Jeremiah 43

EasyEnglish Bible

The people of Judah go to Egypt

43 Jeremiah finished telling the people the Lord's message to them. He told them everything that the Lord their God had sent him to tell them. ² Then Hoshaiah's son Azariah and Kareah's son Johanan and some other proud men said to Jeremiah, ‘You are speaking lies! The Lord our God has not sent you to say to us, “You must not go to Egypt to live there.” ³ You are telling us what Neriah's son Baruch wants you to say. He wants to hurt us. He wants the soldiers from Babylon to kill us, or to take us as prisoners to Babylon.’

⁴ So Kareah's son Johanan, all the other army officers and all the other people did not obey the Lord's command. They refused to stay in Judah. ⁵ Instead, Johanan and all the officers led the people away. Those were the people who had returned from all the nations where their enemies had taken them as prisoners. They had returned to their homes in Judah. ⁶ Now the army officers led them away. They also took the men, women and children that Captain Nebuzaradan had allowed to remain with Gedaliah. They included the king's daughters. (Gedaliah was Ahikam's son and Shaphan's grandson.) They took the prophet Jeremiah and Neriah's son Baruch with them.

⁷ The people went to Egypt because they did not obey the Lord. They went as far as the city of Tahpanhes.

⁸ When they arrived in Tahpanhes, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. ⁹ He said, ‘Choose some large stones and take them to Pharaoh's palace that is here in Tahpanhes. Bury the stones under the path at the entrance of the palace. Do it while the people of Judah are watching you. ¹⁰ Then say to the people, “The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says this: I will call for my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, to come here. He will put his throne on the path over these stones that I have hidden. They will put up a royal tent for him to sit under. ¹¹ He will come here and he will attack Egypt.

¹² He will burn the temples of Egypt's gods with fire. He will burn their gods or he will carry them away. He will take everything that he wants from Egypt. He will return home in good health. ¹³ He will knock down the pillars of the temple where people worship their sun god. He will destroy all the temples of Egypt's gods.” ’