Jeremiah:44

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* Jehovah spoke to me concerning all the Israelites living in Egypt , in the cities of Migdol , Tahpanhes , and Memphis , and in the southern part of the country « * »Jehovah , the God of Israel , said : ‘You have seen the destruction I brought on Jerusalem and all the other cities of Judah . Even now they are still in ruins , and no one lives in them . * »‘This is because their people had done evil and had made me angry . They offered sacrifices to other gods and served gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever worshiped . * »‘I kept sending you my servants the prophets , who told you not to do this terrible thing that I hate . * »‘But you would not listen or pay any attention . You would not give up your evil practice of sacrificing to other gods . * »‘I poured out my anger and fury on the towns of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem . I set them on fire . They were left in ruins and became a horrifying sight , as they are today .’« * »I Jehovah , the God of Israel , says : ‘Now ask why you are doing such an evil thing to yourselves . Do you want to bring destruction on men and women , children and babies , so that none of your people will be left ? * »‘Why do you make me angry by worshiping idols and by sacrificing to other gods here in Egypt , where you have come to live ? Are you doing this just to destroy yourselves , so that every nation on earth will make fun of you and use your name as a curse ? * »‘Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors , by the kings of Judah and their wives , and by you and your wives ? * »‘You have not humbled yourselves to this very day . You have not honored me or lived according to all the laws that I gave you and your ancestors .’« * »I Jehovah , the God of Israel , will turn against you and destroy all Judah . * »As for the people of Judah who are left and are determined to go and live in Egypt , I will see to it that all of them are destroyed . All of them , great and small will die in Egypt , either in war or of starvation . They will be a horrifying sight . People will make fun of them and use their name as a curse . * »I will punish those who live in Egypt , just as I punished Jerusalem with the sword , starvation , and disease . * »None of the people of Judah who are left and have come to Egypt to live will escape or survive . Not one of them will return to Judah , where they long to live once again . No one will return except a few refugees .’« * Then all the men who knew that their wives offered sacrifices to other gods , and all the women who were standing there , including the Israelites who lived in southern Egypt , a large crowd in all said to me : * »We refuse to listen to what you have told us in the name of Jehovah . * »We will do everything that we said we would . We will offer sacrifices to our goddess , the Queen of Heaven , and we will pour out wine offerings to her , just as our ancestors , our king and our leaders , and we used to do in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem . Then we had plenty of food , we were prosperous , and had no troubles . * »Ever since we stopped sacrificing to the Queen of Heaven and stopped pouring out wine offerings to her , we have had nothing , and our people have died in war and of starvation . * »The women added : ‘When we baked cakes shaped like the Queen of Heaven , offered sacrifices to her , and poured out wine offerings to her , our husbands approved of what we were doing .’« * Then I said to all the men and the women who had answered me in this way : * »About the sacrifices you and your ancestors , your kings and your leaders , and the people of the land offered in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem : do you think that Jehovah did not know about them or that he forgot them ? * »This very day your land lies in ruins and no one lives in it . It has become a horrifying sight . People use its name as a curse because Jehovah could no longer endure your wicked and evil practices . * »This present disaster has come on you because you offered sacrifices to other gods and sinned against Jehovah by not obeying all his commandments .« * »I told all the people , especially the women , what Jehovah , the God of Israel , was saying to the people of Judah living in Egypt . * »Both you and your wives have made solemn promises to the Queen of Heaven . You promised that you would offer sacrifices to her and pour out wine offerings to her , and you have kept your promises . Very well , then ! Keep your promises ! Carry out your vows ! * »But now listen to the vow that I , Jehovah , have made in my mighty name to all you in Judah and in Egypt : ‘Never again will I let any of you use my name to make a vow by saying : »I swear by the living God , Jehovah !’« * »I will see to it that you will not prosper , but will be destroyed . All of you will die ! You will die in war or of disease , until not one of you is left . * »But a few of you will escape death and return from Egypt to Judah . Then the survivors will know whose words have come true , mine or theirs . * »‘I Jehovah will give you proof that I will punish you in this place and that my promise to bring destruction on you will come true . * »Jehovah says , ‘I will hand over King Hophra of Egypt to his enemies who want to kill him , just as I handed over King Zedekiah of Judah to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon , who was his enemy and wanted to kill him .« ’«

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