Jeremiah 42
Christian Standard Bible
The People Seek Jeremiah’s Counsel
42 Then all the commanders of the armies, along with Johanan son of Kareah,(A) Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest,(B) approached 2 the prophet Jeremiah and said, “May our petition come before you;(C) pray to the Lord your God on our behalf,(D) on behalf of this entire remnant (for few of us remain out of the many,(E) as you can see with your own eyes), 3 that the Lord your God may tell us the way we should go and the thing we should do.”
4 So the prophet Jeremiah said to them, “I have heard. I will now pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and I will tell you every word that the Lord answers you; I won’t withhold a word from you.”(F)
5 And they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we don’t act according to every word the Lord your God sends you to tell us.(G) 6 Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you so that it may go well with us.(H) We will certainly obey the Lord our God!”
Jeremiah’s Advice to Stay
7 At the end of ten days, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, 8 and he summoned Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the armies who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest.
9 He said to them, “This is what the Lord says, the God of Israel to whom you sent me to bring your petition before him: 10 ‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will rebuild and not demolish you,(I) and I will plant and not uproot you, because I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought on you.(J) 11 Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon(K) whom you now fear; don’t be afraid of him’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘because I am with you to save you(L) and rescue you from him. 12 I will grant you compassion,(M) and he[a] will have compassion on you and allow you to return to your own soil.’
13 “But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’(N) in order to disobey the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, ‘No, instead we’ll go to the land of Egypt(O) where we will not see war or hear the sound of the ram’s horn(P) or hunger for food, and we’ll live there,’ 15 then hear the word of the Lord, remnant of Judah! This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel,(Q) says: ‘If you are firmly resolved to go to Egypt(R) and stay there for a while, 16 then the sword(S) you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine you are worried about will follow on your heels[b] there to Egypt, and you will die there. 17 All who resolve to go to Egypt to stay there for a while will die by the sword, famine, and plague. They will have no survivor or fugitive from the disaster I will bring on them.’
18 “For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as my anger and fury were poured out on Jerusalem’s residents,(T) so will my fury pour out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an example for cursing, scorn,(U) execration, and disgrace, and you will never see this place again.’ 19 The Lord has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah: ‘Don’t go to Egypt.’ Know for certain that I have warned you today!(V) 20 You have gone astray at the cost of your lives[c] because you are the ones who sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray to the Lord our God on our behalf, and as for all that the Lord our God says, tell it to us, and we’ll act accordingly.’ 21 For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lord your God in everything he has sent me to tell you. 22 Now therefore, know for certain that by the sword, famine, and plague you will die in the place where you desired to go to stay for a while.”
Jeremiah 42
English Standard Version
Warning Against Going to Egypt
42 Then (A)all the commanders of the forces, and (B)Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of (C)Hoshaiah, and all the people (D)from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let (E)our plea for mercy come before you, and (F)pray to the Lord your God for us, for all (G)this remnant—(H)because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— 3 that (I)the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” 4 Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and (J)whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. (K)I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, (L)“May the Lord be a true and (M)faithful witness against us (N)if we do not act according to all the word (O)with which the Lord your God sends you to us. 6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, (P)that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”
7 (Q)At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he summoned (R)Johanan the son of Kareah and (S)all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people (T)from the least to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, (U)to whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him: 10 If you will remain in this land, (V)then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; (W)for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. 11 (X)Do not fear the king of Babylon, (Y)of whom you are afraid. (Z)Do not fear him, declares the Lord, (AA)for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. 12 (AB)I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land. 13 (AC)But if you say, ‘We will not remain in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God 14 and saying, ‘No, (AD)we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or (AE)hear the sound of the trumpet or (AF)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: (AG)If you set your faces to enter Egypt (AH)and go to live there, 16 then the sword (AI)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, (AJ)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 (AK)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: (AL)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. (AM)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, (AN)‘Do not go to Egypt.’ (AO)Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day 20 that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. (AP)For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, (AQ)‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and (AR)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 (AS)that he sent me to tell you. 22 (AT)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.”
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
