 1 The Word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who live in the land of Migdol and at Tahpanhes and at Noph and in the country of Pathros saying, 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah. Indeed+, today they are a ruin and no one lives there. 3 This because of their wickedness that they have committed to provoke me to anger in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods that they did not know, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4 But I sent all my servants the prophets to you, rising early and saying, Do not do this abominable thing that I hate. 5 But they did not listen nor bow down their ear to turn from their wickedness to burn no incense to other gods. 6 Therefore my fury and my anger was poured out and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem so that they are wasted and desolate as at this day. 7 Thus says the Lord the God of hosts the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against your souls to cut off from you man and woman, child and babe out of Judah, to leave you none to remain? 8 In this you provoke me to wrath by the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to live so that you might cut yourselves off and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth. 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers and the wickedness of the kings of Judah and the wickedness of their wives and your own wickedness and the wickedness of your wives that they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They are not humbled to this day nor have they feared nor walked in my law nor in my statutes that I have set before you and before your fathers. 11 Therefore the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel says: I will turn+ against you for evil and cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah who have decided+ to go into the land of Egypt to live there. They will all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They will be destroyed by the sword and by famine. They will die from the least even to the greatest by the sword and by famine. They will be a curse, a wonder, a shame, and a reproach. 13 For I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt as I have punished Jerusalem by the sword, by famine, and by the plague. 14 None of the remnant of Judah that have gone into the land of Egypt to live there will escape or remain so that they should return into the land of Judah to which they have a desire to return to live there. None will return except those who escape. 15 All the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods and all the women who stood by, a great multitude, even all the people who lived in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah. They said, 16 As for the Word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will certainly do whatever thing goes forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our rulers in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food and were well and saw no evil. 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked all things and have been devoured by the sword and by the famine. 19 When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes to worship her and pour out drink offerings to her without our men? 20 Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women and to all the people who had given him that answer: 21 The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings, your rulers, and the people of the land, did the Lord not remember them? Yes, it came into His mind. 22 Yes, so the Lord could no longer hold back because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations that you have committed. Therefore your land is a desolation and an astonishment and a curse, without inhabitants, as it is today. 23 This because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord nor walked in His law nor in His statutes nor did you walk in His testimonies. Therefore this evil has happened to you as at this day. 24 Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, Hear the Word of the Lord all Judah that is in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands saying, We will surely fulfil our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her. You will surely fulfil your vows and surely carry out your vows. 26 Therefore hear the Word of the Lord to all Judah that lives in the land of Egypt: I have sworn by my great name says the Lord, that my name will no longer be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt saying, The Lord God lives. 27 I will watch over them for evil and not for good. All the men of Judah in the land of Egypt will be destroyed by the sword and by famine until there is an end of them. 28 Yet the small number that escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah. All the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to live there will know whose word will stand, mine or theirs. 29 This will be a sign to you says the Lord, that I will punish you in this place so that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for evil. 30 Thus says the Lord: Indeed+, I am giving King Pharaohhophra of Egypt to his enemies and to those who seek his life, as I gave King Zedekiah of Judah to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his enemy that sought his life.
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