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The people of Judah go to Egypt

43 Jeremiah finished telling the people the Lord's message to them. He told them everything that the Lord their God had sent him to tell them. Then Hoshaiah's son Azariah and Kareah's son Johanan and some other proud men said to Jeremiah, ‘You are speaking lies! The Lord our God has not sent you to say to us, “You must not go to Egypt to live there.” You are telling us what Neriah's son Baruch wants you to say. He wants to hurt us. He wants the soldiers from Babylon to kill us, or to take us as prisoners to Babylon.’

So Kareah's son Johanan, all the other army officers and all the other people did not obey the Lord's command. They refused to stay in Judah. Instead, Johanan and all the officers led the people away. Those were the people who had returned from all the nations where their enemies had taken them as prisoners. They had returned to their homes in Judah. Now the army officers led them away. They also took the men, women and children that Captain Nebuzaradan had allowed to remain with Gedaliah. They included the king's daughters. (Gedaliah was Ahikam's son and Shaphan's grandson.) They took the prophet Jeremiah and Neriah's son Baruch with them.

The people went to Egypt because they did not obey the Lord. They went as far as the city of Tahpanhes.

When they arrived in Tahpanhes, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. He said, ‘Choose some large stones and take them to Pharaoh's palace that is here in Tahpanhes. Bury the stones under the path at the entrance of the palace. Do it while the people of Judah are watching you. 10 Then say to the people, “The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says this: I will call for my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, to come here. He will put his throne on the path over these stones that I have hidden. They will put up a royal tent for him to sit under. 11 He will come here and he will attack Egypt.

Those who should become ill and die will die.
Those who should go away as prisoners
will go away as prisoners.
Those who should die in war will die in war.

12 He will burn the temples of Egypt's gods with fire. He will burn their gods or he will carry them away. He will take everything that he wants from Egypt. He will return home in good health. 13 He will knock down the pillars of the temple where people worship their sun god. He will destroy all the temples of Egypt's gods.” ’

43 When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them(A) Azariah son of Hoshaiah(B) and Johanan(C) son of Kareah and all the arrogant(D) men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!(E) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’(F) But Baruch(G) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,[a] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”(H)

So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people(I) disobeyed the Lord’s command(J) to stay in the land of Judah.(K) Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.(L) They also led away all those whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan—the men, the women,(M) the children and the king’s daughters. And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch(N) son of Neriah along with them. So they entered Egypt(O) in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.(P)

In Tahpanhes(Q) the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones(R) with you and bury them in clay in the brick(S) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace(T) in Tahpanhes. 10 Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant(U) Nebuchadnezzar(V) king of Babylon, and I will set his throne(W) over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy(X) above them. 11 He will come and attack Egypt,(Y) bringing death(Z) to those destined(AA) for death, captivity to those destined for captivity,(AB) and the sword to those destined for the sword.(AC) 12 He will set fire(AD) to the temples(AE) of the gods(AF) of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.(AG) As a shepherd picks(AH) his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. 13 There in the temple of the sun[b](AI) in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars(AJ) and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 43:3 Or Chaldeans
  2. Jeremiah 43:13 Or in Heliopolis