Daily Bread

Flight to Egypt

¹⁶ Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers^(A) who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,^(B) whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. ¹⁷ And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham^(C) near Bethlehem^(D) on their way to Egypt^{(E) 18} to escape the Babylonians.^[a] They were afraid^(F) of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah^(G) son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan^(H) son of Kareah and Jezaniah^[b] son of Hoshaiah,^(I) and all the people from the least to the greatest^(J) approached ² Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray^(K) to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.^(L) For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few^(M) are left. ³ Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”^(N)

⁴ “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray^(O) to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell^(P) you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”^(Q)

⁵ Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true^(R) and faithful^(S) witness^(T) against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. ⁶ Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well^(U) with us, for we will obey^(V) the Lord our God.”

⁷ Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. ⁸ So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers^(W) who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.^{(X) 9} He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,^(Y) says:^{(Z) 10} ‘If you stay in this land,^(AA) I will build^(AB) you up and not tear you down; I will plant^(AC) you and not uproot you,^(AD) for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.^{(AE) 11} Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,^(AF) whom you now fear.^(AG) Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save^(AH) you and deliver you from his hands.^{(AI) 12} I will show you compassion^(AJ) so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’^(AK)

¹³ “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey^(AL) the Lord your God, ¹⁴ and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,^(AM) where we will not see war or hear the trumpet^(AN) or be hungry for bread,’^{(AO) 15} then hear the word of the Lord,^(AP) you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, ¹⁶ then the sword^(AQ) you fear^(AR) will overtake you there, and the famine^(AS) you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.^{(AT) 17} Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;^(AU) not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ ¹⁸ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath^(AV) have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,^(AW) so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse^[c](AX) and an object of horror,^(AY) a curse^[d] and an object of reproach;^(AZ) you will never see this place again.’^(BA)

¹⁹ “Remnant^(BB) of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’^(BC) Be sure of this: I warn you today ²⁰ that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’^{(BD) 21} I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.^{(BE) 22} So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine^(BF) and plague^(BG) in the place where you want to go to settle.”^(BH)