^26 (A)Then all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces arose and went to Egypt, for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

⁴ So ^(A)Johanan the son of Kareah and all ^(B)the commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. ⁵ But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took ^(C)all the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven— ^6 (D)the men, the women, the children, ^(E)the princesses, and every person whom ^(F)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with ^(G)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. ⁷ And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they arrived at ^(H)Tahpanhes.

¹⁶ Then Johanan the son of Kareah and ^(A)all the leaders of the forces with him took from Mizpah all the rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—soldiers, ^(B)women, children, and eunuchs, whom Johanan brought back from ^(C)Gibeon. ¹⁷ And they went and stayed at Geruth ^(D)Chimham near ^(E)Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt ¹⁸ because of the Chaldeans. For they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, ^(F)whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.

¹⁴ and saying, ‘No, ^(A)we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or ^(B)hear the sound of the trumpet or ^(C)be hungry for bread, and we will dwell there,’ ¹⁵ then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(D)If you set your faces to enter Egypt ^(E)and go to live there, ¹⁶ then the sword ^(F)that you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, ^(G)and there you shall die. ¹⁷ All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. They shall have ^(H)no remnant or survivor from the disaster that I will bring upon them.

¹⁸ “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(I)As my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. ^(J)You shall become an execration, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. You shall see this place no more. ¹⁹ The Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, ^(K)‘Do not go to Egypt.’ ^(L)Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day ²⁰ that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. ^(M)For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ^(N)‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and ^(O)whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it.’ ²¹ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything ^(P)that he sent me to tell you. ^22 (Q)Now therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.”