The People Will Be Punished in Egypt

44 This word came to Jeremiah for the Jews living in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, saying, ² “This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have seen all the trouble I have brought to Jerusalem and to all the cities of Judah. See, today they are a waste. No one lives in them. ³ This is because of the sins they did that made Me angry. They kept burning special perfume and worshiping other gods whom they, you, and your fathers had not known. ⁴ Yet I sent you all My servants who spoke for Me again and again, saying, “O, do not do this very sinful thing which I hate!” ⁵ But they did not listen and would not turn from their sinful ways. They would not stop burning special perfume to other gods. ⁶ So My anger was poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. And they have been destroyed and laid waste, as they are today. ⁷ Now this is what the Lord God of All, the God of Israel, says: “Why are you hurting yourselves so much? Why are you cutting off from Judah man and woman, child and baby, and leaving yourselves without anyone? ⁸ You are making Me angry with the works of your hands. You burn special perfume to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to live. And so you will be cut off and become a curse and a shame among all the nations of the earth. ⁹ Have you forgotten the sins of your fathers, the sins of the kings of Judah, the sins of their wives, your own sins, and the sins of your wives? They sinned in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ They have not been sorry for their sins even to this day. They have not feared Me or walked in My Laws which I have given you and your fathers.”’

¹¹ “So the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, ‘I will turn against you and destroy all Judah. ¹² I will take away those left of Judah who have set their mind on going into the land of Egypt to live. They will come to an end in the land of Egypt. They will fall by the sword or die from hunger. Both the small and the great will die by the sword or hunger. They will be a curse and a cause of fear. They will be spoken against and put to shame. ¹³ I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword and hunger and disease. ¹⁴ So none of those left of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt will be able to leave and go to the land of Judah, where they want to return and live. None will return except a few who run for their lives.’”

¹⁵ Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning special perfume to other gods, and all the many women who stood by, and all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, said to Jeremiah, ¹⁶ “We will not listen to what you have said to us in the name of the Lord! ¹⁷ But we will do everything that we have said we would do. We will burn special perfume to the queen of heaven and pour out drink gifts to her. We will do just as we ourselves, our fathers, our kings and our leaders did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had much food, and got along well, and had no trouble. ¹⁸ But since we stopped burning special perfume to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink gifts to her, we have been without everything. We have been destroyed by the sword and by hunger.” ¹⁹ And the women said, “When we baked cakes which looked like the queen of heaven, burned special perfume, and poured out our drink gifts, did not our husbands know about it?”

²⁰ Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both the men and women, who had given him this answer, ²¹ “As for the special perfume that you and your fathers, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, did not the Lord remember it? Did it not come into His mind? ²² The Lord could no longer stand by while you did such sinful things. You have done very sinful acts. So your land has been laid waste. It has become a hated and cursed land, a place without people, as it is today. ²³ Because you have burned special perfume and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in His Laws or done what He said to do, this trouble has come upon you, as it has this day.” ²⁴ Then Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the Word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. ²⁵ This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have said with your mouths and have done it with your hands, saying, “For sure we will keep our promises to burn special perfume to the queen of heaven and pour out drink gifts to her.” Then keep your promises! Do what you have promised!’ ²⁶ But hear the Word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are living in the land of Egypt: ‘I have sworn by My great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that My name will no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “The Lord God lives.” ²⁷ For I am watching over them for trouble and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will be destroyed by the sword and hunger until there is an end of them. ²⁸ And those who get away from the sword and return from Egypt to the land of Judah will be few. Then all those left of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to live will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs. ²⁹ This will be the special thing for you to see,’ says the Lord. ‘I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words will be sure to stand against you for your hurt.’ ³⁰ The Lord says, ‘I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to those who hate him and want to kill him. It will be just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who hated him and wanted to kill him.’”