Jeremiah 44
44
Judgment for Idolatry
1This is the message Jeremiah received concerning the Judeans living in northern Egypt in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis,#44:1a Hebrew Noph. and in southern Egypt#44:1b Hebrew in Pathros. as well: 2“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: You saw the calamity I brought on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. They now lie deserted and in ruins. 3They provoked my anger with all their wickedness. They burned incense and worshiped other gods—gods that neither they nor you nor any of your ancestors had ever even known.
4“Again and again I sent my servants, the prophets, to plead with them, ‘Don’t do these horrible things that I hate so much.’ 5But my people would not listen or turn back from their wicked ways. They kept on burning incense to these gods. 6And so my fury boiled over and fell like fire on the towns of Judah and into the streets of Jerusalem, and they are still a desolate ruin today.
7“And now the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, asks you: Why are you destroying yourselves? For not one of you will survive—not a man, woman, or child among you who has come here from Judah, not even the babies in your arms. 8Why provoke my anger by burning incense to the idols you have made here in Egypt? You will only destroy yourselves and make yourselves an object of cursing and mockery for all the nations of the earth. 9Have you forgotten the sins of your ancestors, the sins of the kings and queens of Judah, and the sins you and your wives committed in Judah and Jerusalem? 10To this very hour you have shown no remorse or reverence. No one has chosen to follow my word and the decrees I gave to you and your ancestors before you.
11“Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to destroy every one of you! 12I will take this remnant of Judah—those who were determined to come here and live in Egypt—and I will consume them. They will fall here in Egypt, killed by war and famine. All will die, from the least to the greatest. They will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing, and mockery. 13I will punish them in Egypt just as I punished them in Jerusalem, by war, famine, and disease. 14Of that remnant who fled to Egypt, hoping someday to return to Judah, there will be no survivors. Even though they long to return home, only a handful will do so.”
15Then all the women present and all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to idols—a great crowd of all the Judeans living in northern Egypt and southern Egypt#44:15 Hebrew in Egypt, in Pathros.—answered Jeremiah, 16“We will not listen to your messages from the Lord! 17We will do whatever we want. We will burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven just as much as we like—just as we, and our ancestors, and our kings and officials have always done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For in those days we had plenty to eat, and we were well off and had no troubles! 18But ever since we quit burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and stopped worshiping her with liquid offerings, we have been in great trouble and have been dying from war and famine.”
19“Besides,” the women added, “do you suppose that we were burning incense and pouring out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven, and making cakes marked with her image, without our husbands knowing it and helping us? Of course not!”
20Then Jeremiah said to all of them, men and women alike, who had given him that answer, 21“Do you think the Lord did not know that you and your ancestors, your kings and officials, and all the people were burning incense to idols in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 22It was because the Lord could no longer bear all the disgusting things you were doing that he made your land an object of cursing—a desolate ruin without inhabitants—as it is today. 23All these terrible things happened to you because you have burned incense to idols and sinned against the Lord. You have refused to obey him and have not followed his instructions, his decrees, and his laws.”
24Then Jeremiah said to them all, including the women, “Listen to this message from the Lord, all you citizens of Judah who live in Egypt. 25This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have said, “We will keep our promises to burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven,” and you have proved by your actions that you meant it. So go ahead and carry out your promises and vows to her!’
26“But listen to this message from the Lord, all you Judeans now living in Egypt: ‘I have sworn by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that my name will no longer be spoken by any of the Judeans in the land of Egypt. None of you may invoke my name or use this oath: “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” 27For I will watch over you to bring you disaster and not good. Everyone from Judah who is now living in Egypt will suffer war and famine until all of you are dead. 28Only a small number will escape death and return to Judah from Egypt. Then all those who came to Egypt will find out whose words are true—mine or theirs!
29“‘And this is the proof I give you,’ says the Lord, ‘that all I have threatened will happen to you and that I will punish you here.’ 30This is what the Lord says: ‘I will turn Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies who want to kill him, just as I turned King Zedekiah of Judah over to King Nebuchadnezzar#44:30 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar. of Babylon.’”
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Jeremiah 44: NLT
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Jeremiah 44
44
Yahweh’s Message to the Israelites in Egypt
1Here is the word Yahweh gave Jeremiah concerning all the Israelites who were living in Egypt. They were in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, # 44:1 Or “Noph.” and in the Pathros region.
2“Yahweh, God of Israel, Commander of Angel Armies, says this: You have seen with your own eyes all the disaster I have brought upon Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. Look at them; now they are in ruins and left uninhabited. 3This disaster came to your people because of their evil deeds; they have worshiped foreign gods, which they have previously known nothing about nor have their ancestors. They have brought them offerings and provoked my anger. 4Yet I kept sending you my servants the prophets to plead with you to stop doing such detestable things, which I hate with a passion! 5But you would not listen or pay attention, in order to turn from your wickedness and stop offering incense to other gods. 6So I let loose a firestorm of my anger, burning down the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem until nothing remained but a desolate wasteland, as it still is today.
7“And now I, Yahweh, God of Israel, Commander God of Angel Armies, ask you: Why do you insist on heading for another disaster, one that will destroy every man, woman, and child in Judah? Why should you leave yourselves without a remnant? 8Why do you keep provoking my wrath by offering incense to Egyptian gods where you have settled? Are you bent on your own destruction? Don’t you realize you will become a curse and a laughingstock for all the nations of the earth? 9Have you forgotten all you have done in Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your ancestors, your wives, your kings, and their wives? 10Even now, you refuse to humble yourselves or be in awe of me. You have not followed my law or my teachings, which I set before you and your ancestors.
11“So, I, Yahweh, God of Israel, Commander of Angel Armies, say to you that I am determined to bring disasters upon the people of Judah living in Egypt to eliminate you completely. 12I will make sure that the remnant of Judah who were determined to live in Egypt will die in Egypt. You will all be killed by the sword or die of starvation, from least to greatest. You will die such horrible deaths in war or from starvation that people of other nations will use you as an object of horror, a curse word, and mockery. 13I will punish those who settled in Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem: by sword, starvation, and plague. 14None of the remnant of Judah who have settled in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the country of Judah. Even though they want to go and live there again, only a few will escape and return.”
The People Vow to Worship the Queen of Heaven
15Then all the women there, along with all the men who were aware that their wives were sacrificing to other gods, answered me. There was a great crowd of people there listening to me, a large group of the people of Judah who lived in southern Egypt and were meeting together. They all answered me, saying: 16“You claim to speak to us on behalf of Yahweh, but we refuse to listen to you whatsoever! 17We will keep our vows to continue offering incense to our goddess, the Queen of Heaven, and pouring out drink offerings in her honor as we used to do. We will worship her in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem just as we, our ancestors, kings, and officers did in the past. We had plenty of food then, we prospered, and we suffered no disasters. 18But since we ceased offering incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have been destitute, and our people have died either by sword or by starvation. # 44:18 This is likely a reference to the reforms instituted by King Josiah, who attempted to eliminate idolatry in Judah and Jerusalem. However, following his death in the battle of Megiddo (609 BC), things turned for the worse and people became disillusioned. 19And besides,” the women added, # 44:19 As translated from the Syriac and at least one Septuagint manuscript. Although missing in the Hebrew, the context shows that it was the women who were speaking in this verse. “when we offer incense to the Queen of Heaven, pour out drink offerings to her, and make cakes bearing her image, do you really think we do this without our husbands’ knowledge?”
20Then I replied to all the men and women who had made their statement, 21“You and your ancestors, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land offered sacrifices in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. But Yahweh knew about this and did not forget. 22He could not endure your wicked and disgusting practices any longer. He placed a curse on your land and turned it into a desert without inhabitants as it is today. 23This disaster has plainly overtaken you because you sinned and offered incense to other gods, refusing to listen to the voice of Yahweh or follow his law, his teachings, and his commandments.”
24Then I said to the men and their wives, “Listen to the word of Yahweh, all you people of Judah living in Egypt. 25Yahweh, God of Israel, Commander of Angel Armies, says to you, ‘Both you and your wives have said that you will fulfill the vows you made to give offerings to the Queen of Heaven and pour out drink offerings to her. You have said it, and you have done it. Very well, by all means, keep your promise and fulfill the vows you made!’ 26But listen to the word of Yahweh, all you people of Judah living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my mighty name, never again will I let any of you profane my name to make a vow by saying, “I swear by the living Lord Yahweh!” 27Behold, instead of watching over you for good, I will watch for chances to harm you. Some of you will die in war, and others will die by famine until you are wiped out. 28Only a very few will escape the sword and will return to the land of Judah from Egypt. Then all the remnant of Judah who came to settle in Egypt will know whose word comes true, mine or theirs.
29“ ‘And here is the sign for you,’ Yahweh declares, ‘that I will keep my threats and I will punish you here: 30Behold, I will hand over Egypt’s Pharaoh Hophra # 44:30 King (Pharaoh) Hophra of Egypt (589–570 BC) supported Zedekiah in his revolt against Nebuchadnezzar in 589 BC (see footnote on 37:5). According to Herodotus, one of Pharaoh Hophra’s officials, Amasis, took control of the government and later had Hophra strangled to death. to his enemies who seek his life just as I handed over Zedekiah king of Judah to his enemy Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was determined to kill him.’ ”
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