Jeremiah 42

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Then al the military leaders, in particular Johanan son of Kareah and Azariah son of Hoshaiah, and althe people from least to greatest, approached	1 Then all the army leaders, Johanan, son of Kareah, Azariah, son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, high and low, approached the prophet Jeremiah
2 the prophet Jeremiah and said, 'Please hear our petition and intercede with Yahweh your God for usand for al this remnant -- and how few of us are left out of many, your own eyes can see-	2 and said, "Grant our petition; pray for us to the LORD, your God, for all this remnant. We are now few who once were many, as you well see.
3 so that Yahweh your God may show us the way we are to go and what we must do.'	3 Let the LORD, your God, show us what way we should take and what we should do."
4 The prophet Jeremiah replied, 'I hear you; I will indeed pray to Yahweh your God as you ask; andwhatever answer Yahweh your God gives you, I wil tel you, keeping nothing back from you.'	4 Very well! the prophet Jeremiah answered them: I will pray to the LORD, your God, as you desire; whatever the LORD answers you, I will tell you; I will withhold nothing from you.
5 They in their turn said to Jeremiah, 'May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do notfol ow the instructions that Yahweh your God sends us through you.	5 And they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be our witness: we will truly and faithfully follow all the instructions the LORD, your God, will send us.
6 Whether we like it or not, we shal obey the voice of Yahweh our God to whom we are sending you, sothat we may prosper by obeying the voice of Yahweh our God.'	6 Whether it is pleasant or difficult, we will obey the command of the LORD, our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us for obeying the command of the LORD, our God."
7 Ten days later the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah.	7 Ten days passed before the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.
8 He then summoned Johanan son of Kareah and al the military leaders who were with him, and al thepeople from least to greatest,	8 Then he called Johanan, son of Kareah, his army leaders, and all the people, high and low,
9 and said, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, to whom you deputed me to present your petition says this,	9 and said to them: Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to offer your prayer:
10 "If you wil only stay in this country, I shal build you and not overthrow you; I shal plant you and notuproot you, for I am sorry about the disaster I have inflicted on you.	10 If you remain quietly in this land I will build you up, and not tear you down; I will plant you, not uproot you; for I regret the evil I have done you.
11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you fear now; do not fear him, Yahweh declares, for Iam with you to save you and rescue you from his clutches.	11 Do not fear the king of Babylon, before whom you are now afraid; do not fear him, says the LORD, for I am with you to save you, to rescue you from his power.
12 I shal take pity on you, so that he pities you and lets you return to your native soil.	12 I will grant you mercy, so that he will be sorry for you and let you return to your land.
13 But if you say: We will not stay in this country; if you disobey the voice of Yahweh your God,	13 But if you disobey the voice of the LORD, your God, and decide not to remain in this land,
14 and say: No, Egypt is where we shal go, where we shall not see war or hear the trumpet-cal or goshort of food; that is where we want to live;	14 saying, "No, we will go to Egypt, where we will see no more of war, hear the trumpet alarm no longer, nor hunger for bread; there we will live";
15 in that case, remnant of Judah, listen to Yahweh's word: Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: Ifyou are determined to go to Egypt, and if you do go and settle there,	15 then listen to the word of the LORD, remnant of Judah: Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If you are determined to go to Egypt, when you arrive there to stay,
16 the sword you fear wil overtake you there in Egypt, and there you wil die.	16 the sword you fear shall reach you in the land of Egypt; the hunger you dread shall cling to you no less in Egypt, and there you shall die.
17 Yes, al those who are determined to go to Egypt and settle there, wil die by sword, famine andplague: not a single one of them wil survive or escape the disaster I shal inflict on them.	17 All those men who determine to go to Egypt to stay, shall die by the sword, famine, and pestilence; not one shall survive or escape the evil that I will bring upon them.
18 Yes, Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Just as my furious anger was poured out on theinhabitants of Jerusalem, so wil my fury be poured out on you if you go to Egypt: you wil become an object ofexecration and horror, a curse, a laughing-stock; and you wil never see this place again."	18 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Just as my furious anger was poured out upon the citizens of Jerusalem, so shall my anger be poured out on you when you reach Egypt. You shall become an example of malediction and horror, a curse and a reproach, and you shall never see this place again.
19 Remnant of Judah, Yahweh has told you, "Do not go into Egypt." Understand clearly that today I havegiven you a solemn warning.	19 It is the LORD who has spoken to you, remnant of Judah; do not go to Egypt! You can never say that I did not warn you this day.
20 You were not being sincere when you sent me to Yahweh your God and said, "Intercede for us withYahweh our God; tell us exactly what Yahweh our God says and we wil do it."	20 At the cost of your lives you have deceived me, sending me to the LORD, your God, saying, "Pray for us to the LORD, our God; make known to us all that the LORD, our God, shall say, and we will do it."
21 Today I have told you, but you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh your God or any part of themessage he sent me to give you.	21 Today I proclaim his message, but you obey the voice of the LORD, your God, in nothing that he has commissioned me to make known to you.
22 So understand this clearly: you wil die by sword, famine and plague in the place where you want togo and settle.'	22 Have no doubt of this, you shall die by the sword, famine, and pestilence in the place where you wish to go and settle.