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A Message of Rebuke for the Rebellious Remnant

44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt, who were living at Migdol, and Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, saying,[a] “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen all the disaster that I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the towns of Judah. And look, they are a site of ruins this day, and there is not in them an inhabitant, because of[b] their wickedness that they committed to provoke me to anger by going to make smoke offerings, serving other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, or your ancestors.[c] And I sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending over and over again,[d] saying,[e] “Please, you must not do this detestable thing that I hate.” But they did not listen and they did not incline their ears[f] to turn back from their wickedness, to not make smoke offerings to other gods. So my wrath and my anger were poured out[g] and burned[h] in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became as a site of ruins, as a desolation, as they are this day.’

So then, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Why are you doing great harm to yourselves,[i] to cut off for yourselves man and woman, child and suckling, from the midst of Judah, to not leave over for yourselves a remnant, provoking me to anger with the works of your hands, to make smoke offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to dwell as aliens, so as to cut off yourselves, and so that you are becoming as a curse, and as a disgrace among all the nations of the earth? Have you forgotten the wicked things of your ancestors,[j] and the wicked things of the kings of Judah, and the wicked things of their wives, and your wicked things, and the wicked things of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not shown contrition up to this day, and they have not shown reverence, and they have not walked in my law and in my statutes that I set before you[k] and before[l] your ancestors.’[m]

11 Therefore[n] thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Look, I am determined to bring disaster on you,[o] even to exterminate all Judah. 12 And I will take away the remnant of Judah who are determined[p] to come to the land of Egypt to dwell as aliens there, and everyone will perish. They will fall in the land of Egypt by the sword; they will perish by the famine, from the smallest to the greatest. By the sword and by the famine they will die and become as a curse, as a horror, and as a curse, and as a disgrace. 13 So I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt just as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with the famine, and with the plague. 14 And there will not be a survivor or an escapee of the remnant of Judah, those who have come to dwell as an alien there in the land of Egypt, to return to the land of Judah where they are longing[q] to return to dwell there, for they will not turn back, but only[r] some survivors.’”

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were making smoke offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, and all the people who lived in the land of Egypt in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,[s] 16 Concerning the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Yahweh, we are not going to listen to you! 17 But certainly we will do everything[t] that went out from our mouths,[u] to make smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out to her libations just as we did, we, and our ancestors,[v] our kings, and our officials, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for then we had enough to eat,[w] and we were well-off, and we did not see disaster. 18 But since[x] we stopped making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked everything, and by the sword and by the famine we have perished. 19 And indeed, when we were making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out[y] to her libations, was it not with the consent of[z] our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes marked with her image,[aa] and we poured out to her libations?”

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women, and to all the people who answered him a word, saying,[ab] 21 “The offering that you made, smoke offerings in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, and your ancestors,[ac] your kings, and your officials, and the people of the land, did not Yahweh remember them, and did it not come to his mind?[ad] 22 And Yahweh was no longer able to bear[ae] it, because of[af] the evil of your deeds, because of[ag] the detestable things that you committed. Thus your land became as a site of ruins, and as a horror, and as a curse, without[ah] inhabitants, as it is this day. 23 Because of[ai] the fact that you made smoke offerings, and that you sinned against Yahweh, and you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you have not walked in his law, and in his statute, and in his legal provisions, therefore[aj] this disaster has happened to you, as it is this day.”

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying,[ak] ‘You and your wives have promised with your mouths[al] and with your hands[am] you have fulfilled, saying,[an] “We certainly will carry out our vows that we vowed, to make smoke offerings to the queen of the heavens,[ao] and to pour out to her libations.” You must certainly keep your vows and you must certainly carry out your vows.’ 26 Therefore[ap] hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah, those who live in the land of Egypt: ‘Look, I hereby swear by my great name,’ says Yahweh, ‘surely my name will no longer be called in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, “as the Lord Yahweh lives,”[aq] in all the land of Egypt. 27 Look, I am going to watch over them for harm and not for good, and all people[ar] of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will perish by the sword and by the famine until their perishing. 28 And the survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number.[as] And all the remnant of Judah who have come to the land of Egypt to dwell as aliens there will know whose word will endure, from me or from them. 29 And this will be to you the sign,’ declares[at] Yahweh, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that surely my words will endure against you for evil.’ 30 Thus says Yahweh: ‘Look, I am going to give Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, his enemy and the one who sought his life.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 44:1 Literally “to say”
  2. Jeremiah 44:3 Literally “from the face of”
  3. Jeremiah 44:3 Or “fathers”
  4. Jeremiah 44:4 Literally “doing early and sending”
  5. Jeremiah 44:4 Literally “to say”
  6. Jeremiah 44:5 Hebrew “ear”
  7. Jeremiah 44:6 The Hebrew verb is singular
  8. Jeremiah 44:6 The Hebrew verb is singular
  9. Jeremiah 44:7 Literally “your lives”
  10. Jeremiah 44:9 Or “fathers”
  11. Jeremiah 44:10 Literally “to the face of you”
  12. Jeremiah 44:10 Literally “to the face of”
  13. Jeremiah 44:10 Or “fathers”
  14. Jeremiah 44:11 Literally “To thus”
  15. Jeremiah 44:11 Literally “I am setting my face against you for disaster”
  16. Jeremiah 44:12 Literally “who set their faces”
  17. Jeremiah 44:14 Literally “lifting up their soul”
  18. Jeremiah 44:14 Literally “but if”
  19. Jeremiah 44:15 Literally “to say”
  20. Jeremiah 44:17 Literally “all the word”
  21. Jeremiah 44:17 Hebrew “mouth”
  22. Jeremiah 44:17 Or “fathers”
  23. Jeremiah 44:17 Literally “we satisfied ourselves with food”
  24. Jeremiah 44:18 Literally “from”
  25. Jeremiah 44:19 Literally “to pour out”
  26. Jeremiah 44:19 Literally “from apart from”
  27. Jeremiah 44:19 Literally “to the copying of her”
  28. Jeremiah 44:20 Literally “to say”
  29. Jeremiah 44:21 Or “fathers”
  30. Jeremiah 44:21 Literally “heart”
  31. Jeremiah 44:22 Or “endure”
  32. Jeremiah 44:22 Literally “from the face of”
  33. Jeremiah 44:22 Literally “from the face of”
  34. Jeremiah 44:22 Literally “from there is not”
  35. Jeremiah 44:23 Literally “From the face of”
  36. Jeremiah 44:23 Literally “unto thus”
  37. Jeremiah 44:25 Literally “to say”
  38. Jeremiah 44:25 Hebrew “mouth”
  39. Jeremiah 44:25 Hebrew “hand”
  40. Jeremiah 44:25 Literally “to say”
  41. Jeremiah 44:25 Hebrew “heaven”
  42. Jeremiah 44:26 Literally “To thus”
  43. Jeremiah 44:26 Literally “the life of Lord Yahweh”
  44. Jeremiah 44:27 Or “men”
  45. Jeremiah 44:28 Literally “males of number”
  46. Jeremiah 44:29 Literally “a declaration of”

Disaster Because of Idolatry

44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt(A)—in Migdol,(B) Tahpanhes(C) and Memphis(D)—and in Upper Egypt:(E) “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster(F) I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.(G) Today they lie deserted and in ruins(H) because of the evil(I) they have done. They aroused my anger(J) by burning incense(K) to and worshiping other gods(L) that neither they nor you nor your ancestors(M) ever knew. Again and again(N) I sent my servants the prophets,(O) who said, ‘Do not do this detestable(P) thing that I hate!’ But they did not listen or pay attention;(Q) they did not turn from their wickedness(R) or stop burning incense(S) to other gods.(T) Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out;(U) it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins(V) they are today.

“Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster(W) on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women,(X) the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?(Y) Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made,(Z) burning incense(AA) to other gods in Egypt,(AB) where you have come to live?(AC) You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse[a] and an object of reproach(AD) among all the nations on earth. Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors(AE) and by the kings(AF) and queens(AG) of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives(AH) in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?(AI) 10 To this day they have not humbled(AJ) themselves or shown reverence,(AK) nor have they followed my law(AL) and the decrees(AM) I set before you and your ancestors.(AN)

11 “Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty,(AO) the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster(AP) on you and to destroy all Judah. 12 I will take away the remnant(AQ) of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest,(AR) they will die by sword or famine.(AS) They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.(AT) 13 I will punish(AU) those who live in Egypt with the sword,(AV) famine and plague,(AW) as I punished Jerusalem. 14 None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”(AX)

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives(AY) were burning incense(AZ) to other gods, along with all the women(BA) who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,(BB) said to Jeremiah, 16 “We will not listen(BC) to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord!(BD) 17 We will certainly do everything we said we would:(BE) We will burn incense(BF) to the Queen of Heaven(BG) and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials(BH) did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem.(BI) At that time we had plenty of food(BJ) and were well off and suffered no harm.(BK) 18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings(BL) to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.(BM)

19 The women added, “When we burned incense(BN) to the Queen of Heaven(BO) and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands(BP) know that we were making cakes(BQ) impressed with her image(BR) and pouring out drink offerings to her?”

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, 21 “Did not the Lord remember(BS) and call to mind the incense(BT) burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem(BU) by you and your ancestors,(BV) your kings and your officials and the people of the land?(BW) 22 When the Lord could no longer endure(BX) your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse(BY) and a desolate waste(BZ) without inhabitants, as it is today.(CA) 23 Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed(CB) his law or his decrees(CC) or his stipulations, this disaster(CD) has come upon you, as you now see.”(CE)

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,(CF) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.(CG) 25 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives(CH) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’(CI)

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!(CJ) 26 But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:(CK) ‘I swear(CL) by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign(CM) Lord lives.”(CN) 27 For I am watching(CO) over them for harm,(CP) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish(CQ) by sword and famine(CR) until they are all destroyed.(CS) 28 Those who escape the sword(CT) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.(CU) Then the whole remnant(CV) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand(CW)—mine or theirs.(CX)

29 “‘This will be the sign(CY) to you that I will punish(CZ) you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’(DA) 30 This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh(DB) Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah(DC) king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’”(DD)

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 44:8 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed; also in verse 12; similarly in verse 22.