44This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt:H1697H3414H3064H3427H776H4714H3427H4024H8471H5297H776H6624H559

2"This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruinsH559H3068H6635H430H3478H7200H7451H935H3389H5892H3063H3117H2723H3427

3because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew.H6440H7451H6213H3707H3212H6999H5647H312H430H3045H1

4Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!'H7971H5650H5030H7925H7971H559H6213H8441H1697H8130

5But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods.H8085H5186H241H7725H7451H6999H312H430

6Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.H2534H639H5413H1197H5892H3063H2351H3389H2723H8077H3117

7"Now this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant?H559H3068H430H6635H430H3478H6213H1419H7451H5315H3772H376H802H5768H3243H8432H3063H3498H7611

8Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse and an object of reproach among all the nations on earth.H3707H4639H3027H6999H312H430H776H4714H935H1481H3772H7045H2781H1471H776

9Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem?H7911H7451H1H7451H4428H3063H7451H802H7451H7451H802H6213H776H3063H2351H3389

10To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors.H1792H3117H3372H1980H8451H2708H5414H6440H6440H1

11"Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah.H559H3068H6635H430H3478H7760H6440H7451H3772H3063

12I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach.H3947H7611H3063H7760H6440H935H776H4714H1481H8552H5307H776H4714H8552H2719H7458H4191H6996H1419H2719H7458H423H8047H7045H2781

13I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem.H6485H3427H776H4714H6485H3389H2719H7458H1698

14None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives."H7611H3063H935H776H4714H1481H6412H8300H7725H776H3063H5375H5315H7725H3427H7725H6405

15Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah,H582H3045H802H6999H312H430H802H5975H1419H6951H5971H3427H776H4714H6624H6030H3414H559

16"We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!H1697H1696H8034H3068H8085

17We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.H6213H6213H1697H3318H6310H6999H4446H8064H5258H5262H6213H1H4428H8269H5892H3063H2351H3389H7646H3899H2896H7200H7451

18But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine."H2308H6999H4446H8064H5258H5262H2637H8552H2719H7458

19The women added, "When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?"H6999H4446H8064H5258H5262H6213H3561H6087H5258H5262H1107H582

20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him,H3414H559H5971H1397H802H5971H1697H6030H559

21"Did not the LORD remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and your officials and the people of the land?H7002H6999H5892H3063H2351H3389H1H4428H8269H5971H776H3068H2142H5927H3820

22When the LORD could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today.H3068H3201H5375H6440H7455H4611H6440H8441H6213H776H2723H8047H7045H3427H3117

23Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see."H6440H834H6999H2398H3068H8085H6963H3068H1980H8451H2708H5715H7451H7122H3117

24Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, "Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah in Egypt.H3414H559H5971H802H8085H1697H3068H3063H776H4714

25This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, 'We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.' "Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!H559H3068H6635H430H3478H559H802H1696H6310H4390H3027H559H6213H6213H5088H5087H6999H4446H8064H5258H5262H6965H6965H5088H6213H6213H5088

26But hear the word of the LORD, all you Jews living in Egypt: 'I swear by my great name,' says the LORD, 'that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, "As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives."H8085H1697H3068H3063H3427H776H4714H7650H1419H8034H559H3068H8034H7121H6310H376H3063H776H4714H559H136H3069H2416

27For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed.H8245H7451H2896H376H3063H776H4714H8552H2719H7458H3615

28Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.H4962H4557H6412H2719H7725H776H4714H776H3063H7611H3063H935H776H4714H1481H3045H1697H6965

29" 'This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,' declares the LORD, 'so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.'H226H5002H3068H6485H4725H3045H1697H6965H6965H7451

30This is what the LORD says: 'I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who seek his life, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.' "H559H3068H5414H6548H4428H4714H3027H341H3027H1245H5315H5414H6667H4428H3063H3027H5019H4428H894H341H1245H5315