Jeremiah 44

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
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.	1 The word that came to Jeremias, concerning all the Jews that dwelt in the land of Egypt, dwelling in Magdal, and in Taphnis, and in Memphis, and in the land of Phatures, saying:
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.	2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: You have seen all this evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Juda: and behold they are desolate this day, and there is not an inhabitant in them:
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,	3 Because of the wickedness which they have committed, to provoke me to wrath, and to go and offer sacrifice, and worship other gods, which neither they, nor you, nor your fathers knew.
4 although I urgently and untiringly sent you al my servants the prophets to say: You must not do thisloathsome thing, which I hate.	4 And I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising early, and sending, and saying: Do not commit this abominable thing, which I hate.
5 But they would not listen or pay attention, and turn from their wickedness and stop offering incense toother gods.	5 But they heard not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their evil ways, and not to sacrifice to strange 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.	6 Wherefore my indignation and my fury was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem: and they are turned to desolation and waste, as at this day.
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,	7 And now thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against your own souls, that there should die of you man and woman, child and suckling out of the midst of Juda, and no remnant should be left you:
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?	8 In that you provoke me to wrath with the works of your hands, by sacrificing to other gods in the land of Egypt, into which you are come to dwell there: and that you should perish, and be a curse, and a reproach to all the nations 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?	9 Have you forgotten the evils of your fathers, and the evils of the kings of Juda, and the evils of their wives, and your evils, and the evils of your wives, that they have done in the land of Juda, 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.	10 They are not cleansed even to this day: neither have they feared, nor walked in the law of the Lord, nor in my commandments, which I set before you and your fathers.
11 So, Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: Look, I have determined on disaster and shal destroyJudah completely.	11 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel: Behold I will set my face upon you for evil: and I will destroy all Juda.
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.	12 And I will take the remnant of Juda that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt, and to dwell there: and they shall be all consumed in the land of Egypt: they shall fall by the sword, and by the famine: and they shall be consumed from the least even to the greatest, by the sword, and by the famine shall they die: and they shall be for an execration, and for a wonder, and for a curse, and for a reproach.
13 I shal punish those who live in Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem: by sword, famine and plague.	13 And I will visit them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have visited Jerusalem by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence.
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." '	14 And there shall be none that shall escape, and remain of the remnant of the Jews that are gone to sojourn in the land of Egypt: and that shall return into the land of Juda, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there: there shall none return but they that shall flee.
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,	15 Then all the men that knew that their wives sacrificed to other gods: and all the women of whom there stood by a great multitude, and all the people of them that dwelt in the land of Egypt in Phatures, answered Jeremias, saying:
16 'We have no intention of listening to the word you have just spoken to us in Yahweh's name,	16 As for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken to thee:
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.	17 But we will certainly do every word that shall proceed out of our own mouth, to sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we and our fathers have done, our kings, and our princes in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem: and we were filled with bread, and it was well with us, and we saw no evil.
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.	18 But since we left off to offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword, and 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?'	19 And if we offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink offerings to her: did we make cakes to worship her, to pour out drink offerings to her, without our husbands?
20 To al the people, men and women, all those who had made this answer, Jeremiah retorted,	20 And Jeremias spoke to all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying:
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	21 Was it not the sacrifice that you offered in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and Sour fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, which the Lord hath remembered, and hath it not entered into his heart?
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?	22 So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which you have committed: therefore your land is become a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
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.'	23 Because you have sacrificed to idols, and have sinned against the Lord: and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have not walked in his law, and in his commandments, and in his testimonies: therefore are these evils come upon you, as at this day.
24 Further, Jeremiah said to al the people, and particularly to al the women, 'Listen to the word ofYahweh, al you Judaeans in Egypt,	24 And Jeremias said to all the people, and to all the women : Hear ye the word of the Lord, all Juda, you that dwell in the land of 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!	25 Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, saying: You and your wives have spoken with your mouth, and fulfilled with your hands, saying: Let us perform our vows which we have made, to offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her: you have fulfilled your vows, and have performed them indeed.
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.	26 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Juda, you that dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord: that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Juda, in the land of Egypt, saying: The Lord God liveth.
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.	27 Behold I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Juda that are in the land of Egypt, shall be consumed, by the sword, and by famine, till there be an end of them.
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.	28 And a few men that shall flee from the sword, shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Juda: and all the remnant of Juda that are gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose word shall stand, 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:	29 And this shall be a sign to you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place: that you may know that my words shall be accomplished indeed against you for evil.
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." '	30 Thus saith the Lord: Behold I will deliver Pharao Ephree king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life: as I delivered Sedecias king of Juda into the hand of Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon his enemy, and that sought his life.