Chapter 44

Conquest of Egypt Predicted

1 The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt, those who were living in aMigdol, bTahpanhes, cMemphis, and the land of dPathros, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are in aruins and no one lives in them,

3 abecause of their wickedness which they committed so as to bprovoke Me to anger by continuing to cburn 1sacrifices and to dserve other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, nor your fathers.

4 ‘Yet I asent you all My servants the prophets, 1again and again, saying, “Oh, do not do this babominable thing which I hate.”

5 ‘But athey did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn 1sacrifices to other gods.

6 ‘Therefore My awrath and My anger were poured out and burned in the bcities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so they have become a ruin and a cdesolation as it is this day.

7 ‘Now then thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Why are you adoing great harm to yourselves, so as to bcut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant,

8 aprovoking Me to anger with the works of your hands, bburning 1sacrifices to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you are entering to reside, so that you might be cut off and become a ccurse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

9 “Have you forgotten the awickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

10 “But they ahave not become 1contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor bwalked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.” ’

11 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to aset My face against you for 1woe, even to cut off all Judah.

12 ‘And I will atake away the remnant of Judah who have set their 1mind on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all 2bmeet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword and meet their end by famine. Both small and great will die by the sword and famine; and they will become a ccurse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach.

13 ‘And I will apunish those who live in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine and with pestilence.

14 ‘So there will be ano refugees or survivors for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to reside there and then to return to the land of Judah, to which they are 1blonging to return and live; for none will creturn except a few refugees.’ ”

15 Then aall the men who were aware that their wives were burning 1sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, 2including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying,

16 “As for the 1amessage that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, bwe are not going to listen to you!

17 “But rather we will certainly acarry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, 1by burning 2sacrifices to the bqueen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as cwe ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had dplenty of 3food and were well off and saw no 4misfortune.

18 “But since we stopped burning 1sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have alacked everything and have 2met our end by the sword and by famine.”

19 “And,” said the women, “when we were aburning 1sacrifices to the queen of heaven and 2were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it bwithout our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes 3in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

Calamity for the Jews

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women—even to all the people who were giving him such an answer—saying,

21 “As for the 1asmoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the bstreets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord cremember them and did not all this come into His 2mind?

22 “So the Lord was ano longer able to endure it, bbecause of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a cruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day.

23 “Because you have burned 1sacrifices and have sinned against the Lord and anot obeyed the voice of the Lord or bwalked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this ccalamity has befallen you, as it has this day.”

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “aHear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are bin the land of Egypt,

25 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: ‘As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, “We will acertainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn 1sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” 2bGo ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!’

26 “1Nevertheless hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, ‘Behold, I have asworn by My great name,’ says the Lord, ‘bnever shall My name be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “cAs the Lord 2God lives.”

27 ‘Behold, I am watching over them afor harm and not for good, and ball the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will 1meet their end by the sword and by famine until they 2are completely gone.

28 ‘aThose who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah 1bfew in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know cwhose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

29 ‘This will be the asign to you,’ declares the Lord, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that bMy words will surely stand against you for harm.’

30 “Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am going to give over aPharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over bZedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.’ ”