LEB JER Chapter 44

A Message of Rebuke for the Rebellious Remnant

44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt, who were living at Migdol, and Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, saying,[fn] 2 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen all the disaster that I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the towns of Judah. And look, they are a site of ruins this day, and there is not in them an inhabitant, 3 because of[fn] their wickedness that they committed to provoke me to anger by going to make smoke offerings, serving other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, or your ancestors.[fn] 4 And I sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending over and over again,[fn] saying,[fn] “Please, you must not do this detestable thing that I hate.” 5 But they did not listen and they did not incline their ears[fn] to turn back from their wickedness, to not make smoke offerings to other gods. 6 So my wrath and my anger were poured out[fn] and burned[fn] in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became as a site of ruins, as a desolation, as they are this day.’

7 So then, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Why are you doing great harm to yourselves,[fn] to cut off for yourselves man and woman, child and suckling, from the midst of Judah, to not leave over for yourselves a remnant, 8 provoking me to anger with the works of your hands, to make smoke offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to dwell as aliens, so as to cut off yourselves, and so that you are becoming as a curse, and as a disgrace among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the wicked things of your ancestors,[fn] and the wicked things of the kings of Judah, and the wicked things of their wives, and your wicked things, and the wicked things of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not shown contrition up to this day, and they have not shown reverence, and they have not walked in my law and in my statutes that I set before you[fn] and before[fn] your ancestors.’[fn]

11 Therefore[fn] thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Look, I am determined to bring disaster on you,[fn] even to exterminate all Judah. 12 And I will take away the remnant of Judah who are determined[fn] to come to the land of Egypt to dwell as aliens there, and everyone will perish. They will fall in the land of Egypt by the sword; they will perish by the famine, from the smallest to the greatest. By the sword and by the famine they will die and become as a curse, as a horror, and as a curse, and as a disgrace. 13 So I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt just as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with the famine, and with the plague. 14 And there will not be a survivor or an escapee of the remnant of Judah, those who have come to dwell as an alien there in the land of Egypt, to return to the land of Judah where they are longing[fn] to return to dwell there, for they will not turn back, but only[fn] some survivors.’ ”

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives were making smoke offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, and all the people who lived in the land of Egypt in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,[fn] 16 “Concerning the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Yahweh, we are not going to listen to you! 17 But certainly we will do everything[fn] that went out from our mouths,[fn] to make smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out to her libations just as we did, we, and our ancestors,[fn] our kings, and our officials, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for then we had enough to eat,[fn] and we were well-off, and we did not see disaster. 18 But since[fn] we stopped making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked everything, and by the sword and by the famine we have perished. 19 And indeed, when we were making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out[fn] to her libations, was it not with the consent of[fn] our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes marked with her image,[fn] and we poured out to her libations?”

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women, and to all the people who answered him a word, saying,[fn] 21 “The offering that you made, smoke offerings in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, and your ancestors,[fn] your kings, and your officials, and the people of the land, did not Yahweh remember them, and did it not come to his mind?[fn] 22 And Yahweh was no longer able to bear[fn] it, because of[fn] the evil of your deeds, because of[fn] the detestable things that you committed. Thus your land became as a site of ruins, and as a horror, and as a curse, without[fn] inhabitants, as it is this day. 23 Because of[fn] the fact that you made smoke offerings, and that you sinned against Yahweh, and you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you have not walked in his law, and in his statute, and in his legal provisions, therefore[fn] this disaster has happened to you, as it is this day.”

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,[fn] ‘You and your wives have promised with your mouths[fn] and with your hands[fn] you have fulfilled, saying,[fn] “We certainly will carry out our vows that we vowed, to make smoke offerings to the queen of the heavens,[fn] and to pour out to her libations.” You must certainly keep your vows and you must certainly carry out your vows.’ 26 Therefore[fn] 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,”[fn] in all the land of Egypt. 27 Look, I am going to watch over them for harm and not for good, and all people[fn] 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.[fn] 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. 29 And this will be to you the sign,’ declares[fn] Yahweh, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that surely my words will endure against you for evil.’ 30 Thus says Yahweh: ‘Look, I am going to give Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave Zedekiah the king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, his enemy and the one who sought his life.’ ”