New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Jeremiah Warns against Trust in Pharaoh

1 Now Zedekiah the son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah, reigned as king in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim.

2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lordwhich He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.

3 Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray to the Lordour God on our behalf.”

4 Now Jeremiah wasstillcoming in and going out among the people, for they had notyetput him in the prison.

5 Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they lifted thesiegefrom Jerusalem.

6 Then the word of the Lordcame to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

7 “Thus says the LordGod of Israel, ‘Thus you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come out for your assistance is going to return to its own land of Egypt.

8 The Chaldeans will also return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.”‘

9 Thus says the Lord, ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,” for they will not go.

10 For even if you had defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there wereonlywounded men left among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.'”

Jeremiah Imprisoned

11 Now it happened when the army of the Chaldeans had liftedthe siegefrom Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army,

12 that Jeremiah went out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin in order to take possession ofsomeproperty there among the people.

13 While he was at the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah the son of Hananiah was there; and he arrested Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are going over to the Chaldeans!”

14 But Jeremiah said, “A lie! I am not going over to the Chaldeans”; yet he would not listen to him. So Irijah arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.

15 Then the officials were angry at Jeremiah and beat him, and they put him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, which they had made into the prison.

16 For Jeremiah had come into the dungeon, that is, the vaulted cell; and Jeremiah stayed there many days.

17 Now King Zedekiah sent and took himout;and in his palace the king secretly asked him and said, “Is there a word from the Lord?” And Jeremiah said, “There is!” Then he said, “You will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon!”

18 Moreover Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, “Inwhatwayhave I sinned against you, or against your servants, or against this people, that you have put me in prison?

19 Where then are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you or against this land’?

20 But now, please listen, O my lord the king; please let my petition come before you and do not make me return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, that I may not die there.”

21 Then King Zedekiah gave commandment, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guardhouse and gave him a loaf of bread daily from the bakers’ street, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guardhouse.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/37-37ef8b06fc452a0a05b27cade8a8e482.mp3?version_id=100—

Jeremiah Thrown into the Cistern

1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lord, ‘He who stays in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live and have hisownlife as booty and stay alive.’

3 Thus says the Lord, ‘This city will certainly be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.'”

4 Then the officials said to the king, “Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm.”

5 So King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands; for the king candonothing against you.”

6 Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cisternofMalchijah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

7 But Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch, while he was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. Now the king was sitting in the Gate of Benjamin;

8 and Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and spoke to the king, saying,

9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have cast into the cistern; and he will die right where he is because of the famine, for there is no more bread in the city.”

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take thirty men from here under your authority and bring up Jeremiah the prophet from the cistern before he dies.”

11 So Ebed-melech took the men under his authority and went into the king’s palace toa placebeneath the storeroom and took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags and let them down by ropes into the cistern to Jeremiah.

12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these worn-out clothes and rags under your armpits under the ropes”; and Jeremiah did so.

13 So they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse.

14 Then King Zedekiah sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord; and the king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to ask you something; do not hide anything from me.”

15 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? Besides, if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”

16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in secret saying, “As the Lordlives, who made this life for us, surely I will not put you to death nor will I give you over to the hand of these men who are seeking your life.”

Interview with Zedekiah

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the LordGod of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘If you will indeed go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will survive.

18 But if you will not go out to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be given over to the hand of the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and you yourself will not escape from their hand.'”

19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I dread the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldeans, for they may give me over into their hand and they will abuse me.”

20 But Jeremiah said, “They will not give you over. Please obey the Lordin what I am saying to you, that it may go well with you and you may live.

21 But if you keep refusing to go out, this is the word which the Lordhas shown me:

22 ‘Then behold, all of the women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say,

“Your close friends

Have misled and overpowered you;

While your feet were sunk in the mire,

They turned back.”

23 They will also bring out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.'”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no man know about these words and you will not die.

25 But if the officials hear that I have talked with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us now what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hideitfrom us and we will not put you to death,’

26 then you are to say to them, ‘I was presenting my petition before the king, not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.'”

27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. So he reported to them in accordance with all these words which the king had commanded; and they ceased speaking with him, since the conversation had not been overheard.

28 So Jeremiah stayed in the court of the guardhouse until the day that Jerusalem was captured.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/38-2d044ce7a1ebce29ee22983b60490784.mp3?version_id=100—

Jerusalem Captured

1 Now when Jerusalem was captured in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it;

2 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninthdayof the month, the citywallwas breached.

3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezertheRab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon.

4 When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they fled and went out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward theArabah.

5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho; and they seized him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.

6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slew all the nobles of Judah.

7 He then blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in fetters of bronze to bring him to Babylon.

8 The Chaldeans also burned with fire the king’s palace and the houses of the people, and they broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

9 As for the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had gone over to him and the rest of the people who remained, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard carriedtheminto exile in Babylon.

10 But some of the poorest people who had nothing, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard left behind in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at that time.

Jeremiah Spared

11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying,

12 “Take him and look after him, and do nothing harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.”

13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sentword,along with Nebushazban the Rab-saris, and Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon;

14 they even sent and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guardhouse and entrusted him to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people.

15 Now the word of the Lordhad come to Jeremiah while he was confined in the court of the guardhouse, saying,

16 “Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city for disaster and not for prosperity; and they will take place before you on that day.

17 But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the Lord, “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread.

18 For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have yourownlife as booty, because you have trusted in Me,” declares the Lord.'”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/39-e495f66dc73b8ea08b337157a1a56294.mp3?version_id=100—

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lordafter Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.

2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lordyour God promised this calamity against this place;

3 and the Lordhas broughtiton and done just as He promised. Because youpeoplesinned against the Lordand did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.

4 But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, comealong,and I will look after you; but if you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.”

5 As Jeremiah was still not going back,he said,”Go on back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ration and a gift and let him go.

6 Then Jeremiah went to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

7 Now all the commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon.

8 So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite,boththey and their men.

9 Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, “Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.

10 Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to standfor youbefore the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, gather in wine and summer fruit and oil and putthemin yourstoragevessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.”

11 Likewise, also all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom and who were in all theothercountries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.

12 Then all the Jews returned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah

14 and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the remnant of Judah would perish?”

16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/40-17d9dd49aa0800921b4d3c369ccbe5e6.mp3?version_id=100—

Gedaliah Is Murdered

1 In the seventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family andoneof the chief officers of the king, along with ten men, came to Mizpah to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. While they were eating bread together there in Mizpah,

2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him arose and struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and put to death the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him,that iswith Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.

4 Now it happened on the next day after the killing of Gedaliah, when no one knew aboutit,

5 that eighty men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria with their beards shaved off and their clothes torn and their bodies gashed, having grain offerings and incense in their hands to bring to the house of the Lord.

6 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went; and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!”

7 Yet it turned out that as soon as they came inside the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men that were with him slaughtered themand cast theminto the cistern.

8 But ten men who were found among them said to Ishmael, “Do not put us to death; for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil and honey hidden in the field.” So he refrained and did not put them to death along with their companions.

9 Now as for the cistern where Ishmael had cast all the corpses of the men whom he had struck down because of Gedaliah, it was the one that King Asa had made on account of Baasha, king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.

10 Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people who were in Mizpah, the king’s daughters and all the people who were left in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had put under the charge of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam; thus Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and proceeded to cross over to the sons of Ammon.

Johanan Rescues the People

11 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done.

12 So they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and they found him by the great pool that is in Gibeon.

13 Now as soon as all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and the commanders of the forces that were with him, they were glad.

14 So all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah.

15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the sons of Ammon.

16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him took from Mizpah all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam,that is,the men who were soldiers,thewomen,thechildren, andtheeunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon.

17 And they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt

18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, since Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/41-8029ced158ee50ce7122c81114f60a97.mp3?version_id=100—

Warning against Going to Egypt

1 Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached

2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the Lordyour God,that isfor all this remnant; because we are leftbuta few out of many, as your own eyesnowsee us,

3 that the Lordyour God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”

4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heardyou.Behold, I am going to pray to the Lordyour God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the Lordwill answer you. I will not keep back a word from you.”

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lordbe a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lordyour God will send you to us.

6 Whetheritis pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lordour God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lordour God.”

7 Now at the end of ten days the word of the Lordcame to Jeremiah.

8 Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, and for all the people both small and great,

9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lordthe God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him:

10 ‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you.

11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you arenowfearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.

12 I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil.

13 But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” so as not to listen to the voice of the Lordyour God,

14 saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there”;

15 then in that case listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there,

16 then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you thereinEgypt, and you will die there.

17 So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them.”‘”

18 For thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach; and you will see this place no more.”

19 The Lordhas spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” You should clearly understand that today I have testified against you.

20 For you haveonlydeceived yourselves; for it is you who sent me to the Lordyour God, saying, “Pray for us to the Lordour God; and whatever the Lordour God says, tell us so, and we will do it.”

21 So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lordyour God, even in whatever He has sent me totellyou.

22 Therefore you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence, in the place where you wish to go to reside.

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/42-e46fdd77fa7653db906471b7b15870c1.mp3?version_id=100—

In Egypt Jeremiah Warns of Judgment

1 But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the Lordtheir God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the Lordtheir God-that is, all these words-

2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The Lordour God has not sent you to say, ‘You are not to enter Egypt to reside there’;

3 but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon.”

4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces, and all the people, did not obey the voice of the Lordto stay in the land of Judah.

5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been driven away, in order to reside in the land of Judah-

6 the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah-

7 and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the Lord) and went in as far as Tahpanhes.

8 Then the word of the Lordcame to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

9 “Takesomelarge stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brickterracewhich is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of someof theJews;

10 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am going to send and get Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his thronerightover these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his canopy over them.

11 He will also come and strike the land of Egypt; those who aremeantfor deathwill be given overto death, and those for captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword.

12 And I shall set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself with his garment, and he will depart from there safely.

13 He will also shatter the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt; and the temples of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire.”‘”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/43-ca08f2a2146cb0cc41f13cff2457bfb5.mp3?version_id=100—

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 Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the land of Pathros, saying,

2 “Thus says the Lordof 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 ruins and no one lives in them,

3 because of their wickedness which they committed so as to provoke Me to anger by continuing to burn sacrificesandto serve other gods whom they had not known,neitherthey, you, nor your fathers.

4 Yet I sent you all My servants the prophets, again and again, saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing which I hate.”

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

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

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

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

9 Have you forgotten the wickedness 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 have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers.”‘

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

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

13 And I will punish 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 no 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 longing to return and live; for none will return excepta fewrefugees.'”

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

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

17 But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; forthenwe had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune.

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

19 “And,”said the women,”when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands that we made for hersacrificialcakes in 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 himsuchan answer-saying,

21 “As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lordremember them and did notall thiscome into His mind?

22 So the Lordwas no longer able to endureit,because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, asit isthis day.

23 Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the Lordand not obeyed the voice of the Lordor walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has befallen you, asit hasthis day.”

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

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

26 Nevertheless hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ says the Lord, ‘never shall My name be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “As the Lord Godlives.”

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

28 Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

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

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

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/44-f9c02b4173158c5cd89feed6e7065e00.mp3?version_id=100—

Message to Baruch

1 This isthe message which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written down these words in a book at Jeremiah’s dictation, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying:

2 “Thus says the Lordthe God of Israel to you, O Baruch:

3 ‘You said, “Ah, woe is me! For the Lordhas added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning and have found no rest.”‘

4 Thus you are to say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land.”

5 But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seekthem;for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the Lord, ‘but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.'”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/45-2d8f39ba3450cb228b159e595921ea84.mp3?version_id=100—

Defeat of Pharaoh Foretold

1 That which came as the word of the Lordto Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

2 To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

3 “Line up the shield and buckler,

And draw near for the battle!

4 “Harness the horses,

And mount the steeds,

And take your stand with helmetson!

Polish the spears,

Put on the scale-armor!

5 “Why have I seenit?

They are terrified,

They are drawing back,

And their mighty men are defeated

And have taken refuge in flight,

Without facing back;

Terror is on every side!”

Declares the Lord.

6 Let not the swift man flee,

Nor the mighty man escape;

In the north beside the river Euphrates

They have stumbled and fallen.

7 Who is this that rises like the Nile,

Like the rivers whose waters surge about?

8 Egypt rises like the Nile,

Even like the rivers whose waters surge about;

And He has said, “I will rise and coverthatland;

I will surely destroy the city and its inhabitants.”

9 Go up, you horses, and drive madly, you chariots,

That the mighty men may march forward:

Ethiopia and Put, that handle the shield,

And the Lydians, that handleandbend the bow.

10 For that day belongs to the Lord Godof hosts,

A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes;

And the sword will devour and be satiated

And drink its fill of their blood;

For there will be a slaughter for the Lord Godof hosts,

In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.

11 Go up to Gilead and obtain balm,

O virgin daughter of Egypt!

In vain have you multiplied remedies;

There is no healing for you.

12 The nations have heard of your shame,

And the earth is full of your cryof distress;

For one warrior has stumbled over another,

And both of them have fallen down together.

13 This isthe message which the Lordspoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to smite the land of Egypt:

14 “Declare in Egypt and proclaim in Migdol,

Proclaim also in Memphis and Tahpanhes;

Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready,

For the sword has devoured those around you.’

15 “Why have your mighty ones become prostrate?

They do not stand because the Lordhas thrust them down.

16 “They have repeatedly stumbled;

Indeed, they have fallen one against another.

Then they said, ‘Get up! And let us go back

To our own people and our native land

Away from the sword of the oppressor.’

17 “They cried there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egyptis buta big noise;

He has let the appointed time pass by!’

18 “As I live,” declares the King

Whose name is the Lordof hosts,

“Surely one shall comewho looms uplike Tabor among the mountains,

Or like Carmel by the sea.

19 “Make your baggage ready for exile,

O daughter dwelling in Egypt,

For Memphis will become a desolation;

It will even be burned downandbereft of inhabitants.

20 “Egypt is a pretty heifer,

Buta horsefly is coming from the north-it is coming!

21 “Also her mercenaries in her midst

Are like fattened calves,

For even they too have turned backandhave fled away together;

They did not standtheir ground.

For the day of their calamity has come upon them,

The time of their punishment.

22 “Its sound moves along like a serpent;

For they move on like an army

And come to her as woodcutters with axes.

23 “They have cut down her forest,” declares the Lord;

“Surely it will nomorebe found,

Even though they arenowmore numerous than locusts

And are without number.

24 “The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame,

Given over to the power of the people of the north.”

25 The Lordof hosts, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I am going to punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

26 I shall give them over to the power of those who are seeking their lives, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of his officers. Afterwards, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old,” declares the Lord.

27 “But as for you, O Jacob My servant, do not fear,

Nor be dismayed, O Israel!

For, see, I am going to save you from afar,

And your descendants from the land of their captivity;

And Jacob will return and be undisturbed

And secure, with no one makinghimtremble.

28 “O Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares the Lord,

“For I am with you.

For I will make a full end of all the nations

Where I have driven you,

Yet I will not make a full end of you;

But I will correct you properly

And by no means leave you unpunished.”

—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/80/32k/JER/46-a616cc294bd3935631c5b2e8b411d570.mp3?version_id=100—