1But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the Lord their God had sent to them, had finished telling all the people all the words of the Lord their God—that is, all these words—

2Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You are not to enter Egypt to reside there’;

3but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us in order to hand us over to the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to Babylon!”

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

5Instead, Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been scattered, in order to reside in the land of Judah—

6the men, the women, the Lit infantschildren, the king’s daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam Lit the sonand grandson of Shaphan, together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah—

7and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the Lord) and went in as far as Tahpanhes.

8Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

9“Take some large stones in your Lit handhands and hide them in the Or clay floormortar in the brick terrace which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s Lit housepalace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of Lit mensome of the Jews;

10and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to send men and get My servant Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and I am going to set his throne over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his Or carpetcanopy over them.

11He will also come and strike the land of Egypt; those who are meant for death will be given over to death, and those for captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword.

12And Some ancient versions He will setI shall set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive. So he will Or delouse the landwrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd Or delouses his garmentwraps himself with his garment, and he will depart from there safely.

13He will also smash to pieces the Or stone pillarsobelisks of Heb Beth-shemesh; i.e., the house of the sun-godHeliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt; and the temples of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire.” ’ ”