1 T hen all the captains of the forces, and Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest came near

Then all the captains of the armies, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great, came near

2 A nd said to Jeremiah the prophet, We beseech you that you will let our supplication be presented before you and that you will pray to the Lord your God for us, even for all this remnant; for whereas we were once many, there are but a few of us left, as you see with your eyes.

and said to Jeremiah the man of God, “Hear what we ask of you. Pray to the Lord your God for us, for all these people who are left. As you see, only a few of us are left out of many.

3 t hat the Lord your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.

Pray that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go and what we should do.”

4 T hen Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your words; and it will be that whatever thing the Lord will answer you, I will declare it to you; I will keep nothing back from you.

Then Jeremiah the man of God said to them, “I have heard you. I will pray to the Lord your God as you ask. And I will tell you the whole answer that the Lord gives. I will not keep anything from you.”

5 T hen they said to Jeremiah, May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we fail to do according to all the things that the Lord your God sends you to tell us.

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be true and faithful to speak against us if we do not do all that the Lord your God tells you we must do.

6 W hether it is good or evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to Whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.

If it is good or bad, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to Whom we are sending you. It will go well with us if we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”

7 A nd after ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

At the end of ten days the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

8 T hen he called Johanan son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were with him and all the people from the least even to the greatest,

Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the armies that were with him, and for all the people both small and great.

9 A nd said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to Whom you sent me to present your supplication before Him:

And he said to them, “This is what the Lord the God of Israel says, to Whom you sent me to bring Him what you asked for:

10 I f you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pull you up; for I will relent and comfort and ease Myself concerning the evil that I have done to you.

‘If you will stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you and not pull you up by the roots. For I will change My mind about the trouble that I have given you.

11 B e not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are fearful; be not afraid of him, says the Lord, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand.

Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, who now fills you with fear. Do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord. ‘For I am with you to save you and take you from his hands.

12 A nd I will grant mercy to you, that he may have mercy on you and permit you to remain in your own land.

I will show you loving-pity, so that he will have pity on you and let you stay in your own land.

13 B ut if you say, We will not dwell in this land, and so disobey the voice of the Lord your God,

But if you say, “We will not stay in this land,” and will not listen to the voice of the Lord your God,

14 S aying, No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or be hungry for bread, and we will dwell there,

and if you say, “No, we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a horn or be hungry for bread, and we will stay there,”

15 T hen hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: If you are fully determined to go to Egypt and you do go to dwell there temporarily,

then listen to the Word of the Lord, O you who are left of Judah. This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says: “If you set your mind to go into Egypt, and go to live there,

16 T hen the sword which you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt and in it, and there you shall die.

then the sword which you are afraid of will come to you there in the land of Egypt. The hunger you are worried about will follow after you there in Egypt. And there you will die.

17 S o will it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there temporarily; they will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; none of them will remain or survive the evil that I will bring upon them.

So all the men who set their mind to go and live in Egypt will die by the sword and hunger and disease. They will have no one left alive and no one who will get away from the trouble that I will bring to them.’”

18 F or thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: As My anger and My wrath have been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall My wrath be poured forth upon you when you enter Egypt. You shall be a detested thing, an astonishment and horror, a curse, a thing lightly esteemed and a taunt and a reproach; you shall see this place no more.

“For the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, ‘As My anger has been poured out on the people of Jerusalem, so My anger will be poured out on you when you go into Egypt. You will become a curse, and object of hate. People will say bad things against you. You will be put to shame. And you will never see this place again.’

19 T he Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, Do not go to Egypt. Know for a certainty that I have warned and testified to you this day

O people who are left of Judah, the Lord has said to you, ‘Do not go into Egypt!’ Know for sure that I have told you of the danger today.

20 T hat you have dealt deceitfully against your own lives; for you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us to the Lord our God; and whatever the Lord our God says, declare it to us and we will do it.

You have fooled yourselves. You sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us. Whatever the Lord our God says, tell us and we will do it.’

21 A nd I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything that He sent me to tell you.

So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lord your God in anything that He told me to tell you.

22 N ow therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell temporarily.

So now be sure and know that you will die by the sword and hunger and disease, in the place where you want to go to live.”