| Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then all the commanders of the armies, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached | 1Then all the military leaders, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached |
| 2the prophet Jeremiah and said, "May our petition come before you; pray to the LORD your God on our behalf, on behalf of this entire remnant (for few of us remain out of the many, as you can see with your own eyes), | 2Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Please pray to the LORD your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. |
| 3that the LORD your God may tell us the way we should go and the thing we should do." | 3Pray that the LORD your God will show us what to do and where to go.” |
| 4So the prophet Jeremiah said to them, "I have heard. I will now pray to the LORD your God according to your words, and I will tell you every word that the LORD answers you; I won't withhold a word from you." | 4“All right,” Jeremiah replied. “I will pray to the LORD your God, as you have asked, and I will tell you everything he says. I will hide nothing from you.” |
| 5And they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we don't act according to every word the LORD your God sends you to tell us. | 5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do! |
| 6Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the LORD our God to whom we are sending you so that it may go well with us. We will certainly obey the LORD our God!" | 6Whether we like it or not, we will obey the LORD our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.” |
| 7At the end of ten days, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, | 7Ten days later the LORD gave his reply to Jeremiah. |
| 8and he summoned Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the armies who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest. | 8So he called for Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders, and for all the people, from the least to the greatest. |
| 9He said to them, "This is what the LORD says, the God of Israel to whom you sent me to bring your petition before him: | 9He said to them, “You sent me to the LORD, the God of Israel, with your request, and this is his reply: |
| 10'If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will rebuild and not demolish you, and I will plant and not uproot you, because I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought on you. | 10‘Stay here in this land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you. For I am sorry about all the punishment I have had to bring upon you. |
| 11Don't be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear; don't be afraid of him'--this is the LORD's declaration--'because I am with you to save you and rescue you from him. | 11Do not fear the king of Babylon anymore,’ says the LORD. ‘For I am with you and will save you and rescue you from his power. |
| 12I will grant you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and allow you to return to your own soil.' | 12I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.’ |
| 13"But if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' in order to disobey the LORD your God, | 13“But if you refuse to obey the LORD your God, and if you say, ‘We will not stay here; |
| 14and if you say, 'No, instead we'll go to the land of Egypt where we will not see war or hear the sound of the ram's horn or hunger for food, and we'll live there,' | 14instead, we will go to Egypt where we will be free from war, the call to arms, and hunger,’ |
| 15then hear the word of the LORD, remnant of Judah! This is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'If you are firmly resolved to go to Egypt and stay there for a while, | 15then hear the LORD’s message to the remnant of Judah. This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and live there, |
| 16then the sword you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine you are worried about will follow on your heels there to Egypt, and you will die there. | 16the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you, and you will die there. |
| 17All who resolve to go to Egypt to stay there for a while will die by the sword, famine, and plague. They will have no survivor or fugitive from the disaster I will bring on them.' | 17That is the fate awaiting every one of you who insists on going to live in Egypt. Yes, you will die from war, famine, and disease. None of you will escape the disaster I will bring upon you there.’ |
| 18"For this is what the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: 'Just as my anger and fury were poured out on Jerusalem's residents, so will my fury pour out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an example for cursing, scorn, execration, and disgrace, and you will never see this place again.' | 18“This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as my anger and fury have been poured out on the people of Jerusalem, so they will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. You will be an object of damnation, horror, cursing, and mockery. And you will never see your homeland again.’ |
| 19The LORD has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah: 'Don't go to Egypt.' Know for certain that I have warned you today! | 19“Listen, you remnant of Judah. The LORD has told you: ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Don’t forget this warning I have given you today. |
| 20You have gone astray at the cost of your lives because you are the ones who sent me to the LORD your God, saying, 'Pray to the LORD our God on our behalf, and as for all that the LORD our God says, tell it to us, and we'll act accordingly.' | 20For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to the LORD your God for you. You said, ‘Just tell us what the LORD our God says, and we will do it!’ |
| 21For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the LORD your God in everything he has sent me to tell you. | 21And today I have told you exactly what he said, but you will not obey the LORD your God any better now than you have in the past. |
| 22Now therefore, know for certain that by the sword, famine, and plague you will die in the place where you desired to go to stay for a while." | 22So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine, and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going.” |
| The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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