Jeremiah 46:21

¹⁹ Pack your bags for exile, O daughter dwelling in Egypt! For Memphis will be laid waste, destroyed and uninhabited.

²⁰ Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly from the north is coming against her.

Even the mercenaries among her are like fattened calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee, they will not stand their ground, for the day of calamity is coming upon them— the time of their punishment.

²² Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent, for the enemy will advance in force; with axes they will come against her like woodsmen cutting down trees.

²³ They will chop down her forest, declares the LORD, dense though it may be, for they are more numerous than locusts; they cannot be counted.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Even the mercenaries among her are like fattened calves. They too will turn back; together they will flee, they will not stand their ground, for the day of calamity is coming upon them— the time of their punishment.
KJV: Also her hired men are in the midst of her like fatted bullocks; for they also are turned back, and are fled away together: they did not stand, because the day of their calamity was come upon them, and the time of their visitation.
WEB: 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.
ASV: Also her hired men in the midst of her are like calves of the stall; for they also are turned back, they are fled away together, they did not stand: for the day of their calamity is come upon them, the time of their visitation.
DARBY: Also her hired men in the midst of her are like fatted bullocks; for they also have turned back, they have fled away together, they did not stand; for the day of their calamity is come upon them, the time of their visitation.
BLB: Even her hirelings among her [are] like calves of the stall, for also they have turned back; they have fled away together, they have not stood, for the day of their calamity has come upon them, the time of their punishment.

ÅB: Også de leide krigsmenn som det har i sin midte, de som er lik gjøkalver, ja, også de vender om, flykter alle sammen, de holder ikke stand; for deres ulykkesdag er kommet over dem, deres hjemsøkelses tid.
OTB: Leiesoldatene i hennes rekker er som velnærede kalver. Også de vil snu og flykte sammen, de vil ikke stå sin grunn, for ulykkens dag kommer over dem, tiden for dem å bli straffet.
B1930: Også de leide krigsmenn som det har i sin midte, de som er lik gjøkalver, ja, også de vender om, flyr alle sammen, de holder ikke stand; for deres ulykkesdag er kommet over dem, deres hjemsøkelses tid.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

2 Kings 7:6
For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
Read in context
Obadiah 1:13
You should not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over their affliction in the day of their disaster, nor loot their wealth in the day of their disaster.
Read in context
Jeremiah 46:5
Why am I seeing this? They are terrified, they are retreating; their warriors are defeated, they flee in haste without looking back; terror is on every side!” declares the LORD.
Read in context
Amos 6:4
You lie on beds inlaid with ivory, and lounge upon your couches. You dine on lambs from the flock and calves from the stall.
Read in context
Micah 7:4
The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns. The day for your watchmen has come, the day of your visitation. Now is the time of their confusion.
Read in context
Hosea 9:7
The days of punishment have come; the days of retribution have arrived— let Israel know it. The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane, because of the greatness of your iniquity and hostility.
Read in context
Psalms 37:13
but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.
Read in context
Isaiah 34:7
And the wild oxen will fall with them, the young bulls with the strong ones. Their land will be drenched with blood, and their soil will be soaked with fat.
Read in context