Jeremiah 44 - Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

God’s Judgment against His People in Egypt

44 This is the word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt—at Migdol,(A) Tahpanhes,(B) Memphis,(C) and in the land of Pathros:(D) 2 “This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You have seen all the disaster I brought against Jerusalem and all Judah’s cities; look, they are a ruin today without an inhabitant in them 3 because of their evil ways that provoked Me to anger,(E) going and burning incense to serve other gods(F) that they, you, and your fathers did not know. 4 So I sent you all My servants the prophets time and time again,[a] saying: Don’t do this detestable thing that I hate. 5 But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their evil or stop burning incense to other gods. 6 So My fierce wrath poured out and burned in Judah’s cities and Jerusalem’s streets(G) so that they became the desolate ruin they are today.

7 “So now, this is what the Lord, the God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such great harm to yourselves? You are cutting off man and woman, child and infant(H) from Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant. 8 You are provoking Me to anger by the work of your hands. You are burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to live for a while. As a result, you will be cut off and become an object of cursing and insult among all the nations of earth.(I) 9 Have you forgotten the evils of your fathers, the evils of Judah’s kings, the evils of their wives, your own evils, and the evils of your wives that were committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not become humble to this day, and they have not feared or followed My instruction or My statutes that I set before you and your ancestors.

11 “Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you to bring disaster,(J) to cut off all Judah. 12 And I will take away the remnant of Judah,(K) those who have resolved to go to the land of Egypt to live there for a while; they will meet their end. All of them in the land of Egypt will fall by the sword; they will meet their end by famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by the sword and by famine. Then they will become an object of cursing, scorn,(L) execration, and disgrace. 13 I will punish those living in the land of Egypt just as I punished Jerusalem by sword, famine, and plague. 14 Then the remnant of Judah—those going to live for a while there in the land of Egypt—will have no fugitive or survivor to return to the land of Judah where they are longing[b] to return to live,(M) for they will not return except for a few fugitives.”

The People’s Stubborn Response

15 However, all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, all the women standing by—a great assembly—and all the people who were living in the land of Egypt at Pathros answered Jeremiah, 16 “As for the word you spoke to us in the name of Yahweh, we are not going to listen to you! 17 Instead, we will do everything we said we would: burn incense to the queen of heaven[c] and offer drink offerings to her just as we, our fathers, our kings, and our officials did in Judah’s cities(N) and in Jerusalem’s streets. Then we had enough food and good things and saw no disaster, 18 but from the time we ceased to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to offer her drink offerings, we have lacked everything, and through sword and famine we have met our end.”

19 And the women said,[d] “When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it apart from our husbands’ knowledge(O) that we made sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”

20 But Jeremiah responded to all the people—the men, women, and all the people who were answering him: 21 “As for the incense you burned in Judah’s cities(P) and in Jerusalem’s streets—you, your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land—did the Lord not remember them? He brought this to mind. 22 The Lord can no longer bear your evil deeds and the detestable acts you have committed, so your land has become a waste, a desolation, and an object of cursing, without inhabitant, as you see today. 23 Because you burned incense and sinned against the Lord and didn’t obey the Lord’s voice(Q) and didn’t follow His instruction, His statutes, and His testimonies, this disaster has come to you, as you see today.”

24 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt.(R) 25 This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for you and your wives, you women have spoken with your mouths, and you men fulfilled it by your deeds, saying, “We will keep our vows that we have made to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings for her.” Go ahead, confirm your vows! Pay your vows!’

26 “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you Judeans who live in the land of Egypt: ‘I have sworn by My great name,(S) says Yahweh, that My name will never again be invoked by anyone of Judah in all the land of Egypt,(T) saying, “As the Lord God lives.” 27 I am watching over them for disaster and not for good,(U) and every man of Judah who is in the land of Egypt will meet his end by sword or famine until they are finished off. 28 Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah only few in number,(V) and the whole remnant of Judah, the ones going to the land of Egypt to live there for a while, will know whose word stands, Mine or theirs! 29 This will be a sign to you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘that I am about to punish you in this place, so you may know that My words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass.(W) 30 This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra,(X) Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who want to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah(Y) to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who wanted to take his life.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 44:4 Lit prophets, rising up early and sending
  2. Jeremiah 44:14 Lit lifting up their soul
  3. Jeremiah 44:17 = Ashtoreth, or Astarte
  4. Jeremiah 44:19 LXX, Syr; MT omits And the women said

Cross references

  1. 44:1 : Ex 14:2
  2. 44:1 : Jr 43:7
  3. 44:1 : Jr 46:14
  4. 44:1 : Is 11:11
  5. 44:3 : Jr 7:19
  6. 44:3 : Jr 19:4
  7. 44:6 : Jr 7:34
  8. 44:7 : 1Sm 15:3; 22:19
  9. 44:8 : Jr 42:18
  10. 44:11 : Jr 21:10
  11. 44:12 : Jr 42:15-18
  12. 44:12 : Jr 18:16
  13. 44:14 : Jr 22:26-27
  14. 44:17 : Jr 7:18
  15. 44:19 : Nm 30:6-7
  16. 44:21 : Ezk 8:10-11
  17. 44:23 : Jr 40:3
  18. 44:24 : Jr 43:7
  19. 44:26 : Jr 22:5
  20. 44:26 : Ezk 20:39
  21. 44:27 : Jr 31:28
  22. 44:28 : Is 27:12-13
  23. 44:29 : Pr 19:21
  24. 44:30 : Ezk 29:3; 30:21
  25. 44:30 : Jr 39:5-7

You Might Also Like:

Jeremiah 44 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

44 The word that hath been unto Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who are dwelling in the land of Egypt -- who are dwelling in Migdol, and in Tahpanhes, and in Noph, and in the land of Pathros -- saying, 2 `Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Ye -- ye have seen all the evil that I have brought...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

44 The word that was made to Jeremy, and to all the Jews, that dwelled in the land of Egypt (who lived in the land of Egypt), dwelling in Migdol, and in Tahpanhes, and in Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, and said, 2 The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, Ye saw all this evil, whic...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - World English Bible (WEB)

44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who lived in the land of Egypt, who lived at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Memphis, and in the country of Pathros, saying, 2 “Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have seen all the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, and on ...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - The Voice (VOICE)

44 This is the message that came to Jeremiah concerning the Judeans living in the northern Egyptian cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the southern region of Pathros. Some time has now passed since the Judeans who were not deported to Babylon fled to Egypt in a kind of self-imposed exile. The...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Calamity in Egypt44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews dwelling in the land of Egypt—at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Noph, and in the region of Pathros[a], saying, 2 thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel: “You have seen all the calamity that I brought on Jerusalem and on all t...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Denunciation of Persistent Idolatry44 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, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the evil that I brought upon Jerusalem...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Denunciation of Persistent Idolatry44 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, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the evil that I brought upon Jerusalem...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Denunciation of Persistent Idolatry44 The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Judeans living in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, 2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You yourselves have seen all the disaster that I have brought on J...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Denunciation of Persistent Idolatry44 The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Judeans living in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros:(A)2 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You yourselves have seen all the disaster that I have brought on ...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Judgment for Idolatry44 This is the message Jeremiah received concerning the Judeans living in northern Egypt in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis,[a] and in southern Egypt[b] as well: 2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: You saw the calamity I brought on ...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New Life Version (NLV)

The People Will Be Punished in Egypt44 This word came to Jeremiah for the Jews living in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have seen all the trouble I have brought to Jerusalem and to ...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Israelites Will Be Punished in Egypt44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at (A)Migdol, at (B)Tahpanhes, at (C)Noph,[a] and in the country of (D)Pathros, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the c...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Disaster because of idolatry44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt – in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis – and in Upper Egypt: 2 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: you saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Juda...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New International Version (NIV)

Disaster Because of Idolatry44 This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt(A)—in Migdol,(B) Tahpanhes(C) and Memphis(D)—and in Upper Egypt:(E) 2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster(F) I brought on Jerusalem and on all the ...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Worshiping Other Gods Brings Horrible Trouble44 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. It was about all the Jews living in Lower Egypt. They were living in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis. It was also about all the Jews living in Upper Egypt. 2 The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He ...
Read More

Jeremiah 44 - New English Translation (NET)

The Lord Will Punish the Judean Exiles in Egypt for Their Idolatry44 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning[a] all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt, those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the region of southern Egypt:[b] 2 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,[c] says...
Read More