Jeremiah 44–46

Disaster Because of Idolatry

44This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt^s—in Migdol,^t Tahpanhes^u and Memphis^v—and in Upper Egypt:^{w 2}“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster^x I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.^y Today they lie deserted and in ruins^{z 3}because of the evil^a they have done. They aroused my anger^b by burning incense^c to and worshiping other gods^d that neither they nor you nor your ancestors^e ever knew. ⁴Again and again^f I sent my servants the prophets,^g who said, ‘Do not do this detestable^h thing that I hate!’ ⁵But they did not listen or pay attention;ⁱ they did not turn from their wickedness^j or stop burning incense^k to other gods.^{l 6}Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;^m it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruinsⁿ they are today.

⁷“Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster^o on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,^p the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?^{q 8}Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,^r burning incense^s to other gods in Egypt,^t where you have come to live?^u You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse^a and an object of reproach^v among all the nations on earth. ⁹Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors^w and by the kings^x and queens^y of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives^z in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?^{a 10}To this day they have not humbled^b themselves or shown reverence,^c nor have they followed my law^d and the decrees^e I set before you and your ancestors.^f

¹¹“Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty,^g the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster^h on you and to destroy all Judah. ¹²I will take away the remnantⁱ 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,^j they will die by sword or famine.^k They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.^{l 13}I will punish^m those who live in Egypt with the sword,ⁿ famine and plague,^o as I punished Jerusalem. ¹⁴None 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.”^p

¹⁵Then all the men who knew that their wives^q were burning incense^r to other gods, along with all the women^s who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,^t said to Jeremiah, ¹⁶“We will not listen^u to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!^{v 17}We will certainly do everything we said we would:^w We will burn incense^x to the Queen of Heaven^y and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials^z did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.^a At that time we had plenty of food^b and were well off and suffered no harm.^{c 18}But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings^d to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.^e”

¹⁹The women added, “When we burned incense^f to the Queen of Heaven^g and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands^h know that we were making cakesⁱ impressed with her image^j and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

²⁰Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, ²¹“Did not the Lord remember^k and call to mind the incense^l burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem^m by you and your ancestors,ⁿ your kings and your officials and the people of the land?^{o 22}When the Lord could no longer endure^p your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse^q and a desolate waste^r without inhabitants, as it is today.^{s 23}Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed^t his law or his decrees^u or his stipulations, this disaster^v has come upon you, as you now see.”^w

²⁴Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,^x “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.^{y 25}This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives^z 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.’^a

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!^{b 26}But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:^c ‘I swear^d 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^e Lord lives.”^{f 27}For I am watching^g over them for harm,^h not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perishⁱ by sword and famine^j until they are all destroyed.^{k 28}Those who escape the sword^l and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.^m Then the whole remnantⁿ of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand^o—mine or theirs.^p

²⁹“ ‘This will be the sign^q to you that I will punish^r you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’^{s 30}This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh^t Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah^u king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’ ”^v

A Message to Baruch

45When Baruch^w son of Neriah^x wrote on a scroll^y the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^z son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: ²“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: ³You said, ‘Woe^a to me! The Lord has added sorrow^b to my pain;^c I am worn out with groaning^d and find no rest.’^{e 4}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^f what I have planted,^g throughout the earth.^{h 5}Should you then seek greatⁱ things for yourself? Do not seek them.^j For I will bring disaster^k on all people,^l declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape^m with your life.’ ”ⁿ

A Message About Egypt

46This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations:^o

²Concerning Egypt:^p

This is the message against the army of Pharaoh Necho^q king of Egypt, which was defeated at Carchemish^r on the Euphrates^s River by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in the fourth year of Jehoiakim^t son of Josiah king of Judah:

³“Prepare your shields,^u both large and small,

and march out for battle!

⁴Harness the horses,

mount the steeds!

Take your positions

with helmets on!

Polish^v your spears,

put on your armor!^w

⁵What do I see?

They are terrified,

they are retreating,

their warriors are defeated.

They flee^x in haste

without looking back,

and there is terror^y on every side,”

declares the Lord.

⁶“The swift cannot flee^z

nor the strong escape.

In the north by the River Euphrates^a

they stumble and fall.^b

⁷“Who is this that rises like the Nile,

like rivers of surging waters?^c

⁸Egypt rises like the Nile,^d

like rivers of surging waters.

She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth;

I will destroy cities and their people.’^e

⁹Charge, you horses!

Drive furiously, you charioteers!^f

March on, you warriors—men of Cush^ag and Put who carry shields,

men of Lydia^h who draw the bow.

¹⁰But that dayⁱ belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—

a day of vengeance^j, for vengeance on his foes.

The sword will devour^k till it is satisfied,

till it has quenched its thirst with blood.^l

For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice^m

in the land of the north by the River Euphrates.ⁿ

¹¹“Go up to Gilead and get balm,^o

Virgin^p Daughter Egypt.

But you try many medicines in vain;

there is no healing^q for you.

¹²The nations will hear of your shame;

your cries will fill the earth.

One warrior will stumble over another;

both will fall^r down together.”

¹³This is the message the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^s to attack Egypt:^t

¹⁴“Announce this in Egypt, and proclaim it in Migdol;

proclaim it also in Memphis^u and Tahpanhes:^v

‘Take your positions and get ready,

for the sword devours^w those around you.’

¹⁵Why will your warriors be laid low?

They cannot stand, for the Lord will push them down.^x

¹⁶They will stumble^y repeatedly;

they will fall^z over each other.

They will say, ‘Get up, let us go back

to our own people^a and our native lands,

away from the sword of the oppressor.’^b

¹⁷There they will exclaim,

‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is only a loud noise;^c

he has missed his opportunity.^d’

¹⁸“As surely as I live,” declares the King,^e

whose name is the Lord Almighty,

“one will come who is like Tabor^f among the mountains,

like Carmel^g by the sea.

¹⁹Pack your belongings for exile,^h

you who live in Egypt,

for Memphisⁱ will be laid waste^j

and lie in ruins without inhabitant.

²⁰“Egypt is a beautiful heifer,

but a gadfly is coming

against her from the north.^k

²¹The mercenaries^l in her ranks

are like fattened calves.^m

They too will turn and fleeⁿ together,

they will not stand their ground,

for the day^o of disaster is coming upon them,

the time^p for them to be punished.

²²Egypt 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.^q

²³They will chop down her forest,”

declares the Lord,

“dense though it be.

They are more numerous than locusts,^r

they cannot be counted.

²⁴Daughter Egypt will be put to shame,

given into the hands of the people of the north.^s”

²⁵The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes,^t on Pharaoh,^u on Egypt…