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therefore — " here is what Adonai Elohei-Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: "I will inflict on Y'hudah and all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim all the disaster I have decreed against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not listened; and I have called out to them, but they have not answered."'"

Then to the clan of the Rekhavim Yirmeyahu said, "Here is what Adonai -Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: ‘Because you have heeded the order of Yonadav your ancestor, observed all his commands and done what he ordered you to do;

therefore Adonai -Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says this: "Yonadav the son of Rekhav will never lack a descendant to stand before me."'"

Tzidkiyahu the king sent Y'hukhal the son of Shelemyahu and Tz'fanyahu the son of Ma‘aseiyah, the cohen, to the prophet Yirmeyahu with the message, "Please pray to Adonai our God for us."

" Adonai the God of Isra'el says to tell the king of Y'hudah, who sent you to me to consult me: ‘Pharaoh's army has marched out to assist you; but they will return to Egypt, to their own country.

Then Yirmeyahu said to Tzidkiyahu, "Here is what Adonai -Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: ‘If you will go out and surrender to the king of Bavel's officers, then you will stay alive — this city will not be burned down; and you and your family will live.

"Go and tell ‘Eved-Melekh the Ethiopian that Adonai -Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: ‘"I am about to fulfill my words about this city for disaster, not for good; when the day arrives, they will come true before your eyes.

The commander of the guard took Yirmeyahu and said to him, " Adonai your God decreed this disaster for this place,

and said to Yirmeyahu the prophet, "I beg you, approve our request: pray for us to Adonai your God for all of this remnant. For, while once we were numerous, only a few of us are left, as you can see.

Pray that Adonai your God will tell us what direction to take and what to do."

Yirmeyahu the prophet said to them: "I hear you. All right, I will pray to Adonai your God, as you have asked. And whatever Adonai answers you, I will tell you; I will withhold nothing from you."

They said to Yirmeyahu, "May Adonai be a true and faithful witness against us if we fail to do any part of what Adonai your God gives you to tell us.

Whether it be good or bad, we will listen to what Adonai our God says. We are dispatching you to him so that things will go well with us, as we heed what Adonai our God says."

and said to them, "You sent me to present your request to Adonai the God of Isra'el. This is what he says:

"But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,' thereby not heeding what Adonai your God is saying,

then hear what Adonai says, remnant of Y'hudah — this is what Adonai -Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and stay there,

For here is what Adonai -Tzva'ot, the God of Isra'el, says: ‘Just as my anger and fury were poured out on the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, so likewise my fury will be poured out on you if you go to Egypt; so that you will become an object of condemnation, astonishment, cursing and reproach; and you will see this place no more.'

For you have been behaving deceitfully, against your own interests. You sent me to Adonai your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to Adonai our God; tell us everything Adonai our God says, and we will do it.'

Today I have told it to you, but you haven't heeded any part of what Adonai your God gave me to tell you.

When Yirmeyahu had finished telling all the people everything Adonai their God had said, which Adonai their God had sent him to tell them, the entire speech cited above,