44:1  The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt, those who had lived in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the land of Pathros, saying,

44:2  "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'You yourselves have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they have fallen into ruins and no one lives in them,

44:3   because of their wickedness which they committed so as to provoke Me to anger by continuing to burn sacrifices and to serve other gods whom they had not known, neither they, you, nor your fathers.

44:4  'Yet I sent you all My servants the prophets, again and again, saying, "Oh, do not do this abominable thing which I hate."

44:5  'But they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness, so as not to burn sacrifices to other gods.

44:6  'Therefore I poured out My wrath and My anger and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so they have become a ruin and a desolation as it still occurs to this day.

44:7  'Now then thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, "Why have you done great harm to yourselves, so as to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant,

44:8  'Now then thus says the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, "Why have you done great harm to yourselves, so as to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant,

44:9  "Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

44:10  "But they have not become contrite even to this day, nor have they feared nor walked in My law or My statutes, which I have set before you and before your fathers."'

44:11  "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold, I intend to set My face against you for woe, even to cut off all Judah.

44:12  'And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have set their mind on entering the land of Egypt to reside there, and they will all meet their end in the land of Egypt; they will fall by the sword and meet their end by famine Both small and great will die by the sword and famine; and they will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach.

44:13  'And I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine and with pestilence.

44:14  'So you will have no refugees or survivors for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to reside there and then to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; for none will return except a few refugees.'"

44:15  Then all the men who had become aware that their wives burned sacrifices to other gods, along with all the women who stood by, as a large assembly, including all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying,

44:16  "As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we do not intend to listen to you!

44:17  "But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and seemed well off and saw no misfortune.

44:18  "But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine."

44:19  "And," said the women, "when we burned sacrifices to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we do it without our husbands that we made for her sacrificial cakes in her image and poured out drink offerings to her?"

44:20  Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women--even to all the people who gave him such an answer--saying,

44:21  "As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them and did not all this come into His mind?

44:22  "So the LORD could no longer endure it, because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse, without an inhabitant, as it occurs to this day.

44:23  "Because you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the LORD and not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, His statutes or His testimonies, therefore this calamity has befallen you, as it has this day."

44:24  Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, " Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who live in the land of Egypt,

44:25  thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, as follows: 'As for you and your wives, you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, "We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her " Go ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows!'

44:26  "Nevertheless hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who live in the land of Egypt, 'Behold, I have sworn by My great name,' says the LORD, ' never shall any man of Judah invoke My name in all the land of Egypt, saying, " As the Lord GOD lives."

44:27  'Behold, I watch over them for harm and not for good, and all the men of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt will meet their end by the sword and by famine until they completely disappear.

44:28  ' Those who escape the sword will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs.

44:29  'This I will give as a sign to you,' declares the LORD, 'that I intend to punish you in this place, so that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for harm.'

44:30  "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I intend to give over Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies, to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who remained his enemy and sought his life.'"