Jeremiah 44
Judgment for Idolatry
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, at aMigdol, at bTahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of cPathros, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day athey are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of the evil that they committed, aprovoking me to anger, bin that they went to make offerings cand serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4 aYet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!’ 5 aBut they did not listen aor incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. 6 aTherefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, band they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day. 7 And now thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil aagainst yourselves, to cut off from you bman and woman, binfant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant? 8 aWhy do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, bmaking offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become ca curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, athe evil of the kings of Judah, bthe evil of their wives, your own evil, cand the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not humbled themselves even to this day, anor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers.
11 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: aBehold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah who have aset their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. bIn the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine bthey shall be consumed. cFrom the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, dand they shall become an oath, a horror, ea curse, and a taunt. 13 aI will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, 14 aso that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive bor return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, cexcept some fugitives.”
15 Then all the men who knew that atheir wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in bPathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, awe will not listen to you. 17 aBut we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to bthe queen of heaven cand pour out drink offerings to her, das we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to athe queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything band have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” 19 And the women said, “When we made offerings to the queen of heaven aand poured out drink offerings to her, was it bwithout our husbands’ approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, amen and women, all the people who had given him this answer: 21 a“As for the offerings that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your officials, and the people of the land, bdid not the Lord remember them? Did it not come into his mind? 22 aThe Lord could no longer bear your evil deeds and bthe abominations that you committed. cTherefore your land has become da desolation and a waste and a curse, ewithout inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 It is because you made offerings aand because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey the voice of the Lord or walk in his law and in his statutes and in his testimonies bthat this disaster has happened to you, as at this day.”
24 Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, aall you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: aYou and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made, bto make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! 26 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, aall you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: bBehold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, cthat my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, dsaying, ‘As the Lord God lives.’ 27 aBehold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. bAll the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. 28 aAnd those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, bfew in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, cshall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs. 29 This shall be the sign to you, declares the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, in order that you may know that amy words will surely stand against you for harm: 30 Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will give aPharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies band into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave cZedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and sought his life.”
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.