Daily Bread

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

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

⁵ Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true^(K) and faithful^(L) witness^(M) 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^(N) with us, for we will obey^(O) 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^(P) who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest.^{(Q) 9} He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition,^(R) says:^{(S) 10} ‘If you stay in this land,^(T) I will build^(U) you up and not tear you down; I will plant^(V) you and not uproot you,^(W) for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.^{(X) 11} Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,^(Y) whom you now fear.^(Z) Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save^(AA) you and deliver you from his hands.^{(AB) 12} I will show you compassion^(AC) so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’^(AD)

¹³ “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey^(AE) the Lord your God, ¹⁴ and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt,^(AF) where we will not see war or hear the trumpet^(AG) or be hungry for bread,’^{(AH) 15} then hear the word of the Lord,^(AI) 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^(AJ) you fear^(AK) will overtake you there, and the famine^(AL) you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die.^{(AM) 17} Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague;^(AN) 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^(AO) have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,^(AP) so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse^[b](AQ) and an object of horror,^(AR) a curse^[c] and an object of reproach;^(AS) you will never see this place again.’^(AT)

¹⁹ “Remnant^(AU) of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’^(AV) 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.’^{(AW) 21} I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you.^{(AX) 22} So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine^(AY) and plague^(AZ) in the place where you want to go to settle.”^(BA)