Jeremiah 44–46

GOD’S JUDGMENT AGAINST HIS PEOPLE IN EGYPT

44This is the word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt—at Migdol,^h Tahpanhes,ⁱ Memphis,^j and in the land of Pathros:^{k 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 them^{l 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,^Ao saying, ‘Don’t commit this detestable action that I hate.’ ⁵But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their evil or stop burning incense to other gods. ⁶So my fierce wrath poured out and burned in Judah’s cities and Jerusalem’s streets^p 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 baby^q 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? ¹⁰They 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. ¹⁴Then 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 longing^B to return to stay,^a for they will not return except for a few fugitives.”

THE PEOPLE’S STUBBORN RESPONSE

¹⁵However, 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! ¹⁷Instead, we will do everything we promised:^C we will burn incense to the queen of heaven^D and offer drink offerings to her just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our officials did in Judah’s cities^b and in Jerusalem’s streets. Then we had enough food, we were well off, and we saw no disaster, ¹⁸but from the time we ceased to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to offer her drink offerings, we have lacked everything, and through sword and famine we have met our end.”^c

¹⁹And the women said,^A “When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it apart from our husbands’ knowledge^d that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

²⁰But Jeremiah responded to all the people—the men, women, and all the people who were answering him: ²¹“As for the incense you burned in Judah’s cities^e and in Jerusalem’s streets—you, your ancestors, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land—did the Lord not remember them? He brought this to mind. ²²The Lord can no longer bear your evil deeds and the detestable acts you have committed,^f so your land has become a waste, a desolation, and an example for cursing, without inhabitant, as you see today. ²³Because you burned incense and sinned against the Lord and didn’t obey the Lord^g and didn’t follow his instruction, his statutes, and his testimonies, this disaster has come to you, as you see today.”

²⁴Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who are in the land of Egypt.^{h 25}This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for you and your wives, you women have spoken with your mouths, and you men fulfilled it by your deeds, saying, “We will keep our vows that we have made to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings for her.” Go ahead, confirm your vows! Keep your vows!’

²⁶“Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you Judeans who live in the land of Egypt: ‘I have sworn by my great name,ⁱ says the Lord, that my name will never again be invoked by anyone of Judah in all the land of Egypt,^j saying, “As the Lord God lives.” ²⁷I am watching over them for disaster and not for good,^k and everyone from Judah who is in the land of Egypt will meet his end by sword or famine until they are finished off. ²⁸Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah only few in number,^l and the whole remnant of Judah, the ones going to the land of Egypt to stay there for a while, will know whose word stands, mine or theirs! ²⁹This will be a sign to you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘that I will punish you in this place, so you may know that my words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass.^{m 30}This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra,ⁿ Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who intend to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah^o to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who intended to take his life.’ ”

THE LORD’S MESSAGE TO BARUCH

45This is the word that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah^p when he wrote these words on a scroll at Jeremiah’s dictation^Bq in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah:^{r 2}“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: ³‘You have said, “Woe is me, because the Lord has added misery to my pain! I am worn out with^A groaning and have found no rest.” ’^s

⁴“This is what you are to say to him: ‘This is what the Lord says: “What I have built I am about to demolish, and what I have planted I am about to uproot^t —the whole land! ⁵But as for you, do you pursue great things for yourself? Stop pursuing! For I am about to bring disaster on all humanity”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“but I will grant you your life like the spoils of war^a wherever you go.” ’ ”

PROPHECIES AGAINST THE NATIONS

46This is the word of the Lord that came to the prophet Jeremiah about the nations:^b

PROPHECIES AGAINST EGYPT

²About Egypt and the army of Pharaoh Neco, Egypt’s king,^c which was defeated at Carchemish^d on the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in the fourth year of Judah’s King Jehoiakim son of Josiah:^e

³Deploy small shields^f and large;

approach for battle!

⁴Harness the horses;

mount the steeds;^B

take your positions with helmets on!

Polish the lances;

put on armor!^g

⁵Why have I seen this?

They are terrified,

they are retreating,

their warriors are crushed,

they flee headlong,

they never look back,

terror is on every side!^h

This is the Lord’s declaration.

⁶The swift cannot flee,

and the warrior cannot escape!ⁱ

In the north by the bank of the Euphrates River,

they stumble and fall.^j

⁷Who is this, rising like the Nile,^k

with waters that churn like rivers?

⁸Egypt rises like the Nile,^l

and its waters churn like rivers.

He boasts, “I will go up, I will cover the earth;

I will destroy cities with their residents.”

⁹Rise up, you cavalry!

Race furiously, you chariots!

Let the warriors march out—

Cush and Put,^m

who are able to handle shields,

and the men of Lud,ⁿ

who are able to handle and string the bow.^o

¹⁰That day belongs to the Lord, the God of Armies,

a day of vengeance to avenge himself

against his adversaries.

The sword will devour and be satisfied;

it will drink its fill of their blood,

because it will be a sacrifice^p to the Lord, the God of Armies,

in the northern land by the Euphrates River.^q

¹¹Go up to Gilead and get balm,^r

Virgin Daughter Egypt!

You have multiplied remedies in vain;

there is no healing for you.

¹²The nations have heard of your dishonor,^s

and your cries fill the earth,

because warrior stumbles against warrior

and together both of them have fallen.

¹³This is the word the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about the coming of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to defeat the land of Egypt:^t

¹⁴Announce it in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol!^u

Proclaim it in Memphis and in Tahpanhes!

Say, “Take positions! Prepare yourself,

for the sword devours all around you.”^v

¹⁵Why have your strong ones been swept away?

Each has not stood,

for the Lord has thrust him down.

¹⁶He continues to stumble.^w

Indeed, each falls over the other.

They say, “Get up! Let’s return to our people

and to our native land,

away from the oppressor’s sword.”^x

¹⁷There they will cry out,

“Pharaoh king of Egypt was all noise;

he let the opportune moment pass.”

¹⁸As I live—

this is the King’s declaration;

the Lord of Armies is his name^y —

the king of Babylon^A will come like Tabor among the mountains

and like Carmel by the sea.

¹⁹Get your bags ready for exile,

inhabitant of Daughter Egypt!^a

For Memphis will become a desolation,

uninhabited ruins.

²⁰Egypt is a beautiful young cow,^b

but a horsefly from the north is coming against her.^Bc

²¹Even her mercenaries among her

are like stall-fed calves.

They too will turn back;

together they…