Jeremiah 44
Legacy Standard Bible
Wrath Against the Israelites in Egypt
44 The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt, those who were living in (A)Migdol, (B)Tahpanhes, (C)Memphis, and the land of (D)Pathros, saying, 2 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen all the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a (E)waste place and no one lives in them 3 (F)because of their evil which they did so as to (G)provoke Me to anger by continuing to (H)burn incense and to (I)serve other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, nor your fathers. 4 Yet I (J)sent you all My slaves the prophets, rising up early and sending, saying, “Oh, do not do this (K)abominable thing which I hate.” 5 But (L)they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their evil, so as not to burn incense to other gods. 6 Therefore My (M)wrath and My anger were poured out and burned in the (N)cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so they have become a waste place and a (O)desolation as it is this day. 7 So now, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Why are you (P)doing great evil against yourselves, so as to (Q)cut off from you man and woman, infant and nursing baby, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant, 8 (R)provoking Me to anger with the works of your hands, (S)burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you are entering to sojourn, so that you might be cut off and become an (T)imprecation and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the (U)evil of your fathers, the evil of the kings of Judah, and the evil of their wives, your own evil, and the evil of your wives, which they did in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 But they (V)have not become [a]contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor (W)walked in My law or My statutes, which I have put before you and before your fathers.”’
11 “Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am going to (X)set My face against you for your evil demise, even to cut off all Judah. 12 And I will (Y)take away the remnant of Judah who have set their face on entering the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they will all [b](Z)meet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword and [c]meet their end by famine. Both small and great will die by the sword and famine; and they will become a (AA)curse, an object of horror, an imprecation, and a reproach. 13 And I will (AB)punish those who live in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence. 14 So there will be (AC)no one who escapes or any survivors for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to sojourn there and then to return to the land of Judah, to which they are [d](AD)longing to return to live; for none will (AE)return except a few who escape.’”
15 Then (AF)all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, as a large assembly, [e]including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered to Jeremiah, saying, 16 “As for the [f](AG)message that you have spoken to us in the name of Yahweh, (AH)we are not going to listen to you! 17 But rather we will certainly (AI)carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, [g]by burning incense to the (AJ)queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as (AK)we ourselves, our fathers, our kings, and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had (AL)plenty of [h]food and were well off and saw no evil. 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have (AM)lacked everything and have [i]met our end by the sword and by famine.” 19 “And,” said the women, “when we were (AN)burning incense to the queen of heaven and [j]were pouring out drink offerings to her, was it (AO)without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes [k]in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women—even to all the people who were answering him with such a word—saying, 21 “As for the [l](AP)smoking sacrifices that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the (AQ)streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not Yahweh (AR)remember them and did not all this come upon His heart? 22 So Yahweh was (AS)no longer able to bear it, (AT)because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have done; thus your land has become a (AU)waste place, an object of horror, and an imprecation, without an inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 Because you have burned incense and have sinned against Yahweh and (AV)not listened to the voice of Yahweh or (AW)walked in His law, His statutes, or His testimonies, therefore this (AX)evil has befallen you, as it has this day.”
24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “(AY)Hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah who are (AZ)in the land of Egypt, 25 thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, “We will (BA)certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” [m](BB)Go ahead and establish your vows, and certainly perform your vows!’ 26 [n]Nevertheless, hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, ‘Behold, I have (BC)sworn by My great name,’ says Yahweh, ‘(BD)never shall My name be called upon again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “(BE)As Lord Yahweh lives.” 27 Behold, I am watching over them (BF)for [o]evil and not for good, and (BG)all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will [p]meet their end by the sword and by famine until they [q]are completely consumed. 28 (BH)Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah [r](BI)few in number. Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to sojourn there will know (BJ)whose word will be established, Mine or theirs. 29 This will be the (BK)sign to you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that (BL)My words will surely be established against you for [s]evil.’ 30 Thus says Yahweh, ‘Behold, I am going to give over (BM)Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over (BN)Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and was seeking his life.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 44:10 Lit crushed
- Jeremiah 44:12 Lit be finished
- Jeremiah 44:12 Lit be finished
- Jeremiah 44:14 Lit lifting up their soul
- Jeremiah 44:15 Lit and
- Jeremiah 44:16 Lit word
- Jeremiah 44:17 Or so as to burn
- Jeremiah 44:17 Lit bread
- Jeremiah 44:18 Lit been finished
- Jeremiah 44:19 Lit to pour
- Jeremiah 44:19 Lit to make an image of her
- Jeremiah 44:21 Heb sounds like root for incense
- Jeremiah 44:25 Lit Surely cause to stand
- Jeremiah 44:26 Lit Therefore
- Jeremiah 44:27 Or harm
- Jeremiah 44:27 Lit be finished
- Jeremiah 44:27 Lit come to an end
- Jeremiah 44:28 Lit men of number
- Jeremiah 44:29 Or harm
Jeremiah 44
King James Version
44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,
3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
4 Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.
6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
7 Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
8 In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.
11 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.
12 And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
14 So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.
15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.
17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
20 Then Jeremiah said unto 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 that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not into his mind?
22 So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.
24 Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:
25 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.
26 Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah 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 Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God liveth.
27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
28 Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or their's.
29 And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
30 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.
Jeremiah 44
Common English Bible
Jeremiah’s final words to Judeans in Egypt
44 Jeremiah received the Lord’s word for the Judeans living in the land of Egypt, those living in Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis and in the land of Pathros. 2 The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: You have seen the disaster I brought on Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. They are now a wasteland with no one left 3 because of their evil ways. They have angered me by making offerings and worshipping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors knew. 4 Yet time and again I sent you all my servants the prophets, saying, “Don’t do these detestable things that I hate.” 5 But they wouldn’t listen or pay attention or turn from their evil ways. They continued making offerings to other gods. 6 So my fierce anger poured out and blazed against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. And they were reduced to an utter wasteland, as they are today.
7 Now the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: Why are you committing this huge mistake that will cost you your lives? Every man, woman, child, and infant will be eliminated from the midst of Judah, and no one will be left. 8 Why do you anger me by what you do: by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live? You will be eliminated and become an object of cursing and disgrace among all the nations of the earth. 9 Have you forgotten the sins of your ancestors and the sins of the kings of Judah and their wives?[a] Have you forgotten the sins that you and your wives committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 To this day you[b] haven’t shown any sorrow for what you have done. And you haven’t revered me or followed my Instruction and my laws that I set before you and your ancestors.
11 Therefore, the Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: I’m determined to bring disaster on you, to eliminate all of Judah. 12 I will take the few remaining Judeans who were determined to go to the land of Egypt to live. They will all perish there. They will fall by the sword and perish due to famine. The least to the greatest will die by the sword and by famine. They will become an object of cursing, scorn, contempt, and disgrace. 13 I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem with war, famine, and disease. 14 From the few remaining in Judah, no fugitive or survivor who came to live here in the land of Egypt will be able to return to the land of Judah. Even though they want to return and live there, they won’t be able to return, except for some fugitives.
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, along with the great crowd of women who were present, as well as the people living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, all answered Jeremiah: 16 “We’re not going to listen to a word you have said to us in the Lord’s name! 17 No, we’re going to do exactly what we want: We’re going to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials, have done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had plenty to eat and we were thriving; we didn’t have any troubles. 18 But ever since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring drink offerings to her, we have been destroyed by the sword and by famine.”
19 And the women added,[c] “Do you think that we burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour drink offerings to her without our husbands’ support when we make cakes in her image and pour drink offerings to her?”
20 Jeremiah said to all the people, men and women alike, in fact everyone who had spoken this way: 21 “Do you really think the Lord was unaware of what you were up to in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? Don’t you think the Lord knew that you and your ancestors were making offerings to other gods[d]—along with your kings and officials, and the people of the land? 22 It got so bad that the Lord could no longer bear your evil and shameless acts; it was at that point that your land was reduced to an utter wasteland and a curse, as it is today. 23 The current dire situation occurred because you made offerings to other gods[e] and sinned against the Lord—because you wouldn’t obey the Lord or follow the Lord’s instruction, laws, or warnings.”
24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women: Listen to the Lord’s word, all you Judeans in the land of Egypt. 25 The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: You and your wives have done exactly what you said you would do. You said, “We will definitely fulfill our promise to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” Go ahead and keep your promises! 26 But listen to the Lord’s word, all you Judeans who live in the land of Egypt. I swear by my great name, says the Lord, that no one from Judah living in Egypt will utter my name again, even in the solemn pledge: “As surely as the Lord God lives.” 27 I’m watching over them for harm and not for good. Everyone from Judah who is living in the land of Egypt will die by the sword and by famine, until all are gone. 28 Those who actually survive war and return from Egypt to the land of Judah will be very few. Then the few remaining Judeans living in Egypt will know for certain whose word is true—mine or theirs! 29 And this will be a sign for you, declares the Lord: I will punish you here so that you know my threats against you will surely be fulfilled. 30 The Lord proclaims: I will hand Pharaoh Hophra, Egypt’s king, over to his enemies who seek to kill him, just as I delivered Judah’s King Zedekiah over to his enemy King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who sought to kill him.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 44:9 Heb his wives
- Jeremiah 44:10 Or they
- Jeremiah 44:19 Syr; MT lacks and the women added.
- Jeremiah 44:21 Heb lacks to other gods.
- Jeremiah 44:23 Heb lacks to other gods.
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