^44:28Some who survive in battle will return to the land of Judah from the land of Egypt. But they will be very few indeed!⁴⁹ Then the Judean remnant who have come to live in the land of Egypt will know whose word proves true,⁵⁰ mine or theirs.’

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Footnotes

49 Heb “The survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number [more literally, “men of number”; for the idiom see 709 מִסְפָּר 1.a].” The term “survivors of the sword” may be intended to represent both those who survive death in war or death by starvation or disease, a synecdoche of species for all three genera. This statement shows that the preceding “none,” “never again,” “all” in vv. 26–27 are rhetorical hyperbole. Not all but almost all; very few would survive. The following statement implies that the reason that they are left alive is to bear witness to the fact that the Lord’s threats were indeed carried out. See vv. 11–14 for a parallel use of “all” and “none” qualified by a “few.”
50 Heb “will stand,” i.e., in the sense of being fulfilled, proving to be true, or succeeding (see 878 קוּם 7.g).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah only few in number, 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!

NLTNew Living Translation

Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt. Then all those who came to Egypt will find out whose words are true—mine or theirs!

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And the survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. And all the remnant of Judah who have come to the land of Egypt to dwell as aliens there will know whose word will endure, from me or from them.

KJV 1900King James Version

Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.

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