Jeremiah 44
44
A Message of Rebuke for the Rebellious Remnant
1The 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,#Literally “to say” 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, 3because of#Literally “from the face of” 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.#Or “fathers” 4And I sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending over and over again,#Literally “doing early and sending” saying,#Literally “to say” “Please, you must not do this detestable thing that I hate.” 5But they did not listen and they did not incline their ears#Hebrew “ear” to turn back from their wickedness, to not make smoke offerings to other gods. 6So my wrath and my anger were poured out#The Hebrew verb is singular and burned#The Hebrew verb is singular 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.’
7So then, thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Why are you doing great harm to yourselves,#Literally “your lives” to cut off for yourselves man and woman, child and suckling, from the midst of Judah, to not leave over for yourselves a remnant, 8provoking 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? 9Have you forgotten the wicked things of your ancestors,#Or “fathers” 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? 10They 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#Literally “to the face of you” and before#Literally “to the face of” your ancestors.’#Or “fathers”
11Therefore#Literally “To thus” thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Look, I am determined to bring disaster on you,#Literally “I am setting my face against you for disaster” even to exterminate all Judah.12And I will take away the remnant of Judah who are determined#Literally “who set their faces” 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. 13So 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. 14And 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#Literally “lifting up their soul” to return to dwell there, for they will not turn back, but only#Literally “but if” some survivors.’ ”
15Then 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,#Literally “to say” 16“Concerning the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Yahweh, we are not going to listen to you! 17But certainly we will do everything#Literally “all the word” that went out from our mouths,#Hebrew “mouth” to make smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out to her libations just as we did, we, and our ancestors,#Or “fathers” our kings, and our officials, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for then we had enough to eat,#Literally “we satisfied ourselves with food” and we were well-off, and we did not see disaster. 18But since#Literally “from” 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. 19And indeed, when we were making smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out#Literally “to pour out” to her libations, was it not with the consent of#Literally “from apart from” our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes marked with her image,#Literally “to the copying of her” and we poured out to her libations?”
20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and to the women, and to all the people who answered him a word, saying,#Literally “to say” 21“The offering that you made, smoke offerings in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, and your ancestors,#Or “fathers” your kings, and your officials, and the people of the land, did not Yahweh remember them, and did it not come to his mind?#Literally “heart” 22And Yahweh was no longer able to bear#Or “endure” it, because of#Literally “from the face of” the evil of your deeds, because of#Literally “from the face of” the detestable things that you committed. Thus your land became as a site of ruins, and as a horror, and as a curse, without#Literally “from there is not” inhabitants, as it is this day. 23Because of#Literally “From the face of” 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#Literally “unto thus” this disaster has happened to you, as it is this day.”
24Then 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. 25Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘You and your wives have promised with your mouths#Hebrew “mouth” and with your hands#Hebrew “hand” you have fulfilled, saying,#Literally “to say” “We certainly will carry out our vows that we vowed, to make smoke offerings to the queen of the heavens,#Hebrew “heaven” and to pour out to her libations.” You must certainly keep your vows and you must certainly carry out your vows.’ 26Therefore#Literally “To thus” 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,”#Literally “the life of Lord Yahweh” in all the land of Egypt. 27Look, I am going to watch over them for harm and not for good, and all people#Or “men” of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will perish by the sword and by the famine until their perishing. 28And the survivors of the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number.#Literally “males of number” 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. 29And this will be to you the sign,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” 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.’ 30Thus 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.’ ”
Currently Selected:
Jeremiah 44: LEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
Jeremiah 44
44
The Lord Will Destroy the People of Judah
1The Lord told me to speak with the Jews who were living in the towns of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis in northern Egypt, and also to those living in southern Egypt. He told me to tell them:
2I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You saw how I destroyed Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. They lie empty and in ruins today, 3because the people of Judah made me angry by worshiping gods that had never helped them or their ancestors.
4Time after time I sent my servants the prophets to tell the people of Judah how much I hated their disgusting sins. The prophets warned them to stop sinning, 5but they refused to listen and would not stop worshiping other gods. 6Finally, my anger struck like a raging flood, and today Jerusalem and the towns of Judah are nothing but empty ruins.
7Why do you now insist on heading for another disaster? A disaster that will destroy not only you, but also your children and babies. 8You have made me angry by worshiping idols and burning incense to other gods after you came here to Egypt. You will die such a disgusting death, that other nations will use the name of Judah as a curse word. 9When you were living in Jerusalem and Judah, you followed the example of your ancestors in doing evil things, just like your kings and queens. 10Even now, your pride keeps you from respecting me and obeying the laws and teachings I gave you and your ancestors.
11I, the Lord All-Powerful, have decided to wipe you out with disasters. 12There were only a few of you left in Judah, and you decided to go to Egypt. But you will die such horrible deaths in war or from starvation, that people of other countries will use the name of Judah as a curse word. 13I punished Jerusalem with war, hunger, and disease, and that's how I will punish you. 14None of you will survive. You may hope to return to Judah someday, but only a very few of you will escape death and be able to go back.
The People Refuse To Worship the Lord
15A large number of Jews from both northern and southern Egypt listened to me as I told them what the Lord had said. Most of the men in the crowd knew that their wives often burned incense to other gods. So they and their wives shouted:
16Jeremiah, what do we care if you speak in the Lord's name? We refuse to listen! 17We have promised to worship the goddess Astarte, the Queen of Heaven,#44.17 the goddess Astarte, the Queen of Heaven: The Hebrew text has “the queen of heaven,” which probably refers to the goddess Astarte. and that is exactly what we are going to do. We will burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to her, just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did when we lived in Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah. We had plenty of food back then. We were well off, and nothing bad ever happened to us. 18But since the time we stopped burning incense and offering wine sacrifices to her, we have been dying from war and hunger.
19Then the women said, “When we lived in Judah, we worshiped the Queen of Heaven and offered sacrifices of wine and special loaves of bread shaped like her. Our husbands knew what we were doing, and they approved of it.”
20Then I told the crowd:
21Don't you think the Lord knew that you and your ancestors, your leaders and kings, and the rest of the people were burning incense to other gods in Jerusalem and everywhere else in Judah? 22And when he could no longer put up with your disgusting sins, he placed a curse on your land and turned it into a desert, as it is today. 23This disaster happened because you worshiped other gods and rebelled against the Lord by refusing to obey him or follow his laws and teachings.
24-25Then I told the men and their wives, that the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:
Here in Egypt you still keep your promises to burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to the so-called Queen of Heaven. 26Keep these promises! But let me tell you what will happen. As surely as I am the Lord God, I swear that I will never again accept any promises you make in my name. 27Instead of watching over you, I will watch for chances to harm you. Some of you will die in war, and others will starve to death. 28Only a few will escape and return to Judah. Then everyone who went to live in Egypt will know that when I say something will happen, it will—no matter what you say.
29And here is how you will know that I will keep my threats to punish you in Egypt. 30#2 K 25.1-7. I will hand over King Hophra of Egypt to those who want to kill him,#44.30 King Hophra … kill him: Hophra, also known as Apries, ruled Egypt from 589 to 570 b.c., when he was killed by Ahmosis II, who then became king of Egypt and ruled until 526 b.c. just as I handed Zedekiah#44.30 Zedekiah: See the note at 1.3. over to Nebuchadnezzar,#44.30 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2. who wanted to kill him.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.