The flight to Egypt

¹ Then the army officers, especial ly Johanan, son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the smallest to the greatest came to speak to Jere miah: ² “Listen to our plea and pray to Yahweh our God for us, this remnant of people, because really we are few from many, as you can see. ³ May Yahweh your God show us the way we should go and what we should do.”

⁴ Jeremiah the prophet answered them, “I have heard you. Yes, I am going to speak to Yah weh as you have requested. And whatever be the word of Yahweh, I shall let you know it without hiding anything.”

⁵ They said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and worthy witness against us if we do not act according to every word that Yahweh your God will say to us through you! ⁶ Whether it be good or bad for us we will obey Yahweh our God to whom we are sending you, so it will be well with us for having obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God.”

⁷ Ten days later the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah. ⁸ He then called Joha nan, son of Kareah and the army officers with him and all the people from the least to the greatest ⁹ and said to them, “This is the word of Yahweh, God of Israel to whom you sent me with your petition: ¹⁰ If you wish to live peacefully in this land I will build you up and not pull you down, I will plant you and not uproot you for I will relent of the harm I did you. ¹¹ You are afraid of the king of Babylon, but do not fear him – word of Yah weh – for I am with you to save you and rescue you from his hand. ¹² I will put mercy in his heart so that he may have mercy on you and let you live in your own land. ¹³ But if you say: ‘No, we will no longer live in this land,’ disobeying the voice of Yahweh your God, ¹⁴ and if you say: ‘No, we shall go to Egypt where we shall no more have wars or hear the trumpet call, where we shall not be hungry for bread!’ ¹⁵ Then hear the word of Yahweh, remnant of Judah! Yahweh God of hosts and God of Israel speaks: “If you turn towards Egypt to go there and stay there, ¹⁶ the sword you fear will strike you there in the land of Egypt and famine which you dread will be yours there in Egypt and you will die. ¹⁷ All those who turn towards Egypt to enter and live there will die by sword, famine and pestilence. No one will es cape or flee from the misfortune that I will bring upon them.”

¹⁸ This is what Yahweh God of hosts and God of Israel says, “Just as my burning anger was poured out on the people of Jerusalem, so will my fury be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will become a curse and a reproach and you will never again see this place.” ¹⁹ That is what Yahweh has foretold, O rem nant of Judah. Do not go to Egypt; be quite sure that I have warned you today. ²⁰ You risked your lives when you sent me to Yahweh your God saying: ‘Pray for us to Yahweh our God and tell us all that Yahweh says and we shall do it.’ ²¹ I have told you today though you still do not obey Yahweh your God in all that he told you through me. ²² Be sure of this, it will be by the sword, famine and pestilence that you will die in the place where you want to go and live.”

¹ Jeremiah had hardly finished giving the message of Yahweh to the people – all that Yahweh had sent him to say – ² when Azariah son of Hoshiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! Yahweh our God did not send you to tell us not to go and settle in Egypt. ³ No, Baruch son of Neriah is prompting you to hand us over to the Chal deans either to be killed or deported to Baby lon!”

⁴ So neither Johanan son of Kareah nor the army officers nor the people heeded Yah weh’s command to stay in the land of Judah. ⁵ Instead Johanan and the army officers led away the remnant of the Jews who had returned to the land of Judah from the nations where they had been driven. ⁶ They also led away the men, women, children and the royal princesses – all those that Nebuzaradan, commander of the bodyguard, had left in the care of Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with Jeremiah, the proph et and Baruch, son of Neriah. ⁷ So in defiance of Yahweh’s order they entered Egypt and arrived at Tah panhes.

Jeremiah foretells the invasion of Egypt

⁸ There at Tahpanhes the word of Yah weh came to Jeremiah: “While the Jews are watching you, ⁹ take some large stones and bury them in clay in the brick terrace at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house at Tah panhes ¹⁰ and then say to them: This is what Yahweh God of hosts and God of Israel says: I am sending for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Baby lon and he will set his throne over these stones that I have hidden here and spread a royal canopy. ¹¹ He shall come and strike the land of Egypt bringing death to those destined to die, captivity for those destined to be taken captive, sword for those destined for the sword. ¹² He will set fire to the temples of the Egyptian gods; these gods will be burned or carried away. As a shepherd wraps himself in a cloak, so will the king of Babylon wrap the land of Egypt about him self and depart in safety. ¹³ He will break the sacred pillars at Heliopolis and burn the tem ples of the gods in Egypt.”