1Then all the army commanders, along with Johanan, son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least important to the most important, came forward
2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please listen to our request. Pray for us to Yahweh your God, for all these survivors. As you can see, we are only a few left out of many.
3Pray that Yahweh your God will show us the way we should go and what we should do.”
4Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Listen, I will pray to Yahweh your God just as you asked. I promise to tell you everything Yahweh answers; I will not keep anything back from you.”
5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not do everything Yahweh your God tells us through you.
6Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of Yahweh our God, to whom we are sending you. Then things will go well for us when we obey the voice of Yahweh our God.”
7Ten days later, Yahweh’s message came to Jeremiah.
8Then Jeremiah called Johanan son of Kareah, all the military leaders who were with him, and all the people, from the least important to the most important.
9He said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your request, says:
10‘If you choose to stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am sorry about the disaster I brought upon you.
11Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you fear. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says Yahweh, ‘for I am with you to save you and rescue you from his power.
12I will show you mercy so that he will have mercy on you and allow you to return to your own land.’
13“‘But if you say, “We will not live in this land,” and you disobey the voice of Yahweh your God,
14saying, “No, we will go to the land of Egypt where we won’t see war, hear the sound of the trumpet, or go hungry for bread; and we will live there,”’
15now therefore hear Yahweh’s message, O remnant of Judah: Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and live there,
16then the war you are afraid of will catch up to you there in Egypt. The famine you are worried about will follow you closely there in Egypt, and you will die there.
17This is what will happen to all the men who are determined to go and live in Egypt: they will die by war, famine, and sickness. None of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.
18For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'Just as I poured out my anger and wrath on the people of Jerusalem, so I will pour out my wrath on you when you enter Egypt. You will become a terrifying sight, a shock, a curse, and a disgrace. You will never see this place again.'
19Yahweh has spoken to you, the remaining people of Judah: Do not go into Egypt. Be absolutely sure that I have warned you today.
20You have cheated yourselves, because you sent me to Yahweh your God, saying, 'Pray to Yahweh our God for us. Tell us everything Yahweh our God says, and we will do it.'
21And today I have told you, but you have not obeyed anything Yahweh your God told me to tell you.
22So now, know for certain that you will die by war, famine, and sickness in the very place where you wish to go and live.”