A Warning against Going to Egypt

1And all the chiefs of the armies will draw near, and Johanan son of Kareah, and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the small even to the great. 2And they will say to Jeremiah the prophet, Now shall our supplication fall before thee, and pray thou for us to Jehovah thy God, for all this remnant; for we were left few from many as thine eyes see us. 3And Jehovah thy God will announce to us the way which we shall go in it, and the word which we shall do. 4And Jeremiah the prophet will say to them, I heard; behold me praying to Jehovah your God according to your words; and it was all the word that Jehovah shall answer you I will announce to you; I will not withhold a word from you. 5And they said to Jeremiah, Jehovah will be with us for a witness of truth and faithful, if not according to all the words which Jehovah thy God will send thee to us, thus will we do. 6If good, and if evil, we will hear to the voice of Jehovah our God which we sent thee to him; so that it shall be well to us, for we will hear to the voice of Jehovah our God.

7And it will be from the end of ten days, and the word of Jehovah will be to Jeremiah. 8And he will call to Johanan son of Kareah, and to all the chiefs of the armies which were with him, and to all the people, from small even to great, 9And he will say to them, Thus said Jehovah God of Israel, whom ye sent me to him for your supplication to fall before him. 10If dwelling, ye will dwell in this land, and I built you, and I will not pull down, and I planted you, and I will not pluck up: for I grieved for the evil which I did to you. 11Ye shall not fear from the face of the king of Babel whom ye fear; from his face ye shall not fear, says Jehovah: for I am with you to save you and to deliver you out of his hand. 12And I will give mercies to you, and he compassionated you, and turned you back to your land. 13And if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, not hearing to the voice of Jehovah your God, 14Saying, No; for we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall not see war, and we shall not hear the voice of the trumpet, and for bread we shall not hunger: and there will we dwell. 15And now for this, hear the word of Jehovah, ye remnant of Judah: Thus said Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, If setting, ye shall set your faces to go to Egypt, and ye went to sojourn there; 16And it was the sword which ye were afraid of it, there it shall overtake you in the land of Egypt, and the famine which ye feared from it, shall cleave after you there in Egypt, and there shall ye die. 17And it shall be all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to sojourn there shall die with the sword, and with famine, and with death: and there shall not be to them fleeing or escaping from the face of the evil which I bring upon them.

18For thus said Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, as mine anger was poured out, and my wrath upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my wrath be poured out upon you in your going to Egypt: and ye were for a curse and for an astonishment and for reviling, and for reproach; and ye shall no more see this place. 19Jehovah spake concerning you, Ye remnant of Judah, ye shall not go to Egypt: knowing, ye shall know, for I testified against you this day. 20For ye erred in your souls when ye sent me to Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us to Jehovah our God; and according to all Jehovah will say, so announce to us, and we will do. 21And I will announce to you this day; and ye heard not to the voice of Jehovah your God, and to all which he sent me to you. 22And now knowing, ye shall know that by sword and by famine and by death ye shall die in the place where ye desired to go to sojourn there.