Jeremiah 43
1 When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God, which the LORD their God had sent him to tell them—all these words—
2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are speaking a lie! The LORD our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there.’
3 But Baruch son of Neriah is stirring you up against us, to hand us over to the Chaldeans, so they can kill us and take us into exile in Babylon.”
4 Johanan son of Kareah, all the army commanders, and all the people did not obey the voice of the LORD, which commanded them to stay in the land of Judah.
5 Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders took all the remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been driven, to live in the land of Judah—
6 the men, the women, the children, and the king’s daughters; everyone whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan; and also the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah.
7 They went to the land of Egypt, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD, and they came as far as Tahpanhes.
8 In Tahpanhes the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
9 “Take large stones in your hand and hide them in the mortar, in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some Judean men.
10 Then say to them, ‘This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: «I am going to send for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. He will spread his canopy over them.
11 He will come and strike the land of Egypt: those destined for death, to death; those destined for captivity, into captivity; and those destined for the sword, to the sword.
12 I will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn them and carry them away captive. He will wrap himself in the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his cloak, and he will leave there in peace.
13 He will smash the pillars of Beth-shemesh, which is in the land of Egypt, and burn the temples of the gods of Egypt with fire.»’”
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