1The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews that dwelt in the land of Egypt , that dwelt at Migdol , and at Tahpanhes , and at Memphis , and in the country of Pathros , saying , 2Thus saith Jehovah of hosts , the God of Israel : Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem , and upon all the cities of Judah ; and , behold , this day they are a desolation , and no man dwelleth therein , 3because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger , in that they went to burn incense , and to serve other gods, that they knew not , neither they , nor ye , nor your fathers. 4Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets , rising up early and sending them , saying , Oh , do not this abominable thing that I hate . 5But they hearkened not , nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness , to burn no incense unto other gods. 6Wherefore my wrath and mine anger was poured forth , and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem ; and they are wasted and desolate , as it is this day . 7Therefore now thus saith Jehovah , the God of hosts , the God of Israel : Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your own souls , to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling , out of the midst of Judah , to leave you none remaining ; 8in that ye provoke me unto anger with the works of your hands , burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt , whither ye are gone to sojourn ; that ye may be cut off , and that ye may be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah , and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness , and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah , and in the streets of Jerusalem ? 10They are not humbled even unto this day , neither have they feared , nor walked in my law , nor in my statutes , that I set before you and before your fathers. 11Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts , the God of Israel : Behold , I will set my face against you for evil , even to cut off all Judah . 12And I will take the remnant of Judah , that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there , and they shall all be consumed ; in the land of Egypt shall they fall ; they shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine ; they shall die , from the least even unto the greatest , by the sword and by the famine ; and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment , and a curse , and a reproach . 13For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt , as I have punished Jerusalem , by the sword , by the famine , and by the pestilence ; 14so that none of the remnant of Judah , that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there , shall escape or be left , to return into the land of Judah , to which they have a desire to return to dwell there : for none shall return save such as shall escape .
The People's Defiance and God's Response
15Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by , a great assembly , even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt , in Pathros , answered Jeremiah , saying, 16As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jehovah , we will not hearken unto thee . 17But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth , to burn incense unto the queen of heaven , and to pour out drink-offerings unto her , as we have done , we and our fathers, our kings and our princes , in the cities of Judah , and in the streets of Jerusalem ; for then had we plenty of victuals , and were well , and saw no evil . 18But since we left off burning incense to the queen of heaven , and pouring out drink-offerings unto her , we have wanted all things , and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine . 19And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven , and poured out drink-offerings unto her , did we make her cakes to worship her , and pour out drink-offerings unto her , without our husbands? 20Then Jeremiah said unto all the people , to the men , and to the women, even to all the people that had given him that answer , saying , 21The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah , and in the streets of Jerusalem , ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes , and the people of the land, did not Jehovah remember them , and came it not into his mind ? 22so that Jehovah could not longer bear , because of the evil of your doings , and because of the abominations which ye have committed ; therefore is your land become a desolation , and an astonishment , and a curse , without inhabitant , as it is this day . 23Because ye have burned incense , and because ye have sinned against Jehovah , and have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah , nor walked in his law , nor in his statutes , nor in his testimonies ; therefore this evil is happened unto you , as it is this day . 24Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people , and to all the women, Hear the word of Jehovah , all Judah that are in the land of Egypt : 25Thus saith Jehovah of hosts , the God of Israel , saying , Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths , and with your hands have fulfilled it , saying , We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed , to burn incense to the queen of heaven , and to pour out drink-offerings unto her : establish then your vows , and perform your vows . 26Therefore hear ye the word of Jehovah , all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt : Behold , I have sworn by my great name , saith Jehovah , that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt , saying , As the Lord Jehovah liveth . 27Behold , I watch over them for evil , and not for good ; and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine , until there be an end of them . 28And they that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah , few in number ; and all the remnant of Judah , that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there , shall know whose word shall stand , mine , or theirs . 29And this shall be the sign unto you , saith Jehovah , that I will punish you in this place , that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil : 30Thus saith Jehovah , Behold , I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies , and into the hand of them that seek his life ; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life .