42Jeremiah 42

1Johanan, Jezaniah, the other army officers, and everyone else in the group, came to meSelect Jeremiah 42:1

2and said, “Please, Jeremiah, pray to the Lord your God for us. Judah used to have many people, but as you can see, only a few of us are left.Select Jeremiah 42:2

3Ask the Lord to tell us where he wants us to go and what he wants us to do.”Select Jeremiah 42:3

4“All right,” I answered, “I will pray to the Lord your God, and I will tell you everything he says.”Select Jeremiah 42:4

5They answered, “The Lord himself will be our witness that we promise to do whatever he says,Select Jeremiah 42:5

6even if it isn't what we want to do. We will obey the Lord so that all will go well for us.”Select Jeremiah 42:6

7Ten days later, the Lord gave me an answer forSelect Jeremiah 42:7

8Johanan, the officers, and the other people. So I called them togetherSelect Jeremiah 42:8

9and told them that the Lord God of Israel had said: You asked Jeremiah to pray and find out what you should do.Select Jeremiah 42:9

10I am sorry that I had to punish you, and so I now tell you to stay here in Judah, where I will plant you and build you up, instead of tearing you down and uprooting you.Select Jeremiah 42:10

11Don't be afraid of the King of Babylonia. I will protect you from him,Select Jeremiah 42:11

12and I will even force him to have mercy on you and give back your farms.Select Jeremiah 42:12

13But you might keep on saying, “We won't stay here in Judah, and we won't obey the Lord our God.Select Jeremiah 42:13

14We are going to Egypt, where there is plenty of food and no danger of war.”Select Jeremiah 42:14

15People of Judah, you survived when the Babylonian army attacked. Now you are planning to move to Egypt, and if you do go, this is what will happen.Select Jeremiah 42:15

17You are afraid of war, starvation, and disease here in Judah, but they will follow you to Egypt and kill you there. None of you will survive the disasters I will send.Select Jeremiah 42:17

18I, the Lord, was angry with the people of Jerusalem and punished them. And if you go to Egypt, I will be angry and punish you the same way. You will never again see your homeland. People will be horrified at what I do to you, and they will use the name of your city as a curse word.Select Jeremiah 42:18

Jeremiah Gives a Warning

19I told the people: You escaped the disaster that struck Judah, but now the Lord warns you to stay away from Egypt.Select Jeremiah 42:19

20You asked me to pray and find out what the Lord our God wants you to do, and you promised to obey him. But that was a terrible mistake,Select Jeremiah 42:20

21because now that I have given you the Lord's answer, you refuse to obey him.Select Jeremiah 42:21

22And so, you will die in Egypt from war, hunger, and disease.Select Jeremiah 42:22