44:1 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt–in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis–and in Upper Egypt:
44:2 “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins
44:3 because of the evil they have done. They provoked me to anger by burning incense and by worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew.
44:4 Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’
44:5 But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods.
44:6 Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.
44:7 “Now this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?
44:8 Why provoke me to anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves an object of cursing and reproach among all the nations on earth.
44:9 Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your fathers and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?
44:10 To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your fathers.
44:11 “Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah.
44:12 I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach.
44:13 I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem.
44:14 None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”
44:15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present–a large assembly–and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah,
44:16 “We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!
44:17 We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.
44:18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
44:19 The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes like her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”
44:20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him,
44:21 “Did not the LORD remember and think about the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your fathers, your kings and your officials and the people of the land?
44:22 When the LORD could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became an object of cursing and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today.
44:23 Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.”
44:24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah in Egypt.
44:25 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have shown by your actions what you promised when you said, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’ “Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!
44:26 But hear the word of the LORD, all Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the LORD, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives.”
44:27 For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed.
44:28 Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand–mine or theirs.
44:29 “‘This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,’ declares the LORD, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’
44:30 This is what the LORD says: ‘I am going to hand Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his enemies who seek his life, just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.’”
44:1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwelt in the land of Egypt, who dwelt at Migdol and at Tahpanhes and at Memphis and in the land of Pathros, saying,
44:2 Thus says Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, You have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah; and see, today they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them,
44:3 Because of their wickedness which they did to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense to serve other gods, which they did not know, neither they, you, nor your fathers.
44:4 Yet I sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Do not do this abominable thing which I hate.
44:5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn incense to other gods.
44:6 And My wrath and My anger poured forth and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a waste and a desolation, as they are this day.
44:7 And now thus says Jehovah the God of hosts, the God of Israel, Why do you do a great evil against your souls, so as to cut off from yourselves man and woman, little one and nursing child, from the midst of Judah, leaving yourselves no remnant,
44:8 Provoking Me to anger with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have come to sojourn, so that you might be cut off and that you might become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
44:9 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, which they did in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
44:10 They have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared or walked in My law or in My statutes, which I set before you and before your fathers.
44:11 Therefore thus says Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, I will set My face against you for evil, even to cut off all Judah.
44:12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go to the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they will all be consumed; in the land of Egypt they will fall; by sword and by famine they will be consumed. From the small even unto the great, by sword and by famine they will die; and they will become an execration, an astonishment, and a curse and a reproach.
44:13 And I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem: with sword, with famine, and with pestilence.
44:14 And there will not be one who has escaped nor a survivor of the remnant of Judah, who went to sojourn there in the land of Egypt, even to return to the land of Judah, where they desire to return to dwell; for they will not return, except for some who will escape.
44:15 Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods and all the women who stood by, a great assemblage, even all the people who dwelt in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah, saying,
44:16 As for the word which you have spoken to us in the name of Jehovah, we will not listen to you.
44:17 But we will surely do everything which has gone out of our mouth, burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, just as we ourselves and our fathers, our kings, and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for we had plenty of food and were well off and did not see evil.
44:18 But since we ceased burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by sword and by famine.
44:19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out libations to her, did we make cakes to her, making images of her and pouring out libations to her, without our husbands?
44:20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people concerning the men and concerning the women, even concerning all the people who had given him that answer, saying,
44:21 As for the incense which you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not Jehovah remember them, and did it not come up in His heart?
44:22 And Jehovah was no longer able to bear it because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you committed; therefore your land has become a desolation and an astonishment and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.
44:23 Because you burned incense and because you sinned against Jehovah and did not listen to the voice of Jehovah or walk in His law or in His statutes or in His testimonies, therefore this evil has happened to you, as it is this day.
44:24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, Hear the word of Jehovah, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt:
44:25 Thus speaks Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, We will surely perform our vows by which we have vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out libations to her. Establish then your vows, and by all means perform your vows.
44:26 Therefore hear the word of Jehovah, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt, I have sworn by My great name, says Jehovah: My name shall no longer be called upon by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, As the Lord Jehovah lives.
44:27 I will be watchful over them for evil and not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by sword and by famine until there is an end of them.
44:28 And those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number, and all the remnant of Judah who came to the land of Egypt to sojourn there will know whose word will be established, Mine or theirs.
44:29 And this will be a sign to you, declares Jehovah, that I will punish you in this place, so that you will know that My words will surely be established against you for evil:
44:30 Thus says Jehovah, I will give Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, who was his enemy and sought his life.