1All the captains of the armed bands, including Johanan son of Kareah and Azariah son of Hoshaiah, together with the entire people, high and low, approached
2the prophet Jeremiah and said, “May our petition be acceptable to you: Intercede with the LORD your God on our behalf and on behalf of this remnant; as you see for yourself, only a few of us remain out of many.
3Pray that the LORD your God may tell us which way we are to take and what we ought to do.”
4Jeremiah answered, “I have heard your request. I shall pray to the LORD your God as you ask, and whatever answer the LORD gives I shall tell you, keeping nothing back.”
5They said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act exactly as the LORD your God sends you to tell us.
6Whether it is favourable to us or not, we shall obey the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, in order that it may be well with us through our obedience to him.”
7When after an interval of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah,
8he summoned Johanan son of Kareah, all the captains of the armed bands who were with him, and all the people, both high and low,
9and addressed them: These are the words of the LORD the God of Israel, to whom you sent me with your petition.
10If you remain in this land, then I shall build you up and not pull you down, I shall plant you and not uproot you; I grieve for the disaster which I have inflicted on you.
11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, says the LORD, for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his power.
12I shall show you compassion, so that he too has compassion on you, and will let you stay on your own soil.
13But it may be that you will disobey the LORD your God and insist, “We are not going to stay in this land.
14No, we shall go to Egypt, where we shall see no sign of war, never hear the sound of the trumpet, and suffer no lack of food; it is there we shall live.”
15In that case hear the word of the LORD, you remnant of Judah. These are the words of the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: If you are determined to go to Egypt, if you do go and settle there,
16then the sword you fear will overtake you there in Egypt, and the famine you dread will dog you, even in Egypt, and there you will die.
17All who insist on going to settle in Egypt will die by sword, famine, or pestilence; not one will escape or survive the disaster I shall bring on them.
18These are the words of the LORD of Hosts the God of Israel: As my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt; you will become an object of execration and horror, of cursing and reproach, and you will never see this place again.
19To you, then, remnant of Judah, the LORD says: Do not go to Egypt. Make no mistake; I give you solemn warning this day.
20You deceived yourselves when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, “Intercede for us with the LORD our God; tell us exactly what the LORD our God says and we shall do it.”
21I have told it all to you today; but you have not obeyed the LORD your God in what he sent me to tell you.
22So now be sure of this: you will die by sword, famine, and pestilence in the place where you want to go and live.