Jeremiah 43
1 [So] I finished telling to the people that message from Yahweh our God.
And it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto the whole people all the words of the Lord their God, with which the Lord their God had sent him to them, [namely, ] all these words,
2 But then Johanan and Azariah and some other insolent/arrogant men said to me, “You are lying! Yahweh our God has not told [us] that we should not go to Egypt!
That then spoke 'Azaryah the son of Hosha'yah, and Jochanan the son of Kareach, and all the presumptuous men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Ye shall not go into Egypt to sojourn there;
3 [We think that] Baruch has urged/persuaded you to say this, in order that [if we stay here], the soldiers from Babylonia will seize us and kill us or take us to Babylonia.”
But Baruch the son of Neriyah setteth thee on against us, in order to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death, or carry us away as exiles to Babylon.
4 So Johanan and the other leaders of the [Israeli] soldiers and [many of] [HYP] the other people [who were there] refused to obey Yahweh’s command to stay in Judah.
So Jochanan the son of Kareach, and all the captains of the armies, and all the people, hearkened not to the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah.
5 Johanan and all the [other] leaders gathered together all the people who had returned from the other countries to which they had been scattered.
But Jochanan the son of Kareach, and all the captains of the armies, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all the nations, whither they had been driven, to sojourn in the land of Judah;
6 [They included] men, women, children, the king’s daughters, and all those whom Nebuzaradan had left with Gedaliah, and they also took Baruch and me.
The men, and the women, and the children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedalyahu the son of Achikam the son of Shaphan; and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriyah;
7 They refused to obey Yahweh, and they took us all [to Egypt], as far as Tahpenes [city].
And they entered into the land of Egypt; for they hearkened not to the voice of the Lord; and they came as far as Thachpanches.
8 [While we were] at Tahpenes, Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Thachpanches, saying,
9 “While the people of Judah are watching you, take some large rocks and bury them under the brick pavement at the entrance to the king’s palace there at Tahpenes.
Take great stones in thy hand, and hide them in the mortar in the brick-kiln which is at the entrance of Pharaoh's house in Thachpanches, before the eyes of the Jewish men;
10 Then say to the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], says: “I will summon Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, who does my work, to come [with his army] to Egypt. I will set up his throne over these stones that I told Jeremiah to bury. And Nebuchadnezzar will set up his tent there [to show that he has become] the King [of Egypt].
And thou shalt say unto them, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will send for and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.
11 When his [army] comes, they will attack Egypt. Then those will die who [I have determined] must die, those who [I have determined] must be captured will be captured, and those who [I have determined] must be killed by swords will be killed by swords.
And he shall come and smite the land of Egypt: such as are destined for death shall be given to death; and such as are destined for captivity, to captivity; and such as are destined for the sword, to the sword.
12 Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt. [But before they burn the temples], they will take away their idols [as souvenirs]. His [troops] will clean Egypt like a shepherd cleans lice from his cloak. They will tear down the sacred pillars that are in the temple of their sun god. And then Nebuchadnezzar’s [troops] will leave there, without having been harmed.”’”
And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them, and carry them away captive: and he shall wrap around him the land of Egypt, as a shepherd wrappeth his garment around him; and he shall go forth from there in peace.
And he shall break the statues of Bethshemesh, which is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.
