Judgment for Idolatry
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The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, at 1Migdol, at 2Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of 3Pathros,
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"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 4they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them,
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because of the evil that they committed, 5provoking me to anger, 6in that they went to make offerings 7and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers.
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8Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, 'Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!'
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9But they did not listen 10or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods.
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11Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, 12and they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day.
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And now thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil 13against yourselves, to cut off from you 14man and woman, 15infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant?
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16Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, 17making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become 18a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth?
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Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, 19the evil of the kings of Judah, 20the evil of theira wives, your own evil, 21and the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
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They have not humbled themselves even to this day, 22nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers.
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"Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 23Behold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah.
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I will take the remnant of Judah who have 24set their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. 25In the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine 26they shall be consumed. 27From the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, 28and they shall become an oath, a horror, 29a curse, and a taunt.
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30I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence,
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31so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive 32or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, 33except some fugitives."
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Then all the men who knew that 34their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in 35Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah:
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"As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, 36we will not listen to you.
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37But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to 38the queen of heaven 39and pour out drink offerings to her, 40as 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.
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But since we left off making offerings to 41the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything 42and have been consumed by the sword and by famine."
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And the women said,b"When we made offerings to the queen of heaven 43and poured out drink offerings to her, was it 44without our husbands' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"
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Then Jeremiah said to all the people, 45men and women, all the people who had given him this answer:
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46"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, 47did not the LORD remember them? Did it not come into his mind?
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48The LORD could no longer bear your evil deeds and 49the abominations that you committed. 50Therefore your land has become 51a desolation and a waste and a curse, 52without inhabitant, as it is this day.
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It is because you made offerings 53and 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 54that this disaster has happened to you, as at this day."
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Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, "Hear the word of the LORD, 55all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt.
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Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 56You 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, 57to make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.' Then confirm your vows and perform your vows!
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Therefore hear the word of the LORD, 58all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: 59Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, 60that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, 61saying, 'As the Lord GOD lives.'
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62Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. 63All 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.
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64And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, 65few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, 66shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)