Jeremiah 44

1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews residing in the land of Egypt, residing at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and in the land of Pathros, saying,

2Thus says Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel: You have seen all the calamity that I brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah, and look, today they lie desolate, with no one dwelling in them.

3Because of their evil that they did to anger me, going to burn incense and serve other gods whom neither they, you, nor your fathers knew.

4Yet I sent all my servants the prophets to you, rising early and sending them, saying, "Please do not do this detestable thing that I hate."

5But they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their evil, so as not to burn incense to other gods.

6My wrath poured out and my anger burned in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, and they became ruins and desolation, as at this day.

7Now thus says Yahweh, God of Hosts, God of Israel: Why do you commit great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling from the midst of Judah, leaving no remnant for you?

8provoking me to anger with the works of your hands by burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have come to dwell, so that you are cut off and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

9Have you completely forgotten the evils of your fathers, the evils of Judah's kings, the evils of their wives, your own evils, and the evils of your wives that they performed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

10Even to this day they have not become contrite, nor have they feared, nor followed my law and my statutes, which I set before you and your fathers.

11Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for disaster, to cut off all Judah.

12I will take the remnant of Judah who turned their faces to enter the land of Egypt to dwell there, and they will all perish in the land of Egypt; they will fall by sword and famine, they will perish from the smallest even to the greatest by sword and famine, they will die, and they will be a curse, a desolation, a curse, and a reproach.

13I will punish those dwelling in the land of Egypt, as I punished Jerusalem, by sword, famine, and plague.

14No escapee or survivor will remain from the remnant of Judah who came to sojourn there in Egypt's land, to return to Judah's land—which they long to come back to and dwell in—for they will not return except the fugitives.

15All the men who knew their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women standing there—a great assembly—together with all the people living in the land of Egypt at Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

16The word that you spoke to us in the name of Yahweh—we will not listen to you.

17But we will surely do everything that has come from our mouths—to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour drink offerings to her, just as we and our fathers, our kings and princes have done in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem—for then we ate our fill of bread, prospered, and saw no harm.

18But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything, and sword and famine have finished us.

19And when we ourselves burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her to grieve her and pour drink offerings to her, without our husbands?

20Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and the women, and to all the people who had answered him, saying,

21Did not Yahweh remember the incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem—you, your fathers, your kings, your princes, and the people of the land—and did it not come to his mind?

22Yahweh could no longer endure because of the evil of your deeds and the abominations you committed, so your land became a desolation, a horror, and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.

23Because you burned incense and sinned against Yahweh, and did not obey his voice or walk in his law, his statutes, or his testimonies, this calamity has therefore come upon you, as it does today.

24Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, "Hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt."

25Thus says Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, declaring: You and your wives spoke with your mouths and accomplished them with your hands, saying, "We will surely perform our vows that we vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her." Establish your vows and fully perform them.

26Therefore hear the word of Yahweh, all Judah dwelling in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says Yahweh, that my name will no longer be called in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “As Lord Yahweh lives.”

27Behold, I keep watch over them for calamity, not for good, and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are utterly gone.

28Fugitives from the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah who came to the land of Egypt to dwell there will know whose word will stand, mine or theirs.

29This will be the sign for you, declares Yahweh, that I will punish you in this place, so you may know that my words will surely stand against you for harm.

30Yahweh says: See, I am giving Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of his enemies and those seeking his life, as I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy and pursuer of his life.