Jeremiah 42

Warning to Stay in Judah

42Then all the guerrilla leaders, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah

son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approachedH8269H2428H3110H1121H7143H3153H1121H1955H5971H6996H1419H50662Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before.H559H3414H5030H8467H5307H6440H6419H3068H430H7611H7604H4592H7235H5869H72003Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go.”H3068H430H5046H1870H3212H1697H62134“All right,” Jeremiah replied. “I will pray to the Lord your God, as you have asked, and I will tell you everything he says. I will hide nothing from you.”H3414H5030H559H8085H6419H3068H430H1697H1697H3068H6030H5046H4513H1697H45135Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do!H559H3414H3068H571H539H5707H6213H1697H3068H430H79716Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.”H2896H7451H8085H6963H3068H430H580H7971H3190H8085H6963H3068H4307Ten days later the Lord gave his reply to Jeremiah.H7093H6235H3117H1697H3068H34148So he called for Johanan son of Kareah and the other guerrilla leaders, and for all the people, from the least to the greatest.H7121H3110H1121H7143H8269H2428H5971H6996H14199He said to them, “You sent me to the Lord, the God of Israel, with your request, and this is his reply:H559H559H3068H430H3478H7971H5307H8467H644010‘Stay here in this land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you. For I am sorry about all the punishment I have had to bring upon you.H7725H3427H776H1129H2040H5193H5428H5162H7451H621311Do not fear the king of Babylon anymore,’ says the Lord. ‘For I am with you and will save you and rescue you from his power.H3372H6440H4428H894H6440H3373H3372H5002H3068H3467H5337H302712I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.’H5414H7356H7355H7725H12713“But if you refuse to obey the Lord your God, and if you say, ‘We will not stay here;H559H3427H776H8085H6963H3068H43014instead, we will go to Egypt where we will be free from war, the call to arms, and hunger,’H559H935H776H4714H7200H4421H8085H6963H7782H7456H3899H342715then hear the Lord’s message to the remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and live there,H8085H1697H3068H7611H3063H559H3068H6635H430H3478H7760H7760H6440H935H4714H935H148116the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you, and you will die there.H2719H3373H5381H776H4714H7458H1672H1692H310H4714H419117That is the fate awaiting every one of you who insists on going to live in Egypt. Yes, you will die from war, famine, and disease. None of you will escape the disaster I will bring upon you there.’H582H7760H6440H935H4714H1481H4191H2719H7458H1698H8300H6412H6440H7451H93518“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as my anger and fury have been poured out on the people of Jerusalem, so they will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing, and mockery. And you will never see your homeland again.’H559H3068H6635H430H3478H639H2534H5413H3427H3389H2534H5413H935H4714H423H8047H7045H2781H7200H472519“Listen, you remnant of Judah. The Lord has told you: ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Don’t forget this warning I have given you today.H3068H1696H7611H3063H935H4714H3045H3045H5749H311720For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to the Lord your God for you. You said, ‘Just tell us what the Lord our God says, and we will do it!’H8582H5315H7971H3068H430H559H6419H3068H430H3068H430H559H5046H621321And today I have told you exactly what he said, but you will not obey the Lord your God any better now than you have in the past.H3117H5046H8085H6963H3068H430H797122So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine, and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going.”H3045H3045H4191H2719H7458H1698H4725H2654H935H1481