Lectionary Calendar
Monday, April 13th, 2026
the Second Week after Easter
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Jeremiah 44:7

"And so I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, now ask why you are doing such an evil thing to yourselves. Do you want to bring destruction on men and women, children and babies, so that none of your people will be left?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Queen;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Egypt;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Egypt;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Pathros;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“So now, this is what the Lord, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such terrible harm to yourselves? You are cutting off man and woman, infant and nursing baby from Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant.
Hebrew Names Version
Therefore now thus says the LORD, the God Tzva'ot,, the God of Yisra'el: Why commit you [this] great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Yehudah, to leave you none remaining;
King James Version
Therefore now thus saith the Lord , the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
English Standard Version
And now thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant?
New American Standard Bible
'Now then, this is what the LORD God of armies, the God of Israel says: "Why are you doing great harm to yourselves, to eliminate from yourselves man and woman, child and infant from among Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant,
New Century Version
"Now the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves? You are cutting off the men and women, children and babies from the family of Judah, leaving yourselves without anyone from the family of Judah.
Amplified Bible
'Therefore now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, "Why did you commit this great evil against yourselves [bringing disaster] that will cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant?
World English Bible
Therefore now thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why commit you [this] great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you none remaining;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore now thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, Wherfore commit ye this great euill against your soules, to cut off from you man and woman, childe and suckling out of Iudah, and leaue you none to remaine?
Legacy Standard Bible
So now, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, "Why are you doing great evil against yourselves, so as to cut off from you man and woman, infant and nursing baby, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant,
Berean Standard Bible
So now, this is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves? You are cutting off from Judah man and woman, child and infant, leaving yourselves without a remnant,
Contemporary English Version
Why do you now insist on heading for another disaster? A disaster that will destroy not only you, but also your children and babies.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Therefore now, Adonai -Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says this: ‘Why are you committing this great sin against yourselves? The result can only be to cut you off from Y'hudah — men, women, children and babies — so that none of you remain.
Darby Translation
And now thus saith Jehovah the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore commit ye great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you no remnant;
Easy-to-Read Version
"So this is what the Lord God All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: ‘Why are you hurting yourselves by continuing to worship idols? You are separating the men and women, the children and babies from the family of Judah. And so you leave yourselves without anyone left from the family of Judah.
George Lamsa Translation
And now thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, the young and the little one out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
Lexham English Bible
So then, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Why are you doing great harm to yourselves, to cut off for yourselves man and woman, child and suckling, from the midst of Judah, to not leave over for yourselves a remnant,
Literal Translation
And now so says Jehovah, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you work great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, not leaving to yourselves a remnant,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now therfore thus saieth the LORDE of hoostes the God of Israel: How happeneth it, that ye do so greate euell vnto youre owne soules, thus to destroye the men and women, childre and babes of Iuda? so that none of you is left,
American Standard Version
Therefore now thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you none remaining;
Bible in Basic English
So now, the Lord, the God of armies, the God of Israel, has said, Why are you doing this great evil against yourselves, causing every man and woman, little child and baby at the breast among you in Judah to be cut off till not one is still living;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you none remaining;
King James Version (1611)
Therefore now thus saith the Lord the God of hostes, the God of Israel, Wherefore commit ye this great euill against your soules, to cut off from you man and woman, childe and suckling out of Iudah, to leaue you none to remaine.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe therfore thus saith the Lorde of hoastes the God of Israel: Howe happeneth it that ye do so great euyll vnto your owne soules, thus to destroy the men and woman, chyldren and babes of Iuda, so that none of you is left?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thus said the Lord; Thus shalt thou say to the king of Juda who sent to thee, to seek me; Behold, the army of Pharao which is come forth to help you: they shall return to the land of Egypt:
English Revised Version
Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you none remaining;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And now the Lord of oostis, God of Israel, seith these thingis, Whi doon ye this greet yuel ayens youre soulis, that a man of you perische and a womman a litil child and soukynge perische, fro the myddis of Juda, nether ony residue thing be left in you,
Update Bible Version
Therefore now thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit [this] great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you none remaining;
Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Why do ye commit [this] great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
New English Translation
"So now the Lord , the God who rules over all, the God of Israel, asks, ‘Why will you do such great harm to yourselves? Why should every man, woman, child, and baby of yours be destroyed from the midst of Judah? Why should you leave yourselves without a remnant?
New King James Version
"Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: "Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain,
New Living Translation
"And now the Lord God of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, asks you: Why are you destroying yourselves? For not one of you will survive—not a man, woman, or child among you who has come here from Judah, not even the babies in your arms.
New Life Bible
Now this is what the Lord God of All, the God of Israel, says: "Why are you hurting yourselves so much? Why are you cutting off from Judah man and woman, child and baby, and leaving yourselves without anyone?
New Revised Standard
And now thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves, to cut off man and woman, child and infant, from the midst of Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh God of hosts God of Israel - Wherefore, are ye committing a great wickedness against your own lives, that ye should cut off from you man and woman child and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, - so that there should not be left you a remnant:
Douay-Rheims Bible
And now thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against your own souls, that there should die of you man and woman, child and suckling out of the midst of Juda, and no remnant should be left you:
Revised Standard Version
And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant?
Young's Literal Translation
`And, now, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Why are ye doing great evil unto your own souls, to cut off to you man and woman, infant and suckling, from the midst of Judah, so as not to leave to you a remnant:
THE MESSAGE
"This is the Message of God, God -of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: ‘So why are you ruining your lives by amputating yourselves—man, woman, child, and baby—from the life of Judah, leaving yourselves isolated, unconnected? And why do you deliberately make me angry by what you do, offering sacrifices to these no-gods in the land of Egypt where you've come to live? You'll only destroy yourselves and make yourselves an example used in curses and an object of ridicule among all the nations of the earth.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Now then thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, "Why are you doing great harm to yourselves, so as to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant,

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord spoke to me concerning all the Israelites living in Egypt, in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and in the southern part of the country. 2 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, said, "You yourselves have seen the destruction I brought on Jerusalem and all the other cities of Judah. Even now they are still in ruins, and no one lives in them 3 because their people had done evil and had made me angry. They offered sacrifices to other gods and served gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever worshiped. 4 I kept sending you my servants the prophets, who told you not to do this terrible thing that I hate. 5 But you would not listen or pay any attention. You would not give up your evil practice of sacrificing to other gods. 6 So I poured out my anger and fury on the towns of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem, and I set them on fire. They were left in ruins and became a horrifying sight, as they are today. 7 "And so I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, now ask why you are doing such an evil thing to yourselves. Do you want to bring destruction on men and women, children and babies, so that none of your people will be left? 8 Why do you make me angry by worshiping idols and by sacrificing to other gods here in Egypt, where you have come to live? Are you doing this just to destroy yourselves, so that every nation on earth will make fun of you and use your name as a curse? 9 Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors, by the kings of Judah and their wives, and by you and your wives? 10 But to this day you have not humbled yourselves. You have not honored me or lived according to all the laws that I gave you and your ancestors.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

against: Jeremiah 7:19, Jeremiah 25:7, Jeremiah 42:20, *marg. Numbers 16:38, Proverbs 1:18, Proverbs 5:22, Proverbs 8:36, Proverbs 15:32, Ezekiel 33:11, Habakkuk 2:10

to cut: Jeremiah 44:8, Jeremiah 44:11, Jeremiah 9:21, Jeremiah 51:22, Joshua 6:21, Judges 21:11

child: Deuteronomy 32:25, 1 Samuel 15:3, 1 Samuel 22:19, Lamentations 2:11

Judah: Heb. the midst of Judah

to leave: Jeremiah 44:12, Jeremiah 44:14, Jeremiah 44:27, Jeremiah 44:28

Reciprocal: Hosea 8:4 - that they

Cross-References

Genesis 35:22
While Jacob was living in that land, Reuben had sexual intercourse with Bilhah, one of his father's concubines; Jacob heard about it and was furious. Jacob had twelve sons.
Genesis 44:16
"What can we say to you, sir?" Judah answered. "How can we argue? How can we clear ourselves? God has uncovered our guilt. All of us are now your slaves and not just the one with whom the cup was found."
Genesis 44:18
Judah went up to Joseph and said, "Please, sir, allow me to speak with you freely. Don't be angry with me; you are like the king himself.
Genesis 44:22
and we answered that the boy could not leave his father; if he did, his father would die.
Genesis 44:25
Then he told us to return and buy a little food.
Genesis 44:29
If you take this one from me now and something happens to him, the sorrow you would cause me would kill me, as old as I am.'
Genesis 44:32
What is more, I pledged my life to my father for the boy. I told him that if I did not bring the boy back to him, I would bear the blame all my life.
2 Samuel 20:20
"Never!" Joab answered. "I will never ruin or destroy your city!
2 Kings 8:13
"How could I ever be that powerful?" Hazael asked. "I'm a nobody!" "The Lord has shown me that you will be king of Syria," Elisha replied.
Proverbs 22:1
If you have to choose between a good reputation and great wealth, choose a good reputation.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel,.... The same epithets as before, Jeremiah 44:2; with an addition, that his words might carry more weight with them:

wherefore commit ye [this] great evil against your souls; the sin of idolatry, which is a great evil; a sin against God; a giving the glory to another, that belongs to him and not only so, but is against the souls of men; pernicious and ruinous to them, which brings destruction, even eternal wrath and damnation, on them; and this is an interesting argument why it should not be committed; nay, it was not only against God, and against themselves, but against their families, and the interest of them:

to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain; not that they did this great evil or committed idolatry with this intention, to ruin their families and posterity; but so it was eventually; hereby they provoked the Lord to anger, to cut off the men that offered incense to idols; and the women their wives, whom they allowed so to do; and their children, who were brought up in the same practices; so that they would have none to succeed them, to bear their name, and inherit their land; unless God should be merciful, and not deal according to their deserts; for such was the nature of their crime, as to deserve an utter extirpation of them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Your souls - i. e., your own selves.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 44:7. This great evil against your souls — Will not self-interest weigh with you? See what ruin your conduct has brought upon your country. Your fathers sinned as you are doing; and where are they now? Either destroyed, or in captivity. And you are now taking the same way to your own destruction.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile