Jeremiah, 42

1. Then all the military leaders, in particular Johanan son of Kareah and Azariah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from least to greatest, approached

1. Then all the commanders of the forces, and Joha'nan the son of Kare'ah and Azari'ah the son of Hoshai'ah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near

2. the prophet Jeremiah and said, 'Please hear our petition and intercede with Yahweh your God for us and for all this remnant -- and how few of us are left out of many, your own eyes can see-

2. and said to Jeremiah the prophet, "Let our supplication come before you, and pray to the LORD your God for us, for all this remnant (for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes see us),

3. so that Yahweh your God may show us the way we are to go and what we must do.'

3. that the LORD your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do."

4. The prophet Jeremiah replied, 'I hear you; I will indeed pray to Yahweh your God as you ask; and whatever answer Yahweh your God gives you, I will tell you, keeping nothing back from you.'

4. Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard you; behold, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your request, and whatever the LORD answers you I will tell you; I will keep nothing back from you."

5. They in their turn said to Jeremiah, 'May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not follow the instructions that Yahweh your God sends us through you.

5. Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us.

6. Whether we like it or not, we shall obey the voice of Yahweh our God to whom we are sending you, so that we may prosper by obeying the voice of Yahweh our God.'

6. Whether it is good or evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God."

7. Ten days later the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah.

7. At the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.

8. He then summoned Johanan son of Kareah and all the military leaders who were with him, and all the people from least to greatest,

8. Then he summoned Joha'nan the son of Kare'ah and all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest,

9. and said, 'Yahweh, God of Israel, to whom you deputed me to present your petition says this,

9. and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him:

10. "If you will only stay in this country, I shall build you and not overthrow you; I shall plant you and not uproot you, for I am sorry about the disaster I have inflicted on you.

10. If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent of the evil which I did to you.

11. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you fear now; do not fear him, Yahweh declares, for I am with you to save you and rescue you from his clutches.

11. Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not fear him, says the LORD, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand.

12. I shall take pity on you, so that he pities you and lets you return to your native soil.

12. I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land.

13. But if you say: We will not stay in this country; if you disobey the voice of Yahweh your God,

13. But if you say, `We will not remain in this land,' disobeying the voice of the LORD your God

14. and say: No, Egypt is where we shall go, where we shall not see war or hear the trumpet-call or go short of food; that is where we want to live;

14. and saying, `No, we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war, or hear the sound of the trumpet, or be hungry for bread, and we will dwell there,'

15. in that case, remnant of Judah, listen to Yahweh's word: Yahweh Sabaoth, God of Israel, says this: If you are determined to go to Egypt, and if you do go and settle there,

15. then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If you set your faces to enter Egypt and go to live there,

16. the sword you fear will overtake you there in Egypt, and there you will die.

16. then the sword which you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow hard after you to Egypt; and there you shall die.

17. Yes, all those who are determined to go to Egypt and settle there, will die by sword, famine and plague: not a single one of them will survive or escape the disaster I shall inflict on them.

17. All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; they shall have no remnant or survivor from the evil which I will bring upon them.

18. Yes, Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Just as my furious anger was poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will my fury be poured out on you if you go to Egypt: you will become an object of execration and horror, a curse, a laughing-stock; and you will never see this place again."

18. "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: As my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You shall become an execration, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. You shall see this place no more.

19. Remnant of Judah, Yahweh has told you, "Do not go into Egypt." Understand clearly that today I have given you a solemn warning.

19. The LORD has said to you, O remnant of Judah, `Do not go to Egypt.' Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day

20. You were not being sincere when you sent me to Yahweh your God and said, "Intercede for us with Yahweh our God; tell us exactly what Yahweh our God says and we will do it."

20. that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. For you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, `Pray for us to the LORD our God, and whatever the LORD our God says declare to us and we will do it.'

21. Today I have told you, but you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh your God or any part of the message he sent me to give you.

21. And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God in anything that he sent me to tell you.

22. So understand this clearly: you will die by sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go and settle.'

22. Now therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live."