2 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You have seen all the disaster I brought against Jerusalem and all Judah’s cities. Look, they are a ruin today without an inhabitant in theml 3 because of the evil they committed to anger me,m by going and burning incense to serve other gods that they, you, and your ancestors did not know.n 4 So I sent you all my servants the prophets time and time again,E,o saying, ‘Don’t commit this detestable action that I hate.’ 5 But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their evil or stop burning incense to other gods. 6 So my fierce wrath poured out and burned in Judah’s cities and Jerusalem’s streetsp so that they became the desolate ruin they are today.

7 “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 babyq from Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant.r 8 You are angering me by the work of your hands. You are burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to stay for a while. As a result, you will be cut off and become an example for cursing and insult among all the nations of earth.s 9 Have you forgotten the evils of your ancestors, the evils of Judah’s kings, the evils of their wives, your own evils, and the evils of your wives that were committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not become humble to this day, and they have not feared or followed my instruction or my statutes that I set before you and your ancestors.

11 “Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to set my face against you to bring disaster,t to cut off all Judah.u 12 And I will take away the remnant of Judah,v those who have set their face to go to the land of Egypt to stay there. All of them will meet their end in the land of Egypt. They will fall by the sword; they will meet their end by famine. From the least to the greatest,w they will die by the sword and by famine. Then they will become an example for cursing, scorn,x execration, and disgrace.y 13 I will punish those living in the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem by sword, famine, and plague. 14 Then the remnant of Judah—those going to live for a while there in the land of Egypt—will have no fugitive or survivor to return to the land of Judah where they are longingA to return to stay,a for they will not return except for a few fugitives.”

THE PEOPLE’S STUBBORN RESPONSE

15 However, all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, all the women standing by—a great assembly—and all the people who were living in the land of Egypt at Pathros answered Jeremiah, 16 “As for the word you spoke to us in the name of the Lord, we are not going to listen to you! 17 Instead, we will do everything we promised:B we will burn incense to the queen of heavenC and offer drink offerings to her just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our officials did in Judah’s citiesb and in Jerusalem’s streets. Then we had enough food, we were well off, and we saw no disaster,