Jeremiah:44

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* The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews that dwelt in the land of Egypt , at Migdol , at Tah 'panhes , at Memphis , and in the land of Pathros , * "Thus says the LORD of hosts , the God of Israel : You have seen all the evil that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah . Behold , this day they are a desolation , and no one dwells in them , * because of the wickedness which they committed , provoking me to anger , in that they went to burn incense and serve other gods that they knew not , neither they , nor you , nor your fathers . * Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets , saying , 'Oh , do not do this abominable thing that I hate !' * But they did not listen or incline their ear , to turn from their wickedness and burn no incense to other gods . * Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured forth and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem ; and they became a waste and a desolation , as at this day . * And now thus says the LORD God of hosts , the God of Israel : Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves , to cut off from you man and woman , infant and child , from the midst of Judah , leaving you no remnant ? * Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands , burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live , that you may be cut off and become a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth ? * Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers , the wickedness of the kings of Judah , the wickedness of their wives , your own wickedness , and the wickedness of your wives , which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem ? * They have not humbled themselves even to this day , nor have they feared , nor walked in my law and my statutes which I set before you and before your fathers . * "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts , the God of Israel : Behold , I will set my face against you for evil , to cut off all Judah . * I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live , and they shall all be consumed ; in the land of Egypt they shall fall ; by the sword and by famine they shall be consumed ; from the least to the greatest , they shall die by the sword and by famine ; and they shall become an execration , a horror , a curse , and a taunt . * I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt , as I have punished Jerusalem , with the sword , with famine , and with pestilence , * so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to the land of Judah , to which they desire to return to dwell there ; for they shall not return , except some fugitives ." * Then all the men who knew that their wives had offered incense to other gods , and all the women who stood by , a great assembly , all the people who dwelt in Pathros in the land of Egypt , answered Jeremiah : * "As for the word which you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD , we will not listen to you . * But we will do everything that we have vowed , burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out libations to her , as we did , both we and our fathers , our kings and our princes , in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem ; for then we had plenty of food , and prospered , and saw no evil . * But since we left off burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her , we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine ." * And the women said , "When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out libations to her , was it without our husbands ' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out libations to her ?" * Then Jeremiah said to all the people , men and women , all the people who had given him this answer : * "As for the incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem , you and your fathers , your kings and your princes , and the people of the land , did not the LORD remember it ? Did it not come into his mind ? * The LORD could no longer bear your evil doings and the abominations which you committed ; therefore your land has become a desolation and a waste and a curse , without inhabitant , as it is this day . * It is because you burned incense , and because you sinned against the LORD and did not obey the voice of the LORD or walk in his law and in his statutes and in his testimonies , that this evil has befallen you , as at this day ." * Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women , "Hear the word of the LORD , all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt , * Thus says the LORD of hosts , the God of Israel : You and your wives have declared with your mouths , and have fulfilled it with your hands , saying , `We will surely perform our vows that we have made , to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out libations to her .' Then confirm your vows and perform your vows ! * Therefore hear the word of the LORD , all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt : Behold , I have sworn by my great name , says the LORD , that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt , saying , `As the Lord GOD lives .' * Behold , I am watching over them for evil and not for good ; all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine , until there is an end of them . * And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah , few in number ; and all the remnant of Judah , who came to the land of Egypt to live , shall know whose word will stand , mine or theirs . * This shall be the sign to you , says the LORD , that I will punish you in this place , in order that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for evil : * Thus says the LORD , Behold , I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life , as I gave Zedeki 'ah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrez 'zar king of Babylon , who was his enemy and sought his life ."

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