1. Then came near all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near.
2. And they said to Jeremiah the prophet, Please let our cry be pleasing to you, and pray for us to Jehovah your God, even for all this remnant, (for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes behold us),
3. that Jehovah your God may show us the way in which we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
4. And Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I have heard. Behold, I will pray to Jehovah your God according to your words; and it shall be, all the word Jehovah shall answer, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.
5. And they said to Jeremiah, Let Jehovah be a true and faithful witness between us if we do not do even according to all things for which Jehovah your God shall send you to us.
6. Whether it is good, or whether it is evil, we will obey the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we send you; so that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of Jehovah our God.
7. And it happened after ten days, the Word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah.
8. And he called Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the commanders of the forces with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest.
9. And he said to them, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your cry before Him:
10. If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and will not pull you down. And I will plant you and will not pluck you up. For I repent of the evil that I have done to you.
11. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not be afraid of him, says Jehovah. For I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand.
12. And I will show mercies to you, so that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.
13. But if you say, We will not dwell in this land, nor obey the voice of Jehovah your God,
14. saying, No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger for bread; and there we will dwell;
15. then now hear the Word of Jehovah, O remnant of Judah. So says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel: If you surely set your faces to go into Egypt, and go to live there,
16. then it will happen, the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt. And the famine of which you were anxious about shall cling to you there in Egypt; and you shall die there.
17. So it shall be to all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to live there. They shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague. And none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring on them.
18. For so says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel: As My anger and My fury has been poured forth on the people of Jerusalem, so shall My fury be poured forth on you when you shall enter into Egypt. And you shall be a curse, and a wonder, and a shame, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.
19. Jehovah has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, Do not go into Egypt. Know certainly that I have warned you this day.
20. For you used deceit against your souls when you sent me to Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us to Jehovah our God; and according to all that Jehovah our God shall say, so declare to us, and we will do it.
21. And I have declared it to you today; but you have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah your God, nor anything for which He has sent me to you.
22. And therefore know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague, in the place where you desire to go to live.