Jeremiah 44

¹ The word that came to Jeremiah for al the Judaeans living in Egypt, those, that is, living in Migdol,Tahpanhes, Noph and the territory of Pathros.

² 'Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this, "You have seen al the disaster I have brought onJerusalem and all the towns of Judah; today they lie in ruins and uninhabited.

³ This was because of the wicked deeds they committed to provoke my anger, by going and offeringincense and serving other gods whom neither they, nor you, nor your ancestors knew anything about,

⁴ although I urgently and untiringly sent you al my servants the prophets to say: You must not do thisloathsome thing, which I hate.

⁵ But they would not listen or pay attention, and turn from their wickedness and stop offering incense toother gods.

⁶ And so my furious anger overflowed, burning down the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem,which were reduced to ruins and wasteland, as they stil are today.

⁷ And now, Yahweh, God Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: Why bring complete disaster on yourselvesby cutting yourselves off from Judah -- your men, women, children and babes in arms -- so as to leaveyourselves no remnant,

⁸ by provoking my wrath by your actions, offering incense to other gods in Egypt where you have cometo settle, as though bent on your own destruction and on becoming a curse and a laughing-stock for all thenations of the earth?

⁹ Have you forgotten the wicked deeds of your ancestors, of the kings of Judah and of your princes, yourown wicked deeds and those of your wives, committed in the country of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

¹⁰ To this day they have felt neither contrition nor fear; they have not observed my Law or my statutes,which I prescribed for you, as for your ancestors.

¹¹ So, Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: Look, I have determined on disaster and shal destroyJudah completely.

¹² I shal take the remnant of Judah who were determined to come to Egypt and settle there, and inEgypt they wil perish; they wil fal to the sword or perish of famine, from least to greatest; by sword and faminethey will die and be an object of execration and horror, a curse, a laughing-stock.

¹³ I shal punish those who live in Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem: by sword, famine and plague.

¹⁴ Of the remnant of Judah which has come to settle in Egypt, not a single one wil escape or survive toreturn to the country of Judah where they long to return and live. For none of them wil return, except a fewrefugees." '

¹⁵ At this, all the men who knew that their wives offered incense to other gods, and al the women whowere standing there, a great crowd (and al the people living in Egypt, in Pathros), answered Jeremiah asfol ows,

¹⁶ 'We have no intention of listening to the word you have just spoken to us in Yahweh's name,

¹⁷ but intend to go on doing al we have vowed to do: offering incense to the Queen of Heaven andpouring libations in her honour, as we used to do, we and our ancestors, our kings and our chief men, in thetowns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem: we had food in plenty then, we lived well, we suffered no disasters.

¹⁸ But since we gave up offering incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring libations in her honour,we have been destitute and have perished either by sword or by famine.

¹⁹ Besides, when we offer incense to the Queen of Heaven and pour libations in her honour, do youthink we make cakes for her with her features on them, and pour libations to her, without our husbands'knowledge?'

²⁰ To al the people, men and women, all those who had made this answer, Jeremiah retorted,

²¹ 'The incense you offered in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, you, your ancestors,your kings, your chief men and the people at large -- was this not what Yahweh kept remembering, and found sorepellent

²² that Yahweh could not endure your misdeeds and your loathsome practices any longer, with the resultthat your country has become the uninhabited ruin, the object of horror and cursing it is today?

²³ Because you offered incense, because you sinned against Yahweh, refusing to listen to the voice ofYahweh, or to observe his Law, his statutes and his decrees -- that is why the present disaster has overtakenyou.'

²⁴ Further, Jeremiah said to al the people, and particularly to al the women, 'Listen to the word ofYahweh, al you Judaeans in Egypt,

²⁵ Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this, "You and your wives, what your mouths promised, yourhands have indeed performed! You said: We shall punctiliously fulfil the vows we have made and offer incenseto the Queen of Heaven and pour libations in her honour. Very wel , keep your vows, perform them punctiliously!

²⁶ But listen to the word of Yahweh, al you Judaeans living in Egypt: I swear by my great name, Yahwehsays, that my name wil no longer be uttered by any man of Judah throughout Egypt; no one wil say: As LordYahweh lives.

²⁷ No, I am going to keep my eye on them for disaster, not for prosperity, and al the Judaeans in Egyptwil perish either by the sword or by famine until they are wiped out.

²⁸ Yet, though few in number, those who escape the sword wil return to the country of Judah fromEgypt. Then the entire remnant of Judah which has come and settled in Egypt wil know whose word comes true,mine or theirs.

²⁹ "And here is the sign for you, Yahweh declares, that I shal punish you in this place: so that you wilknow that the words with which I threaten you will come true:

³⁰ Yahweh says this: Look, I shal hand Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies and to thosedetermined to kil him, just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to his enemy Nebuchadnezzar king ofBabylon, who was determined to kil him." '