1
When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God -
everything the LORD had sent him to tell them -
2
Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men
said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say
'You must not go to Egypt to settle there.'
3
But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over
to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon."
4
So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people
disobeyed the LORD's command to stay in the land of Judah.
5
Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away
all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah
from all the nations where they had been scattered.
6
They also led away all the men, women and children and the king's daughters
whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left
with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan,
and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah.
7
So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the LORD and went as far as Tahpanhes.
8
In Tahpanhes the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
9
"While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you
and bury them in clay in the brick pavement
at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes.
10
Then say to them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty,
the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon, and I wil set his throne over these stones
I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them.
11
"Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah.
12
He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt;
he will burn their temples and take their gods captive.
As a shepherd wraps his garment around him,
so will he wrap Egypt around himself and depart from there unscathed.
13
There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars
and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.' "
