Jeremiah 42

1All the army captains, Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached.

2They said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our supplication come before you, and pray for us to Yahweh your God, for all this remnant, because we remain only a few out of many, as your eyes see us.”

3that Yahweh your God may declare to us the way along which we should go, and the matter that we should do.

4Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard; look, I will pray to Yahweh your God as you request, and whatever matter Yahweh answers you, I will fully report to you—I will withhold no word from you."

5They said to Jeremiah, "Let Yahweh be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to every word that Yahweh your God sends you to us."

6Whether good or evil, we ourselves will obey the voice of Yahweh our God, whom we are sending you to, so that it will go well for us when we obey the voice of Yahweh our God.

7After ten days, the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah.

8He called Johanan son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest.

9and said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, God of Israel, to whom you sent me to lay your plea before him.”

10If you return and remain in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you, for I relent over the calamity that I brought on you.

11Do not fear the king of Babylon, whom you fear. Do not fear him, declares Yahweh, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand.

12I will grant you compassion, and he will have mercy on you and bring you back to your land.

13But if you say, "We will not remain in this land," so as not to heed the voice of Yahweh your God,

14saying, "No, but we will enter the land of Egypt, where we will see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor hunger for bread, and there we will dwell."

15So now, remnant of Judah, hear Yahweh's word. This is what Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says: If you are determined to set your faces to enter Egypt and go dwell there,

16Then the sword that you fear will catch up with you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine that you dread will cling to you there in Egypt, and there you will die.

17So it will be with all the men who set their faces to enter Egypt to dwell there: they will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, and no survivor or escapee will remain for them from before the evil that I am bringing upon them.

18For thus says Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel: As my anger and wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you enter Egypt, and you will be a curse, a horror, a curse, and a reproach, and you will see this place no more.

19Yahweh has spoken to you, remnant of Judah: Do not go to Egypt. You shall surely know that I have warned you today.

20For you have deceived and misled yourselves in your own souls, for you sent me to Yahweh your God saying, “Pray for us to Yahweh our God, and whatever Yahweh our God says, tell us that, and we will carry it out.”

21I have told you today, but you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh your God in all that he has sent me to you.

22Now therefore know full well that you will die by sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go and dwell there.