Off to Egypt with Jeremiah and Baruch
4 So Johanan, Kareah’s son, and all the army officers and the rest of the people disobeyed the Lord’s command to stay in the land of Judah. 5 Johanan, Kareah’s son, and all the army officers took the remaining Judeans who had returned to the land of Judah after being scattered among the nations— 6 men, women, children, the king’s daughters, everyone Nebuzaradan the captain of the special guard had left with Gedaliah, Ahikam’s son and Shaphan’s grandson, including Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch, Neriah’s son. 7 They went to the land of Egypt, as far as Tahpanhes, for they wouldn’t obey the Lord.
8 The Lord’s word came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes: 9 Take some large stones and set them in the clay pavement[a] in front of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes while the people of Judah are watching. 10 After that, say to the people: The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: I’m sending for my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who[b] will set his throne over these stones and will spread his canopy over them. 11 He will come and ravage the land of Egypt:
and those marked for exile, to exile.
and those marked for war, to war.
12 He will set on fire[c] the temples of the Egyptian gods. He will burn them down and carry off their gods. He will wrap the land of Egypt around himself, just as a shepherd wraps[d] his garment around himself, and he will move on unharmed.[e] 13 He will shatter the sacred pillars in the temple of the sun in Egypt and burn down the temples of the Egyptian gods.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 43:9 Heb uncertain
- Jeremiah 43:10 LXX; MT I
- Jeremiah 43:12 LXX, Syr; MT I will set on fire
- Jeremiah 43:12 Or picks clean
- Jeremiah 43:12 Heb uncertain