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 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), that the Lord your God may tell us the way we should go and the thing we should do.”

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)

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) 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

At the end of ten days, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, 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.

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.”

Footnotes

  1. 42:12 LXX reads I
  2. 42:16 Lit will cling after you
  3. 42:20 Or You have led your own selves astray

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 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— that (I)the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” 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.” 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. 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.”

(Q)At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 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, 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.”

众人求耶利米祷告 神

42 所有的将领,包括加利亚的儿子约哈难和何沙雅的儿子耶撒尼亚,以及全体人民,从最小的到最大的,都上前来, 对耶利米先知说:“求你容我们向你恳求,请为我们这余剩的民向耶和华你的 神祷告;因为我们从前人数众多,现在剩下的极少,就像你现在亲眼所见的一样。 请为我们求耶和华你的 神指示我们当走的路和该作的事。” 耶利米先知对他们说:“我听见了!我必照着你们的话祷告耶和华你们的 神。耶和华回答你们所说的一切话,我必告诉你们,一句也不会向你们隐瞒。” 于是他们对耶利米说:“我们若不照着耶和华你的 神差遣你到我们这里来所说的一切话去作,愿耶和华作真实和诚信的见证,指控我们。 不论是甜是苦,我们都愿听从耶和华我们 神的话,因为是我们委派你向他祈求的;我们听从耶和华我们 神的话,就必凡事亨通。”

耶和华要他们仍居犹大

过了十天,耶和华的话临到耶利米。 耶利米就把加利亚的儿子约哈难,和所有与他一起的将领,以及全体人民,从最小的到最大的,都叫了来, 对他们说:“耶和华以色列的 神,就是你们委派我去为你们向他恳求的那位,这样说: 10 ‘你们若决意住在这地,我就建立你们,必不拆毁;栽植你们,必不拔除;因我为那已经降在你们身上的灾祸回心转意。 11 你们所怕的巴比伦王,你们不要惧怕他;你们不要惧怕他(这是耶和华的宣告),因为我与你们同在,要拯救你们,要搭救你们脱离他的手。 12 我要向你们施怜悯,他也会怜悯你们,使你们归回自己的土地。’ 13 但是,你们若说:‘我们不住在这地’,不听从耶和华你们的 神的话, 14 或说:‘不!我们要去埃及地,在那里看不到战争,听不见号角的声音,也不会因缺乏粮食而饥饿;我们要留在那里。’ 15 这样,犹大余剩的人哪,你们现在要听耶和华的话!万军之耶和华以色列的 神这样说:‘你们若决意去埃及,到那里寄居, 16 你们惧怕的刀剑必在埃及地追上你们;你们恐惧的饥荒必在埃及紧随着你们;你们必死在那里。 17 所有决意去埃及,在那里寄居的人,必因刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫而死;他们没有一人能幸存,或避过我降在他们身上的灾祸。’

责备他们不听警告

18 “因为万军之耶和华以色列的 神这样说:‘我从前怎样把我的怒气和烈怒倾倒在耶路撒冷的居民身上,现在你们进入埃及的时候,我也必照样把我的烈怒倾倒在你们身上。你们就必成为令人惊骇、被人咒骂、咒诅和羞辱的对象。你们必不能再看见这地方。 19 犹大余剩的人哪,耶和华曾对你们说:‘你们不要去埃及。’你们要确实知道,我今天已经警告你们了。 20 你们实在自己欺骗自己,因为是你们委派我去见耶和华你们的 神,你们说:‘请为我们向耶和华我们的 神祷告;无论耶和华我们的 神说甚么,你都要告诉我们,我们就必照着去作。’ 21 我今天告诉了你们,你们却不听从耶和华你们的 神派我来告诉你们的一切话。 22 现在你们要确实知道,在你们想去寄居的那地方,你们必因刀剑、饥荒和瘟疫而死。”

42 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,

And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)

That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.

Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.

Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us.

Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.

And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah.

Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,

And said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;

10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.

11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

12 And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord your God,

14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:

15 And now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;

16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

17 So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.

18 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.

19 The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.

20 For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.

21 And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.

22 Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.