Jeremiah 43

1When Jeremiah had finished telling all the people all the words of Yahweh their God, all these words that Yahweh their God had sent him to tell them,

2Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! Yahweh our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there.’

3Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us, to hand us over to the Chaldeans, so that they will put us to death or carry us off into exile in Babylon.”

4So Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the troops, and all the people did not obey the voice of Yahweh to stay in the land of Judah.

5Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the troops took the whole remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered:

6the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, as well as the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah.

7They went into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of Yahweh, and they came as far as Tahpanhes.

8Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes:

9“Take some large stones in your hands, and while the men of Judah are watching, bury them in the mortar of the brick pavement at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes.

10Then say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am going to send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne above these stones that I have buried, and he will spread his royal canopy over them.

11He will come and strike the land of Egypt: those destined for death, to death; those destined for captivity, to captivity; and those destined for the sword, to the sword.

12I will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and carry the gods off captive. He will wrap himself in the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his cloak, and he will leave there unharmed.

13He will smash the sacred pillars of Beth-shemesh in the land of Egypt, and he will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.’”