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Then all the army officers, including Johanan^(a) son of Kareah and Jezaniah^[a] son of Hoshaiah,^(b) and all the people from the least to the greatest^(c) approached

Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, "Please hear our petition and pray^(d) to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.^(e) For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few^(f) are left.

Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."^(g)

"I have heard you," replied Jeremiah the prophet. "I will certainly pray^(h) to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell⁽ⁱ⁾ you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you."^(j)

Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the Lord be a true^(k) and faithful^(l) witness^(m) against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us.

Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well⁽ⁿ⁾ with us, for we will obey^(o) the Lord our God."

Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers^(p) who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.^(q)

He said to them, "This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,^(r) says:^(s)

‘If you stay in this land,^(t) I will build^(u) you up and not tear you down; I will plant^(v) you and not uproot you,^(w) for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.^(x)

Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,^(y) whom you now fear.^(z) Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord , for I am with you and will save^(aa) you and deliver you from his hands.^(ab)

I will show you compassion^(ac) so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.'^(ad)

"However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey^(ae) the Lord your God,

and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,^(af) where we will not see war or hear the trumpet^(ag) or be hungry for bread,'^(ah)

then hear the word of the Lord ,^(ai) you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there,

then the sword^(aj) you fear^(ak) will overtake you there, and the famine^(al) you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.^(am)

Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;^(an) not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.'

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath^(ao) have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,^(ap) so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse^[b](aq) and an object of horror,^(ar) a curse^[c] and an object of reproach;^(as) you will never see this place again.'^(at)

"Remnant^(au) of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.'^(av) Be sure of this: I warn you today

that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.'^(aw)

I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.^(ax)

So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine^(ay) and plague^(az) in the place where you want to go to settle."^(ba)

When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them^(a)—

Azariah son of Hoshaiah^(b) and Johanan^(c) son of Kareah and all the arrogant^(d) men said to Jeremiah, "You are lying!^(e) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.'^(f)

But Baruch^(g) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,^[a] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon."^(h)

So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people⁽ⁱ⁾ disobeyed the Lord 's command^(j) to stay in the land of Judah.^(k)

Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.^(l)

They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,^(m) the children and the king's daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch⁽ⁿ⁾ son of Neriah along with them.

So they entered Egypt^(o) in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.^(p)

In Tahpanhes^(q) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah:

"While the Jews are watching, take some large stones^(r) with you and bury them in clay in the brick^(s) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace^(t) in Tahpanhes.

Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant^(u) Nebuchadnezzar^(v) king of Babylon, and I will set his throne^(w) over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy^(x) above them.

He will come and attack Egypt,^(y) bringing death^(z) to those destined^(aa) for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,^(ab) and the sword to those destined for the sword.^(ac)

He will set fire^(ad) to the temples^(ae) of the gods^(af) of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.^(ag) As a shepherd picks^(ah) his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart.

There in the temple of the sun^[b](ai) in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars^(aj) and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.'"

Disaster Because of Idolatry

This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt^(a)—in Migdol,^(b) Tahpanhes^(c) and Memphis^(d)—and in Upper Egypt:^(e)

"This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster^(f) I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.^(g) Today they lie deserted and in ruins^(h)

because of the evil⁽ⁱ⁾ they have done. They aroused my anger^(j) by burning incense^(k) to and worshiping other gods^(l) that neither they nor you nor your ancestors^(m) ever knew.

Again and again⁽ⁿ⁾ I sent my servants the prophets,^(o) who said, ‘Do not do this detestable^(p) thing that I hate!'

But they did not listen or pay attention;^(q) they did not turn from their wickedness^(r) or stop burning incense^(s) to other gods.^(t)

Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;^(u) it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins^(v) they are today.

"Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster^(w) on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,^(x) the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?^(y)

Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,^(z) burning incense^(aa) to other gods in Egypt,^(ab) where you have come to live?^(ac) You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse^[a] and an object of reproach^(ad) among all the nations on earth.

Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors^(ae) and by the kings^(af) and queens^(ag) of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives^(ah) in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?^(ai)

To this day they have not humbled^(aj) themselves or shown reverence,^(ak) nor have they followed my law^(al) and the decrees^(am) I set before you and your ancestors.^(an)

"Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty,^(ao) the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster^(ap) on you and to destroy all Judah.

I will take away the remnant^(aq) of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,^(ar) they will die by sword or famine.^(as) They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.^(at)

I will punish^(au) those who live in Egypt with the sword,^(av) famine and plague,^(aw) as I punished Jerusalem.

None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives."^(ax)

Then all the men who knew that their wives^(ay) were burning incense^(az) to other gods, along with all the women^(ba) who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,^(bb) said to Jeremiah,

"We will not listen^(bc) to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord !^(bd)

We will certainly do everything we said we would:^(be) We will burn incense^(bf) to the Queen of Heaven^(bg) and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials^(bh) did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.^(bi) At that time we had plenty of food^(bj) and were well off and suffered no harm.^(bk)

But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings^(bl) to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.^(bm)"

The women added, "When we burned incense^(bn) to the Queen of Heaven^(bo) and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands^(bp) know that we were making cakes^(bq) impressed with her image^(br) and pouring out drink offerings to her?"

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him,

"Did not the Lord remember^(bs) and call to mind the incense^(bt) burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem^(bu) by you and your ancestors,^(bv) your kings and your officials and the people of the land?^(bw)

When the Lord could no longer endure^(bx) your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse^(by) and a desolate waste^(bz) without inhabitants, as it is today.^(ca)

Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed^(cb) his law or his decrees^(cc) or his stipulations, this disaster^(cd) has come upon you, as you now see."^(ce)

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,^(cf) "Hear the word of the Lord , all you people of Judah in Egypt.^(cg)

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives^(ch) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.'^(ci) "Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!^(cj)

But hear the word of the Lord , all you Jews living in Egypt:^(ck) ‘I swear^(cl) by my great name,' says the Lord , ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, "As surely as the Sovereign^(cm) Lord lives."^(cn)

For I am watching^(co) over them for harm,^(cp) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish^(cq) by sword and famine^(cr) until they are all destroyed.^(cs)

Those who escape the sword^(ct) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.^(cu) Then the whole remnant^(cv) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand^(cw)—mine or theirs.^(cx)

"‘This will be the sign^(cy) to you that I will punish^(cz) you in this place,' declares the Lord , ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.'^(da)

This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh^(db) Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah^(dc) king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.'"^(dd)

A Message to Baruch

When Baruch^(a) son of Neriah^(b) wrote on a scroll^(c) the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(d) son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch:

"This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:

You said, ‘Woe^(e) to me! The Lord has added sorrow^(f) to my pain;^(g) I am worn out with groaning^(h) and find no rest.'⁽ⁱ⁾

But the Lord has told me to say to you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot^(j) what I have planted,^(k) throughout the earth.^(l)

Should you then seek great^(m) things for yourself? Do not seek them.⁽ⁿ⁾ For I will bring disaster^(o) on all people,^(p) declares the Lord , but wherever you go I will let you escape^(q) with your life.'"^(r)

A Message About Egypt

This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:^(a)

Concerning Egypt:^(b) This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho^(c) king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish^(d) on the Euphrates^(e) River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^(f) son of Josiah king of Judah:

"Prepare your shields,^(g) both large and small, and march out for battle!

Harness the horses, mount the steeds! Take your positions with helmets on! Polish^(h) your spears, put on your armor!⁽ⁱ⁾

What do I see? They are terrified, they are retreating, their warriors are defeated. They flee^(j) in haste without looking back, and there is terror^(k) on every side," declares the Lord .

"The swift cannot flee^(l) nor the strong escape. In the north by the River Euphrates^(m) they stumble and fall.⁽ⁿ⁾

"Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters?^(o)

Egypt rises like the Nile,^(p) like rivers of surging waters. She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy cities and their people.'^(q)

Charge, you horses! Drive furiously, you charioteers!^(r) March on, you warriors—men of Cush^[a](s) and Put who carry shields, men of Lydia^(t) who draw the bow.

But that day^(u) belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty— a day of vengeance^(v), for vengeance on his foes. The sword will devour^(w) till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood.^(x) For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice^(y) in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.^(z)

"Go up to Gilead and get balm,^(aa) Virgin^(ab) Daughter Egypt. But you try many medicines in vain; there is no healing^(ac) for you.

The nations will hear of your shame; your cries will fill the earth. One warrior will stumble over another; both will fall^(ad) down together."

This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(ae) to attack Egypt:^(af)

"Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol; proclaim it also in Memphis^(ag) and Tahpanhes:^(ah) ‘Take your positions and get ready, for the sword devours^(ai) those around you.'

Why will your warriors be laid low? They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.^(aj)

They will stumble^(ak) repeatedly; they will fall^(al) over each other. They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back to our own people^(am) and our native lands, away from the sword of the oppressor.'^(an)

There they will exclaim, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;^(ao) he has missed his opportunity.^(ap)'

"As surely as I live," declares the King,^(aq) whose name is the Lord Almighty, "one will come who is like Tabor^(ar) among the mountains, like Carmel^(as) by the sea.

Pack your belongings for exile,^(at) you who live in Egypt, for Memphis^(au) will be laid waste^(av) and lie in ruins without inhabitant.

"Egypt is a beautiful heifer, but a gadfly is coming against her from the north.^(aw)

The mercenaries^(ax) in her ranks are like fattened calves.^(ay) They too will turn and flee^(az) together, they will not stand their ground, for the day^(ba) of disaster is coming upon them, the time^(bb) for them to be punished.

Egypt will hiss like a fleeing serpent as the enemy advances in force; they will come against her with axes, like men who cut down trees.^(bc)

They will chop down her forest," declares the Lord , "dense though it be. They are more numerous than locusts,^(bd) they cannot be counted.

Daughter Egypt will be put to shame, given into the hands of the people of the north.^(be)"

The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,^(bf) on Pharaoh,^(bg) on Egypt and her gods^(bh) and her kings, and on those who rely^(bi) on Pharaoh.

I will give them into the hands^(bj) of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king^(bk) of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited^(bl) as in times past," declares the Lord .

"Do not be afraid,^(bm) Jacob^(bn) my servant;^(bo) do not be dismayed, Israel. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile.^(bp) Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.

Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant, for I am with you,"^(bq) declares the Lord . "Though I completely destroy^(br) all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished."