Jeremiah
Chapter 44
1 God’s message came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in Egypt, in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and the region of Pathros. He said,
2 God says, “You have seen all the bad things I have brought on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; now they are ruined, and no one lives there.”
3 They did evil things to make me angry, like burning incense and worshiping gods they, you, or your ancestors didn’t know.
4 Even though I sent you all my prophets, again and again, telling you, “Please don’t do this terrible thing that I hate.”
5 But they did not listen or turn their ears away from their evil ways, to stop burning incense to other gods.
6 So my anger and fury were poured out and blazed in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, and they are ruined and empty to this day.
7 So now this is what God, the God of all, the God of Israel, says: Why do you do this terrible thing against yourselves? It will make every man, woman, baby, and nursing child disappear from Judah, leaving no one left.
8 You make me angry with what you do, burning incense to other gods in Egypt where you’ve gone to live, making yourselves cut off, cursed, and shamed among all the countries on earth.
9 Have you forgotten how bad your ancestors, the kings of Judah, their wives, you, and your wives were in Judah and Jerusalem?
10 They have not become humble to this day, nor have they shown fear, followed my laws, or obeyed my rules that I gave to you and your ancestors.
11 So this is what God, the God of Israel says: Look, I will turn against you to bring disaster and to completely remove Judah.
12 I will take the few people from Judah who decided to go live in Egypt. In Egypt, they will all be destroyed. They will die by the sword and from hunger. Every one of them, from the least to the greatest, will die by the sword and from hunger. They will become something people curse and are shocked by, and they will be insulted and shamed.
13 I will punish the people in Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem, with war, hunger, and disease.
14 None of the remaining people of Judah who went to live in Egypt will survive or stay alive to go back to Judah, even though they want to live there again; only those who manage to escape will return.
15 All the men who knew their wives worshiped other gods, and all the women near them, along with a large crowd, even all the people living in Egypt, in Pathros, responded to Jeremiah, saying,
16 About what you told us in God’s name, we won’t listen to you.
17 We will definitely do whatever we said we would, like offering incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out liquid offerings to her, just as we, along with our ancestors, kings, and leaders, did in the towns of Judah and Jerusalem. Back then, we had plenty of food, were healthy, and didn’t see any trouble.
18 Since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been destroyed by war and hunger.
19 When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and gave her drink offerings, did we make cakes for her and pour out drinks without our men?
20 Then Jeremiah spoke to everyone, the men and women, and all who had replied to him, saying,
21 God remembered the incense you and your ancestors, kings, and leaders burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, didn’t He?
22 So God could not stand it anymore, because of the evil things you’ve done, and the terrible things you’ve done; that’s why your land is ruined, shocking, and cursed, with no one living in it, just like today.
23 Because you burned incense and sinned against God, not listening to God’s voice or following His laws, rules, or commands, this bad thing has happened to you today.
24 Jeremiah also said to all the people and the women, “Listen to God’s message, all of you from Judah living in Egypt.”
25 God, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have said with your mouths and done with your hands, “We will surely keep the promises we made to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.” You will indeed keep your promises and do what you vowed.
26 So listen to God’s message, all you people of Judah living in Egypt. I promise by my great name, says God, that no one from Judah in Egypt will say ‘The living God’ anymore.
27 Look, I will look after them for harm, not for good: and all the men of Judah in Egypt will die by the sword and hunger, until they are all gone.
28 A few who escape the sword will come back from Egypt to Judah, and all the remaining people of Judah who went to stay in Egypt will find out which words will last, mine or theirs.
29 This will be a sign to you, says God: I will punish you here, so you will know that my words will certainly come true and bring bad things to you.
30 God says, “Look, I will hand over Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, to his enemies and to those who want to kill him, just as I handed over Zedekiah, king of Judah, to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy, who wanted to kill him.”