1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who settled in Egypt, dwelling at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the country of Pathros,
2“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the devastation that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and all the cities of Judah; look, today they lie deserted, and no one lives in them,
3Because of the wickedness which they have engaged in, provoking My anger by burning incense, and serving other gods that neither they nor their fathers knew.
4Time and again, I sent all My servants, the prophets, to you, rising early and sending them, to say, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate.”
5But they did not listen, nor did they heed My warning to turn from this wickedness - burning incense to strange gods.
6Therefore, My fierce anger was poured out, and burned with intense heat in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; which lie wasted and desolate, as this day.’
7So now, this is what the LORD, the God of hosts, God of Israel, says: ‘Why do you commit this great evil against your own souls, to bring disaster upon men, women, children and infants in Judah, leaving none to survive,
8By deliberately provoking Me to wrath with idols, the work of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to live, that you might destroy yourselves, and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
9Have you forgotten the wickedness of your ancestors, of the kings of Judah, of their wives, and your own wickedness, and that of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10They have not humbled themselves even up to this day, nor shown Me reverence, nor obeyed My laws or statutes, that I set before them and their fathers.
11Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “I will bring disaster upon you, and destroy all Judah.
12And I will take the remnant of Judah, that are determined to go and live in Egypt, and they shall all die in Egypt; either by the sword or famine; from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; they shall become a curse, an astonishment, and a reproach.
13For I will punish those who live in Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by sword, famine, and pestilence:
14So that none of the remnant of Judah, who have gone to stay in Egypt, shall survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they shall wish to return and settle there; for only a few fugitives shall escape.”’”
15Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, and all the women who were present - a large crowd - all the people who lived in Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, by saying,
16“As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you.
17But we will certainly do everything we said we would: burn incense to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our officials, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food, and were well, and saw no problems.
18But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked all things, and have been consumed by the sword and famine”.
19And the women added, “When we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes imprinted with her image to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, did our husbands not know and approve of it?”
20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, the men, the women, and all the people who had given him that answer,
21“Did the LORD not remember and call to His mind the incense that you burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, - you, your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land?
22So when the LORD could no longer bear your wicked ways, and the abominations which you committed, He made your land a desolation, a horror, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it is this day.
23It is because you burned incense, and sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed Him, nor followed His laws, His statutes, nor in His testimonies, that this disaster has occurred, as it is this day.”
24Moreover, Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “Hear this word from the LORD, all Judah who are now in Egypt.
25The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have done what you said when you said, “We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and pour out drink offerings to her”.
26So take note that I have sworn by My great name that no one of Judah living in all of Egypt, shall ever invoke My name and say, “The LORD God lives”.
27I will watch over them for harm, and not for good; and all the men of Judah who are in Egypt shall die by the sword and famine, until they are all dead.
28Yet a small number - those that escape the sword and return from Egypt to the land of Judah - will be very few, and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone into Egypt to stay there, shall know whose words shall stand - Mine or theirs.
29And this shall be a sign to you,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words shall surely stand against you for harm.
30Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will turn Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies, those that seek his life, as I turned Zedekiah, king of Judah, over to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, his enemy, who sought his life.”’” Easy Reader Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2023 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |
    |