< Jeremiah 43 >
1 And it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking to all the people all the words of Jehovah their God, for which Jehovah their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
2 then spake Azariah, the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying to Jeremiah, “Thou speakest falsely; Jehovah our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there;
3 but Baruch, the son of Neriah, setteth thee on against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldaeans, that they may put us to death, and carry us away captive to Babylon.”
4 So Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of Jehovah, to remain in the land of Judah.
5 But Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, who were returned from all the nations whither they had been driven to dwell in the land of Judah,
6 the men, and the women, and the children, and the king's daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch, the son of Neriah;
7 and they went into the land of Egypt; for they obeyed not the voice of Jehovah; and they came to Tahpanhes.
8 Then came the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying:
9 Take in thy hand great stones, and hide them in the clay in the brick-kiln which is at the entrance of the house of Pharaoh in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah,
10 and say to them: Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send, and take Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will set his throne upon these stones which I have hidden, and he shall spread his royal canopy over them.
11 And he shall come and smite the land of Egypt, and deliver those that are for death to death, and those that are for captivity to captivity, and those that are for the sword to the sword.
12 And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captive; and he shall wrap himself in the land of Egypt, as a shepherd wrappeth himself in his garment, and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
13 And he shall break in pieces the images of Bethshemesh in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of Egypt shall he burn with fire.