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.