29 This will be a sign to you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘that I will punish you in this place, so you may know that my words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass.(A) 30 This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra,(B) Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who intend to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah(C) to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who intended to take his life.’”

Read full chapter

29 Moreover the Lord says,[a] ‘I will make something happen to prove that I will punish you in this place. I will do it so that you will know that my threats to bring disaster on you will prove true.[b] 30 I, the Lord, promise that[c] I will hand Pharaoh Hophra[d] king of Egypt over to his enemies who are seeking to kill him. I will do that just as surely as I handed King Zedekiah of Judah over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, his enemy who was seeking to kill him.’”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 44:29 tn Heb “oracle of the Lord.”
  2. Jeremiah 44:29 tn Heb “This will be to you the sign, oracle of the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, in order that you may know that my threats against you for evil/disaster/harm will certainly stand [see the translator’s note on the preceding verse for the meaning of this word here].” The word “sign” refers to an event that is an omen or portent of something that will happen later (see BDB 16 s.v. אוֹת 2 and compare usage in 1 Sam 14:10 and 2 Kgs 19:29). The best way to carry that idea across in this context seems to be, “I will make something happen to prove [or portend].” Another possibility would be, “I will give you an omen that,” but many readers would probably not be familiar with “omen.” Again, the sentence has been broken in two and restructured to better conform with English style.
  3. Jeremiah 44:30 tn Heb “Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will hand…’” The first person and indirect quote have been chosen because the Lord is already identified as the speaker and the indirect quote eliminates an extra level of embedded quotes.
  4. Jeremiah 44:30 sn Hophra ruled over Egypt from 589-570 b.c. He was the Pharaoh who incited Zedekiah to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar and whose army proved ineffective in providing any long-term relief to Jerusalem when it was under siege (see Jer 37 and especially the study note on 37:5). He was assassinated following a power struggle with a court official who had earlier saved him from a rebellion of his own troops and had ruled as co-regent with him.