The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah

⭑ Geneva Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 42 -

Then all the captaines of the hoste, and Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and Iezaniah the sonne of Hoshaaiah, and all the people from the least vnto the most came,

And saide vnto Ieremiah the Prophete, Heare our prayer, we beseeche thee, and pray for vs vnto the Lord thy God, euen for all this remnant (for we are left, but a fewe of many, as thine eyes doe beholde)

That the Lord thy God may shewe vs the way wherein wee may walke, and the thing that we may doe.

Then Ieremiah the Prophet said vnto them, I haue heard you: behold, I will pray vnto ye Lord your God according to your wordes, and whatsoeuer thing the Lord shall answere you, I will declare it vnto you: I will keepe nothing backe from you.

Then they said to Ieremiah, The Lord be a witnesse of trueth, and faith betweene vs, if we doe not, euen according to all things for ye which the Lord thy God shall send thee to vs.

Whether it be good or euill, we will obey the voyce of the Lord God, to whom we sende thee that it may be well with vs, when wee obey the voyce of the Lord our God.

And so after ten dayes came the word of the Lord vnto Ieremiah.

Then called he Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and all the captaines of the hoste, which were with him, and all ye people from ye least to the most,

And saide vnto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, vnto whom ye sent me to present your prayers before him,

If ye will dwell in this land, then I wil build you, and not destroy you, and I will plant you, and not roote you out: for I repent me of the euill that I haue done vnto you.

Feare not for the King of Babel, of whom ye are afraide: be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you, to saue you, and to deliuer you from his hand,

And I will graunt you mercie that he may haue compassion vpon you, and he shall cause you to dwell in your owne land.

But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither heare the voyce of the Lord your God,

Saying, Nay, but we will goe into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no warre, nor heare the sounde of the trumpet, nor haue hunger of bread, and there will we dwell,

(And nowe therefore heare the worde of the Lord, ye remnant of Iudah: thus sayeth the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, If ye set your faces to enter into Egypt, and goe to dwell there)

Then the sworde that ye feared, shall take you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, for the which ye care, shall there hang vpon you in Egypt, and there shall ye die.

And all the men that set their faces to enter into Egypt to dwell there, shall die by ye sword, by the famine and by the pestilence, and none of them shall remaine nor escape from the plague, that I will bring vpon them.

For thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, As mine anger and my wrath hath bene powred foorth vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem: so shall my wrath be powred foorth vpon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt, and ye shall be a detestation, and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproche, and ye shall see this place no more.

O ye remnant of Iudah, the Lord hath said concerning you, Goe not into Egypt: knowe certeinely that I haue admonished you this day.

Surely ye dissembled in your hearts When ye sent me vnto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for vs vnto the Lord our God, and declare vnto vs euen according vnto al that the Lord our God shall say, and we will doe it.

Therefore I haue this day declared it you, but you haue not obeyed the voyce of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me vnto you.

Nowe therefore, knowe certeinely that ye shall die by the sworde, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to goe and dwell.

Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near,

and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our supplication be presented before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, even for all this remnant, for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes see us,

that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk, and the things that we should do.”

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your words; and it will happen that whatever thing the LORD answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.”

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness among us, if we don’t do according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to tell us.

Whether it is good, or whether it is bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send you; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”

After ten days, the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah.

Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,

and said to them, “The LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him, says:

‘If you will still live in this land, then I will build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I grieve over the distress that I have brought on you.

Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says the LORD, ‘for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land.

“‘But if you say, “We will not dwell in this land,” so that you don’t obey the LORD your God’s voice,

saying, “No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we will see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there we will dwell;”’

now therefore hear the LORD’s word, O remnant of Judah! The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘If you indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to live there,

then it will happen that the sword, which you fear, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are afraid, will follow close behind you there in Egypt; and you will die there.

So will it be with all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to live there. They will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. None of them will remain or escape from the evil that I will bring on them.’

For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and my wrath has been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you, when you enter into Egypt; and you will be an object of horror, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you will see this place no more.’

“The LORD has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah, ‘Don’t go into Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have testified to you today.

For you have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God; and according to all that the LORD our God says, so declare to us, and we will do it.’

I have declared it to you today; but you have not obeyed the LORD your God’s voice in anything for which he has sent me to you.

Now therefore know certainly that you will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.”