CHAPTER 42

1 Then came near all the leaders of the forces and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest,

2 And said to Jeremiah the prophet, -- Let our petition, we pray thee, be acceptable to thee; pray now for us to Jehovah thy God in behalf of this remnant, for we are left a few out of many, as thine eyes see us;

3 And let Jehovah thy God shew us the way in which we are to walk, and the thing which we are to do.

4 And Jeremiah said to them, I have heard; behold, I will pray to Jehovah your God according to your words; and it shall be that whatsoever word Jehovah shall answer you, I will declare it to you; I will hide nothing from you.

5 Then they said to Jeremiah, Let Jehovah be between us a faithful and true witness, except we do according to all the words which Jehovah thy God shall send to us:

6 Whether good or evil, the voice of Jehovah our God, for which we send thee to him, will we obey: for well will it be with us, when we obey the voice of Jehovah our God.

7 And it was that at the end of ten days the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah;

8 And he called Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the leaders of the forces, who were with him, and all the people, from the least to the greatest;

9 And said to them, -- Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to lay humbly your prayer before him,

10 If dwelling ye will dwell in this land, then will I build you and not pull you down, and plant you and not pluck you up; for I repent of the evil which I have brought on you.

11 Fear not the face of the king of Babylon, whose face ye do fear; fear him not, saith Jehovah, for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand;

12 And I will shew mercies to you, and he will have mercy on you, and cause you to dwell in your own land.

13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, nor obey the voice of Jehovah your God,

14 Saying, No, but to the land of Egypt will we go, where we shall not see war, and the sound of the trumpet we shall not hear, and for bread we shall not hunger, and there will we dwell.

15 Now, therefore, hear the word of Jehovah, ye remnant of Judah, for thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, If setting ye set your face to enter into Egypt, and ye go there to sojourn,

16 Then it shall be that the sword which ye fear, shall overtake you there, even in the land of Egypt, and the famine which ye dread shall lay hold on you there, even in the land of Egypt, and there ye shall die:

17 And all the men who have set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there, shall die by the sword, or by famine, or by pestilence; and not one of them shall remain or escape from the evil which I shall bring on them.

18 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, As my wrath and mine indignation have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so mine indignation shall be poured out on you when ye go into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall no more see this place.

19 Jehovah hath spoken against you, ye remnant of Judah: go not into Egypt; knowing, know ye that I have made a protest to you this day.

20 For ye deceived your own souls, when ye sent me to Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us to Jehovah our God, and according to all that Jehovah our God shall say, so declare to us and we will do so.

21 And I have declared to you this day, but ye have not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah your God, and according to all the things for which he hath sent me to you.

22 And now knowing, know ye, that by the sword and by famine and by pestilence shall ye die in the place to which ye desire to go, that ye may sojourn there.