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.

43 And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these words,

Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:

But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.

So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land of Judah.

But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;

Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.

So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.

Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;

10 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.

11 And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.

12 And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.

13 He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

42 1 The captains ask counsel of Jeremiah what they ought to do. 7 He admonisheth the remnant of the people not to go into Egypt.

Then all the captains of the host, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least unto the most, came,

And said unto Jeremiah the Prophet, [a]Hear our prayer, we beseech 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)

That the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may [b]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 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, [c]The Lord be a witness of truth, and faith 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 evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord God, to whom we send thee, that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.

[d]And so after ten days came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah.

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

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

10 If ye will dwell in this land, then I will build you, and not destroy you, and I will plant you, and not root you out: for I [e]repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.

11 Fear not for the king of Babel, 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 [f]from his hand,

12 And I will grant you mercy that he may have compassion upon you, and he shall cause you to [g]dwell in your own land.

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

14 Saying, Nay, 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 set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to dwell there,)

16 Then the sword that ye feared, [h]shall take you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, for the which ye care, shall there hang upon you in Egypt, and there shall ye die.

17 And all the men that set their faces to enter into Egypt to dwell there, shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, and none of them shall remain, nor escape from the plague, that I will bring upon them.

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

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

20 Surely ye [j]dissembled in your hearts when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God, and declare unto us even according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, and we will do it.

21 Therefore I have this day declared it you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor anything 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 [k]in the place whither ye desire to go and dwell.

43 Johanan carrieth the remnant of the people into Egypt, contrary to the mind of Jeremiah.  8 Jeremiah prophesieth the destruction of Egypt.

Now when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto the whole people all the words of the Lord their God, for the which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these words,

Then spake [l]Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the [m]proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, [n]Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath [o]not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to dwell there,

But Baruch the son of Neriah [p]provoketh thee against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might slay us, and carry us away captives into Babel.

So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the host, and all the people obeyed not the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land of Judah.

But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the host took all the remnant of Judah that were returned from all [q]nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah:

Even men and women, and children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the chief steward had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the [r]Prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.

So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: thus came they to [s]Tahpanhes.

¶ Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

Take great stones in thine hand, and [t]hide them in the clay in the brick kiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes in the sight of the men of Judah,

10 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babel [u]my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid, and he shall spread his pavilion over them.

11 And when he shall come, he shall smite the land of Egypt: [v]such as are appointed for death, to death, and such as are for captivity, to captivity, and such as are for the sword, to the sword.

12 And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captives, and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a [w]shepherd putteth on his garment, and shall depart from thence in peace.

13 He shall break also the images of [x]Beth Shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt, and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 42:2 Hebrew, Let our prayer fall before thee, as Jer. 36:7
  2. Jeremiah 42:3 This declareth the nature of hypocrites, which would know of God’s word what they should do, but will not follow it, but inasmuch as it agreeth with that thing, which they have purposed to do.
  3. Jeremiah 42:5 There are none more ready to abuse the Name of God and take it in vain, than the hypocrites, which to color their falsehood use it without all reverence, and make it a means for them to deceive the simple and the godly.
  4. Jeremiah 42:7 Here is declared the vision and the occasion thereof, whereof mention was made, Jer. 40:1.
  5. Jeremiah 42:10 Read Jer. 18:8.
  6. Jeremiah 42:11 Because all kings’ hearts and ways are in his hands, he can turn them and dispose them as it pleaseth him, and therefore they need not to fear man, but only obey God, Prov. 21:1.
  7. Jeremiah 42:12 Or, return.
  8. Jeremiah 42:16 Thus God turneth the policy of the wicked to their own destruction: for they thought themselves sure in Egypt, and there Nebuchadnezzar destroyed them and the Egyptians, Jer. 46:25.
  9. Jeremiah 42:18 Read Jer. 26:6 and 24:12, showing that this should come upon them for their infidelity and stubbornness.
  10. Jeremiah 42:20 For ye were fully minded to go into Egypt, whatsoever God spake to the contrary.
  11. Jeremiah 42:22 To wit, in Egypt.
  12. Jeremiah 43:2 Who was also called Jezaniah, Jer. 42:1.
  13. Jeremiah 43:2 This declareth that pride is the cause of rebellion: and contempt of God’s ministers.
  14. Jeremiah 43:2 When the hypocrisy of the wicked is discovered, they burst forth into open rage: for they can abide nothing but flattery, read Isa. 30:10.
  15. Jeremiah 43:2 He showeth what is the nature of the hypocrites: to wit, to feign that they would obey God and embrace his word, if they were assured that his messenger spake the truth: though indeed they be most far from all obedience.
  16. Jeremiah 43:3 Thus the wicked do not only contemn and hurt the messengers of God, but slander, and speak wickedly of all them that support or favor the godly.
  17. Jeremiah 43:5 As from the Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, Jer. 40:11.
  18. Jeremiah 43:6 Whom these wicked lead away by force.
  19. Jeremiah 43:7 A city in Egypt near to Nilus.
  20. Jeremiah 43:9 Which signified that Nebuchadnezzar should come even to the gates of Pharaoh, where were his brick kilns for his buildings.
  21. Jeremiah 43:10 Read Jer. 25:9.
  22. Jeremiah 43:11 Everyone shall be slain by that means that God hath appointed, Jer. 15:2.
  23. Jeremiah 43:12 Meaning, most easily and suddenly shall he carry the Egyptians away.
  24. Jeremiah 43:13 Or, the house of the Sun.

42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan(A) son of Kareah and Jezaniah[a] son of Hoshaiah,(B) and all the people from the least to the greatest(C) approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray(D) to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.(E) For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few(F) are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”(G)

“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray(H) to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell(I) you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”(J)

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true(K) and faithful(L) witness(M) against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well(N) with us, for we will obey(O) the Lord our God.”

Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers(P) who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.(Q) He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,(R) says:(S) 10 ‘If you stay in this land,(T) I will build(U) you up and not tear you down; I will plant(V) you and not uproot you,(W) for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.(X) 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,(Y) whom you now fear.(Z) Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save(AA) you and deliver you from his hands.(AB) 12 I will show you compassion(AC) so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’(AD)

13 “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey(AE) the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,(AF) where we will not see war or hear the trumpet(AG) or be hungry for bread,’(AH) 15 then hear the word of the Lord,(AI) you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16 then the sword(AJ) you fear(AK) will overtake you there, and the famine(AL) you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.(AM) 17 Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;(AN) not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ 18 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath(AO) have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,(AP) so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse[b](AQ) and an object of horror,(AR) a curse[c] and an object of reproach;(AS) you will never see this place again.’(AT)

19 “Remnant(AU) of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’(AV) Be sure of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’(AW) 21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.(AX) 22 So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine(AY) and plague(AZ) in the place where you want to go to settle.”(BA)

43 When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them(BB) Azariah son of Hoshaiah(BC) and Johanan(BD) son of Kareah and all the arrogant(BE) men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!(BF) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’(BG) But Baruch(BH) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,[d] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”(BI)

So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people(BJ) disobeyed the Lord’s command(BK) to stay in the land of Judah.(BL) Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.(BM) They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,(BN) the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch(BO) son of Neriah along with them. So they entered Egypt(BP) in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.(BQ)

In Tahpanhes(BR) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones(BS) with you and bury them in clay in the brick(BT) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace(BU) in Tahpanhes. 10 Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant(BV) Nebuchadnezzar(BW) king of Babylon, and I will set his throne(BX) over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy(BY) above them. 11 He will come and attack Egypt,(BZ) bringing death(CA) to those destined(CB) for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,(CC) and the sword to those destined for the sword.(CD) 12 He will set fire(CE) to the temples(CF) of the gods(CG) of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.(CH) As a shepherd picks(CI) his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. 13 There in the temple of the sun[e](CJ) in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars(CK) and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 42:1 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also 43:2) Azariah
  2. Jeremiah 42:18 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed.
  3. Jeremiah 42:18 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed.
  4. Jeremiah 43:3 Or Chaldeans
  5. Jeremiah 43:13 Or in Heliopolis