18 As I live —this is the King’s declaration;Yahweh of Hosts is His name. He will come like Tabor among the mountainsand like Carmel by the sea.
19 Get your bags ready for exile,inhabitant of Daughter Egypt! For Memphis will become a desolation,uninhabited ruins.
20 Egypt is a beautiful young cow, but a horsefly from the north is coming against her.
21 Even her mercenaries among herare like stall-fed calves.They too will turn back;together they will flee;they will not take their stand,for the day of their calamity is coming on them,the time of their punishment.
22 Egypt will hiss like a slithering snake, for the enemy will come with an army;with axes they will come against herlike those who cut trees.
23 They will cut down her forest —this is the Lord’s declaration —though it is dense,for they are more numerous than locusts;they cannot be counted.
24 Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,handed over to a northern people.