⁸ “‘But like the bad^(A) figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord, ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah^(B) king of Judah, his officials^(C) and the survivors^(D) from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt.^(E)

43 When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them^(A)— ² Azariah son of Hoshaiah^(B) and Johanan^(C) son of Kareah and all the arrogant^(D) men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!^(E) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’^{(F) 3} But Baruch^(G) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,^[a] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”^(H)

⁴ So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people^(I) disobeyed the Lord’s command^(J) to stay in the land of Judah.^{(K) 5} Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.^{(L) 6} They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,^(M) the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch^(N) son of Neriah along with them. ⁷ So they entered Egypt^(O) in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.^(P)

⁸ In Tahpanhes^(Q) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ⁹ “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones^(R) with you and bury them in clay in the brick^(S) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace^(T) in Tahpanhes. ¹⁰ Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant^(U) Nebuchadnezzar^(V) king of Babylon, and I will set his throne^(W) over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy^(X) above them. ¹¹ He will come and attack Egypt,^(Y) bringing death^(Z) to those destined^(AA) for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,^(AB) and the sword to those destined for the sword.^{(AC) 12} He will set fire^(AD) to the temples^(AE) of the gods^(AF) of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.^(AG) As a shepherd picks^(AH) his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. ¹³ There in the temple of the sun^[b](AI) in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars^(AJ) and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”

Disaster Because of Idolatry

44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt^(AK)—in Migdol,^(AL) Tahpanhes^(AM) and Memphis^(AN)—and in Upper Egypt:^(AO)

² And on the ninth day of the fourth^(A) month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall^(B) was broken through.^{(C) 3} Then all the officials^(D) of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. ⁴ When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,^(E) and headed toward the Arabah.^[a](F)

⁵ But the Babylonian^[b] army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah^(G) in the plains of Jericho. They captured^(H) him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah^(I) in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. ⁶ There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles^(J) of Judah. ⁷ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes^(K) and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.^(L)

⁸ The Babylonians^[c] set fire^(M) to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls^(N) of Jerusalem. ⁹ Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,^(O) and the rest of the people.^(P)

¹⁷ Then King Zedekiah sent^(A) for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked^(B) him privately,^(C) “Is there any word from the Lord?”

“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered^(D) into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

² One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early;^(A) the other basket had very bad^(B) figs, so bad they could not be eaten.

¹¹ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ¹² “Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?^(A)’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles,^(B) bringing them back with him to Babylon.^{(C) 13} Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty^(D) with him, putting him under oath.^(E) He also carried away the leading men^(F) of the land, ¹⁴ so that the kingdom would be brought low,^(G) unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. ¹⁵ But the king rebelled^(H) against him by sending his envoys to Egypt^(I) to get horses and a large army.^(J) Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?^(K)

¹⁶ “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die^(L) in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.^{(M) 17} Pharaoh^(N) with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps^(O) are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.^{(P) 18} He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge^(Q) and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.

¹⁹ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.^{(R) 20} I will spread my net^(S) for him, and he will be caught in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon and execute judgment^(T) on him there because he was unfaithful^(U) to me. ²¹ All his choice troops will fall by the sword,^(V) and the survivors^(W) will be scattered to the winds.^(X) Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken.^(Y)

¹² “The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder at dusk^(A) and leave, and a hole will be dug in the wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so that he cannot see the land.^{(B) 13} I will spread my net^(C) for him, and he will be caught in my snare;^(D) I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans,^(E) but he will not see^(F) it, and there he will die.^{(G) 14} I will scatter to the winds all those around him—his staff and all his troops—and I will pursue them with drawn sword.^(H)

¹⁵ “They will know that I am the Lord, when I disperse them among the nations^(I) and scatter them through the countries. ¹⁶ But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine and plague, so that in the nations where they go they may acknowledge all their detestable practices. Then they will know that I am the Lord.^(J)”

² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim^(A) had done. ³ It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah,^(B) and in the end he thrust them from his presence.^(C)

Now Zedekiah rebelled^(D) against the king of Babylon.

⁴ So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth^(E) day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem^(F) with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works^(G) all around it.^{(H) 5} The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

⁶ By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.^{(I) 7} Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled.^(J) They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians^[a] were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah,^{[b] 8} but the Babylonian^[c] army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, ⁹ and he was captured.^(K)

He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah^(L) in the land of Hamath,^(M) where he pronounced sentence on him. ¹⁰ There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons^(N) of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. ¹¹ Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.^(O)