¶ The word that came to Jeremiah concerning² all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol³, and at Tahpanhes⁴, and at Noph⁶, and in the country of Pathros⁷, saying,

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have⁹ seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation¹⁰, and no man dwelleth therein,

Because of their¹¹ wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods¹², whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.

Howbeit I sent¹³ unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this¹⁴ abominable thing that I hate.

But they¹⁵ hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn¹⁶ no incense unto other gods.

Wherefore my fury¹⁷ and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted¹⁸ and desolate, as at this day.

Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against¹⁹ your souls, to cut²⁰ off from you man and woman, child²¹ and suckling, out of Judah²², to leave you none to remain;

In that ye provoke²³ me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut²⁴ yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse²⁵ and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

Have ye forgotten²⁶ the wickedness²⁷ of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

¶ They are not²⁸ humbled²⁹ even unto this day, neither³⁰ have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.

Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will³¹ set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.

And I will take³² the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the³³ least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be³⁴ an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.

³⁵For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:

So³⁶ that none of the remnant of Judah, which are³⁷ gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape³⁸ or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they³⁹ have a desire⁴⁰ to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.

¶ Then all the⁴¹ men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we⁴² will not hearken unto thee.

But we will certainly do whatsoever⁴³ thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven⁴⁴, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we⁴⁵ have done, we, and our fathers⁴⁶, our kings, and our princes, in the cities⁴⁷ of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then⁴⁸ had we plenty of victuals⁴⁹, and were well, and saw no evil.

But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have⁵⁰ wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

And when we burned⁵¹ incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without⁵² our men⁵³?

¶ Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men⁵⁴, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,

The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in⁵⁵ the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did⁵⁶ not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?

So that the LORD could⁵⁷ no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land⁵⁸ a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.

Because ye have burned⁵⁹ incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked⁶⁰ in his law, nor in his statutes⁶¹, nor in his testimonies⁶²; therefore⁶³ this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.

Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear⁶⁴ the word of the LORD, all Judah⁶⁵ that are in the land of Egypt:

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and⁶⁶ your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will⁶⁷ surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will⁶⁸ surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.

Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn⁶⁹ by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name⁷⁰ shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD⁷¹ liveth.

Behold, I will watch⁷² over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be⁷³ consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.

Yet a small⁷⁴ number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know⁷⁵ whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs⁷⁶.

And this shall be a sign⁷⁷ unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words⁷⁸ shall surely stand against you for evil:

¶ Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will⁷⁹ give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I⁸⁰ gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.