1This is the message that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in the land of Egypt—those living in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the region of Pathros:
2“Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have seen all the disaster I brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah. Look, today they are desolate ruins, with no one living in them,
3because of the wickedness they committed to provoke me to anger. They burned incense and served other gods that neither they, nor you, nor your ancestors had known.
4Again and again, I sent all my servants the prophets to you, urging them to say, "Please do not do this horrible thing that I hate."
5But they did not listen or pay attention. They did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods.
6Therefore, my burning anger was poured out and set ablaze in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. As a result, they are ruined and empty, just as they are today.’
7“So now, Yahweh, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Why do you do such great evil against yourselves? You are cutting off from Judah every man, woman, infant, and nursing child, leaving yourselves with no one left.
8You make me angry with what you do, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have gone to live. This will cause you to be destroyed and become a curse and a disgrace among all the nations of the earth.
9Have you forgotten the wickedness of your ancestors, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10Even to this day, they have not humbled themselves, nor have they shown reverence. They have not followed my law or my decrees, which I set before you and your ancestors.’
11The Commander of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Look, I am determined to bring disaster on you, even to destroy all of Judah.
12I will take the remaining people of Judah who are determined to go and live in Egypt, and they will all be wiped out. They will die in Egypt, killed by war and starvation. From the least important to the most important, they will die by war and starvation. They will become a horrific sight, a shock, a curse, and a disgrace.
13I will punish those living in Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem, with war, starvation, and disease.
14So none of the remaining people of Judah who went to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, where they long to return and live. No one will return except for a few who manage to escape.’
15Then all the men who knew their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women who were standing there—a large crowd, all the people living in Pathros, Egypt—answered Jeremiah, saying,
16“We will not listen to what you have told us in Yahweh’s name.
17Instead, we will definitely carry out every promise we made: to burn incense to the Queen of the Sky and pour out drink offerings to her, just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials, did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Because at that time, we had plenty of food, we were prosperous, and we saw no trouble.
18But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of the Sky and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have been short of everything and have been killed by war and starvation.”
19“When we burned incense to the Queen of the Sky and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes with her image and pour out offerings to her without our husbands’ knowledge?”
20Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and everyone who had answered him—saying,
21“Yahweh remembered the incense you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your ancestors, your kings, your officials, and the common people. He certainly took notice of it.
22Yahweh could no longer tolerate your wicked actions and the disgusting things you did. That is why your land has become a desolate, shocking, cursed place, with no one living in it, as it is today.
23Because you burned incense and sinned against Yahweh, and because you did not obey Yahweh’s voice or follow his law, his decrees, or his instructions, this disaster has happened to you, as it is today.”
24Jeremiah also said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of Yahweh, all you people of Judah who are in Egypt!
25The Commander of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths and carried out with your hands, saying, “We will certainly keep the promises we made to burn incense to the Queen of the Sky and pour out drink offerings to her.”’ ‘So go ahead and keep your promises, and carry out your vows.’
26“Therefore, hear the word of Yahweh, all you people of Judah who live in Egypt: ‘Look, I have sworn by my great name,’ says Yahweh, ‘that my name will never again be spoken by any person from Judah anywhere in Egypt, saying, “As the Lord Yahweh lives.”
27Look, I am watching over them to bring disaster, not good. All the people of Judah who are in Egypt will be destroyed by war and starvation until they are all gone.
28Those who escape the war will return from Egypt to Judah, but only a few. Then all the remaining people of Judah, who went to live in Egypt, will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.
29“‘This will be the sign to you,’ says Yahweh, ‘that I will punish you in this place, so you will know that my words will certainly be fulfilled against you for disaster.’
30Yahweh says, ‘Look, I will hand over Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, to his enemies and to those who want to kill him, just as I handed over Zedekiah, king of Judah, to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who was his enemy and wanted to kill him.’”