Disaster in Egypt

44 Jeremiah received a message from the Lord for all the ·Jews [^LJudeans] living in Egypt—in the cities of Migdol [^Ca city in the Nile Delta], Tahpanhes [43:7], Memphis [^Ca capital city in central Egypt], and in ·southern Egypt [^Lthe land of Pathros]. This was the message: ² “The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts], the God of Israel, says: You saw all the ·terrible things [disasters; evil; troubles] I brought on Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, which are ruins today with no one living in them. ³ It is because the people who lived there did evil. They made me angry by burning incense and ·worshiping [serving] other gods that neither they nor you nor your ·ancestors [fathers] ever knew. ⁴ I sent all my servants, the prophets, to you again and again. By them I said to you, ‘Don’t do this ·terrible [abominable] thing that I hate.’ ⁵ But they did not listen or ·pay attention [^Lincline their ear]. They did not ·stop doing [turn back from] evil things and burning incense to other gods. ⁶ So I showed my great anger against them. I poured out my anger in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem so they are only ruins and ·piles of stones [a desolation] today.

⁷ “Now the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts], the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great ·harm [damage; evil] to yourselves? You are cutting off the men and women, children and ·babies [suckling infants] from the ·family [^Lmidst] of Judah, leaving yourselves without ·anyone from the family of Judah [^La remnant]. ⁸ Why do you want to make me angry by ·making idols [^Lthe work of your hands]? Why do you ·burn incense [make offerings] to the gods of Egypt, where you have come to ·live [sojourn; wander]? You will ·destroy [^Lcut off] yourselves. Other nations will ·speak evil of [curse] you and ·make fun of [reproach] you. ⁹ Have you forgotten about the evil things your ·ancestors [fathers] did? And have you forgotten the evil the kings and ·queens [^Ltheir wives] of Judah did? Have you forgotten about the evil you and your wives did? These things were done in the country of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ Even to this day the people of Judah ·are still too proud [have shown no remorse]. They have not ·learned to respect [feared] me or ·to follow [^Lwalked in] my ·teachings [laws; instructions]. They have not obeyed the ·laws [statutes; requirements; ordinances] I gave you and your ·ancestors [fathers].

¹¹ “So this is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; ^Tof hosts], the God of Israel, says: I am ·determined [^Lsetting my face against you] to bring ·disasters [evil; trouble] on you. I will ·destroy [^Lcut off] ·the whole family of [^Lall] Judah. ¹² The ·few who were left alive [remnant] from Judah ·were determined [^Lset their face] to go to Egypt and ·settle [sojourn; wander] there, but they will all die in Egypt. They will be killed ·in war [^Lby the sword] or ·die from hunger [^Lby famine]. From the least important to the greatest, they will be killed ·in war [^Lby sword] or ·die from hunger [^Lby famine]. Other nations will ·speak evil about [^Lcurse] them. People will be shocked by what has happened to them. They will become a curse word, and people will ·insult [reproach] them. ¹³ I will punish those people who have gone to live in Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem, using swords, ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence]. ¹⁴ Of the ·people of Judah who were left alive [remnant of Judah] and have gone to ·live [wander; sojourn] in Egypt, none will escape ·my punishment [^Lor survive]. They want to return to Judah and live there, but none of them will live to return to Judah, except a few people who will escape.”