THE word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Noph, and in the countery of Pathros, saying,

2 ''Thus says the LORD of host, the God of Israel: 'You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on the Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them,

3 'Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers.

4 'However I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, ''Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!''

5 'But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods.

6 'So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desloate, as it is this day,`

7 ''Now therefore, thus say the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain,

8 'In that you provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, to burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

9 'Have you forgotten the wickedness of the kings of Judah, your own wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

10 'They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your father.`

11 ''Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Behold, I will set My face against you for castrophe and for cutting off all Judah.

12 'And I will take the remnant of Judah who set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and they shall be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt.They shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine.They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach!

13 'For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by sword, by famine, and by pestllence,

14 'So that none of the remnant who have gone into the the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to land of Judah, to which they desire to return and dwell. For none shall return except those who escape.' ''

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the woman who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the Pethros, answered Jeremiah saying:

16 ''As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!

17 ''But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offering to her, as we have done, we and our father, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we have plenty of food, were well off, and saw no trouble.

18 ''But since we stopped burning to queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and consumed by the sword and famine."

19 The women also said, ''And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out the drink offering to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands` permission? ''

20 Then Jermaiah spoke to all the people - the men, the woman, and all the people who had given him that answer - saying:

21 ''The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and did it not come into His mind?

22 ''So the LORD could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therfore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse and withuot inhabitant, as it this day.

23 ''Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day."

24 Morever Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the woman ''Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt!

25 ''Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: 'You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying,' 'We will surely keep our vows that we have made the incense to the queen of the heaven and poured out drink offering to her. "You  will surely keep your vows and perform your vows! `

26 '' Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who dwell in the land of the Egypt: 'Behold, I have sworn by My great name,`says the LORD. 'that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying,''The Lord GOD lives."

27 'Behold, I will watch over them and adversity and not for good. And all the men Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them.

28 'Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to land of the Judah; and all  the remnant of Judah, who have gone to land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine and theirs.

29 'And this shall be a sign to you,`says the LORD,' that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.`

30 ''Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will give Pharaoh king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life." 'JEREMIAH 44