Jeremiah 44

A word to the Judeans in Egypt

1The word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans living in Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the land of Pathros: 2“This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: You have seen all the disaster I brought on Jerusalem and all Judah's towns. Today they lie ruined, with no one living in them, 3because of the evil they did to provoke me. They went to burn incense and serve other gods, gods unknown to them, to you, and to your ancestors. 4Again and again I sent you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Please do not do this abhorrent thing that I hate.’ 5But they would not listen or pay attention. They would not turn from their evil and stop burning incense to other gods. 6So my wrath and anger poured out and burned in Judah's towns and Jerusalem's streets. They became ruins, a desolation, as they are today. 7“Now this is what the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Why are you bringing such great harm on yourselves, cutting off man and woman, child and nursing infant from Judah, leaving yourselves no remnant? 8Why provoke me with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to settle? You will cut yourselves off and become a curse and a disgrace among all the nations of the earth. 9Have you forgotten the evil of your ancestors, of Judah's kings and their wives, of yourselves and your wives, done in Judah and in Jerusalem's streets? 10To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence. They have not followed my instruction and my statutes, which I set before you and your ancestors. 11“Therefore this is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am setting my face against you for disaster, to cut off all Judah. 12I will take the remnant of Judah who set their faces toward Egypt to settle there, and they will all come to an end in Egypt. They will fall by the sword and waste away in famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword and famine and become an example invoked in oaths, an object of horror, a curse, and a disgrace. 13I will call those living in Egypt to account, just as I called Jerusalem to account, by sword, famine, and plague. 14None of the remnant of Judah who have come to settle in Egypt will escape or survive to return to Judah, where they long to return and live. They will not return—except for a few fugitives.”

The people answer

15Then all the men who knew their wives were burning incense to other gods, all the women standing there—a large assembly—and all the people living in Pathros in Egypt answered Jeremiah: 16“As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you. 17We will certainly do everything we have promised: burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our officials did in Judah's towns and Jerusalem's streets. Then we had plenty of bread, lived well, and saw no disaster. 18But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and been consumed by sword and famine.” 19The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes bearing her image and pour out offerings without our husbands?”

Whose word will stand?

20Jeremiah answered all the people—the men, the women, and everyone who had replied to him: 21“The incense you burned in Judah's towns and Jerusalem's streets—you, your ancestors, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land—wasn't that what the LORD remembered? Didn't it come to his mind? 22The LORD could no longer bear your evil deeds and the abhorrent things you did. That is why your land became a ruin, a horror, and a curse, without inhabitants, as it is today. 23Because you burned incense and sinned against the LORD, because you did not obey the LORD or follow his instruction, statutes, and testimonies, this disaster has overtaken 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 in Egypt. 25This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have carried out with your hands what you said with your mouths: “We will certainly fulfill our vows to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” Go ahead, confirm your vows! Fulfill your vows! 26But hear the word of the LORD, all Judah living in Egypt: I swear by my great name, says the LORD, that no one from Judah anywhere in Egypt will again invoke my name by saying, “As the Lord GOD lives.” 27I am watching over them for harm, not for good. All the people of Judah in Egypt will be consumed by sword and famine until they are finished. 28Only a few who escape the sword will return from Egypt to Judah. Then all the remnant of Judah who came to settle in Egypt will know whose word stands—mine or theirs. 29And this will be your sign, declares the LORD, that I will call you to account in this place, so you may know that my words of disaster against you will certainly stand. 30This is what the LORD says: I am handing Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his enemies, to those who seek his life, just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’”