| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 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 | 1Then all the commanders of the forces, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached |
| 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. | 2Jeremiah the prophet and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to the LORD your God on behalf of this entire remnant. For few of us remain of the many, as you can see with your own eyes. |
| 3Pray that the LORD your God will show us what to do and where to go.” | 3Pray that the LORD your God will tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do.” |
| 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.” | 4“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will surely pray to the LORD your God as you request, and I will tell you everything that the LORD answers; I will not withhold a word from you.” |
| 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! | 5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us. |
| 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.” | 6Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us, for we will obey the voice of the LORD our God!” |
| 7Ten days later the LORD gave his reply to Jeremiah. | 7After ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, |
| 8So he called for Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders, and for all the people, from the least to the greatest. | 8and he summoned Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest. |
| 9He said to them, “You sent me to the LORD, the God of Israel, with your request, and this is his reply: | 9Jeremiah told them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition: |
| 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. | 10‘If you will indeed 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 will relent of the disaster I have brought upon you. |
| 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. | 11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear; do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you to save you and deliver you from him. |
| 12I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.’ | 12And I will show you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own land.’ |
| 13“But if you refuse to obey the LORD your God, and if you say, ‘We will not stay here; | 13But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and you thus disobey the voice of the LORD your God, |
| 14instead, we will go to Egypt where we will be free from war, the call to arms, and hunger,’ | 14and if you say, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt and live there, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the ram’s horn or hunger for bread,’ |
| 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, | 15then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and reside there, |
| 16the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you, and you will die there. | 16then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow on your heels into Egypt, and you will die there. |
| 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.’ | 17So all who resolve to go to Egypt to reside there will die by sword and famine and plague. Not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring upon them.’ |
| 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.’ | 18For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as My anger and wrath were poured out on the residents of Jerusalem, so will My wrath be poured out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an object of cursing and horror, of vilification and disgrace, and you will never see this place again.’ |
| 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. | 19The LORD has told you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today! |
| 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!’ | 20For you have deceived yourselves by sending 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 will do it.’ |
| 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. | 21For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in all He has sent me to tell you. |
| 22So you can be sure that you will die from war, famine, and disease in Egypt, where you insist on going.” | 22Now therefore, know for sure that by sword and famine and plague you will die in the place where you desire to go to reside.” |
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