصرَ وآلِهَتَها ومُلوكَها، فِرعَونَ وجَميعَ المُتَوَكِّلينَ علَيه

وأُسلِمُهم إِلى أَيدي طالِبي نُفوسِهم، إِلى يَدِ نَبوكَدنَصَّر، مَلِكِ بابِل، وأَيدي رِجالِه. وهي، بَعدَ ذٰلك، تَعودُ مَسْكونَةً، كما كانَت في الأَيَّامِ القَديمة، يَقولُ الرَّبّ

وأَنتَ لا تَخَفْ يا عَبْدي يَعْقوب ولا تَفْزَعْ يا إِسْرائيل لِأَنِّي أُخَلِّصُكَ مِنَ الغُربَة وذُرِّيَّتَكَ مِن أَرضِ جَلائِهم فيَرجِعُ يَعْقوبُ ويَستَقِرُّ في الرَّاحةِ والطُمَأنينة ولا يُرعِبُه أَحَد

وأَنتَ فلا تَخَف يا عَبْدي يَعْقوب يَقولُ الرَّبّ فإِنِّي مَعَكَ وسأُفْني جَميعَ الأُمَمِ الَّتي دَفَعتُكَ إِلَيها. وأَمَّا أَنتَ فلا أَفْنيكَ بل أُؤَدِّبُكَ بِالحَقِّ ولا أُبَرِّئُكَ تَبرِئَةً

The LORD’s word which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh Necoh king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah.

“Prepare the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle!

Harness the horses, and get up, you horsemen, and stand up with your helmets. Polish the spears, put on the coats of mail.

Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and are turned backward. Their mighty ones are beaten down, have fled in haste, and don’t look back. Terror is on every side,” says the LORD.

“Don’t let the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape. In the north by the river Euphrates they have stumbled and fallen.

“Who is this who rises up like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge?

Egypt rises up like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He says, ‘I will rise up. I will cover the earth. I will destroy cities and its inhabitants.’

Go up, you horses! Rage, you chariots! Let the mighty men go out: Cush and Put, who handle the shield; and the Ludim, who handle and bend the bow.

For that day is of the Lord, GOD of Armies, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge himself of his adversaries. The sword will devour and be satiated, and will drink its fill of their blood; for the Lord, GOD of Armies, has a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

Go up into Gilead, and take balm, virgin daughter of Egypt. You use many medicines in vain. There is no healing for you.

The nations have heard of your shame, and the earth is full of your cry; for the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty, they both fall together.”

The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon should come and strike the land of Egypt:

“Declare in Egypt, publish in Migdol, and publish in Memphis and in Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand up, and prepare, for the sword has devoured around you.’

Why are your strong ones swept away? They didn’t stand, because the LORD pushed them.

He made many to stumble. Yes, they fell on one another. They said, ‘Arise! Let’s go again to our own people, and to the land of our birth, from the oppressing sword.’

They cried there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he has let the appointed time pass by.’

“As I live,” says the King, whose name is the LORD of Armies, “surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so he will come.

You daughter who dwells in Egypt, furnish yourself to go into captivity; for Memphis will become a desolation, and will be burned up, without inhabitant.

“Egypt is a very beautiful heifer; but destruction out of the north has come. It has come.

Also her hired men in the middle of her are like calves of the stall, for they also are turned back. They have fled away together. They didn’t stand, for the day of their calamity has come on them, the time of their visitation.

Its sound will go like the serpent, for they will march with an army, and come against her with axes, as wood cutters.

They will cut down her forest,” says the LORD, “though it can’t be searched; because they are more than the locusts, and are innumerable.

The daughter of Egypt will be disappointed; she will be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.”

The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will punish Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh, and those who trust in him.

I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants. Afterwards it will be inhabited, as in the days of old,” says the LORD.

“But don’t you be afraid, Jacob my servant. Don’t be dismayed, Israel; for, behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob will return, and will be quiet and at ease. No one will make him afraid.

Don’t be afraid, O Jacob my servant,” says the LORD, “for I am with you; for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, but I will not make a full end of you, but I will correct you in measure, and will in no way leave you unpunished.”