24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women,(A) “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt.(B) 25 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives(C) have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’(D)

“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!(E) 26 But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt:(F) ‘I swear(G) by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign(H) Lord lives.”(I) 27 For I am watching(J) over them for harm,(K) not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish(L) by sword and famine(M) until they are all destroyed.(N) 28 Those who escape the sword(O) and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few.(P) Then the whole remnant(Q) of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand(R)—mine or theirs.(S)

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24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying,[a] ‘You and your wives have promised with your mouths[b] and with your hands[c] you have fulfilled, saying,[d] “We certainly will carry out our vows that we vowed, to make smoke offerings to the queen of the heavens,[e] and to pour out to her libations.” You must certainly keep your vows and you must certainly carry out your vows.’ 26 Therefore[f] hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah, those who live in the land of Egypt: ‘Look, I hereby swear by my great name,’ says Yahweh, ‘surely my name will no longer be called in the mouth of any man of Judah, saying, “as the Lord Yahweh lives,”[g] in all the land of Egypt. 27 Look, I am going to watch over them for harm and not for good, and all people[h] of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will perish by the sword and by the famine until their perishing. 28 And the survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number.[i] And all the remnant of Judah who have come to the land of Egypt to dwell as aliens there will know whose word will endure, from me or from them.

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 44:25 Literally “to say”
  2. Jeremiah 44:25 Hebrew “mouth”
  3. Jeremiah 44:25 Hebrew “hand”
  4. Jeremiah 44:25 Literally “to say”
  5. Jeremiah 44:25 Hebrew “heaven”
  6. Jeremiah 44:26 Literally “To thus”
  7. Jeremiah 44:26 Literally “the life of Lord Yahweh”
  8. Jeremiah 44:27 Or “men”
  9. Jeremiah 44:28 Literally “males of number”