Jeremiah 44

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 through Jeremiah to all the Jews who were living in the land of Egypt, living at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, 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 says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You yourselves have seen all this evil that I have led over Jerusalem and over all the cities of Judah. And behold, they are desolate to this day, and there is no 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 done, so that they provoked me to wrath, and because they went to offer sacrifice and worship to strange 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 in the night, and sending, and saying: ‘Do not choose to do this abominable word, 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 did not listen, nor did they incline their ear, so that they would convert from their evil, and so that they would not 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 And so my indignation and my fury was fanned and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. And they have been turned into desolation and devastation, just as it is 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 says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against your own souls, so that, among you, man and woman, child and infant would pass away from the midst of Judah, and so that no remnant at all would be left behind of 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 For you have provoked me by the works of your hands, by sacrificing to strange gods in the land of Egypt, into which you have entered in order to live there, and so that you would perish and become a curse and a disgrace before 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 How could you have forgotten the evils of your fathers, and the evils of the kings of Judah, and the evils of their wives, and your own evils, and the evils of your own wives, which they have done in the land of Judah and in the regions 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 have not been cleansed, even to this day. And they have not feared, and they have not walked in the law of the Lord and in my precepts, which I have given before you and before your fathers.
11 So, Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: Look, I have determined on disaster and shal destroyJudah completely.	11 For this reason, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face upon you for evil. And I will disperse all of Judah.
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 Judah, who had set their faces so that they would enter into the land of Egypt and live there, and they will all be consumed in the land of Egypt. They will fall by the sword and by famine. And they will be consumed, from the least, even to the greatest. By sword and by famine shall they die. And they will be an oath, and a wonder, and a curse, and a disgrace.
13 I shal punish those who live in Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem: by sword, famine and plague.	13 And I will visit against those who are living in the land of Egypt, just as I have visited against Jerusalem: with the sword, and with famine, and with 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 will be no one who escapes, of those who remain among the remnant of the Jews, those who have gone to sojourn in the land of Egypt. And they wish to be returned to the land of Judah, for they lift up their souls so that they might return and live there. But there will be no one who may return, except those who will 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, knowing that their wives were sacrificing to strange gods, and all of the women, a great multitude of whom were standing there, and all of the people who were living in the land of Egypt at Pathros, responded to Jeremiah, by saying:
16 'We have no intention of listening to the word you have just spoken to us in Yahweh's name,	16 “Concerning the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not heed you.
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 continue to do every word which proceeds from our own mouth, so that we sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and we pour out libations to her, just as we and our fathers have done, our kings and our leaders, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For 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 the time that we ceased to offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and to pour out libations to her, we have been in need of all things, and we 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 But when we offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven and pour out libations to her, do we make cakes for her worship and offer libations to her without our husbands?”
20 To al the people, men and women, all those who had made this answer, Jeremiah retorted,	20 And Jeremiah spoke to all the people, facing the men, and facing the women, and facing all the people who had responded this word to him, 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 this not the sacrifice that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land, which has been called to mind by the Lord and which has 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 And the Lord could no longer bear this, because of the evil of your intentions, and because of the abominations that you have done. And so, your land has become a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, and it is without an inhabitant, even to 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 This is because you have sacrificed to idols, and you have sinned against the Lord. And you have not heeded the voice of the Lord, and you have not walked in his law, and in his precepts, and in his testimonies. It is for this reason that these evils have happened to you, just as it is today.”
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 Then Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women: “Listen to the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are 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 says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You and your wives have spoken it with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying: ‘Let us perform our vows that we have made, so that we may offer sacrifice to the queen of heaven, and pour out libations to her.’ You have fulfilled your vows and accomplished their works.
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 Because of this, listen to the word of the Lord, all you of Judah, who live in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, that my name will never again be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in the land of Egypt, saying: ‘As the Lord God 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.	27 Behold, I will be vigilant over them for harm, and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will be consumed, by the sword and by famine, until they are thoroughly consumed.
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, who will flee from the sword, will return from the land of Egypt into the land of Judah. And all the remnant of Judah, who had entered into the land of Egypt so as to live there, will know whose word will be completed, 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 will be a sign to you, says the Lord, that I will visit against you in this place, so that truly you may know that my words will be completed against you for harm.”
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 says the Lord: “Behold, I will deliver Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who are seeking his life, just as I delivered Zedekiah, the king of Judah, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, his enemy and the one who was seeking his life.”