If you people who remain in Judah do that, then listen to what the <sc>Lordsc> says. The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;If you are so determined<n id="2" /> to go to Egypt that you go and settle there,

Then tell them,<n id="1" /> &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="2" /> says, &#8220;I will bring<n id="3" /> my servant<n id="4" /> King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will set his throne over these stones which I<n id="5" /> have buried. He will pitch his royal tent<n id="6" /> over them.

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;You have seen all the disaster I brought on Jerusalem<n id="2" /> and all the towns of Judah. Indeed, they now lie in ruins and are deserted.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;So now the <sc>Lordsc>, the God who rules over all, the God of Israel,<n id="1" /> asks, &#8216;Why will you do such great harm to yourselves? Why should every man, woman, child, and baby of yours be destroyed from the midst of Judah? Why should you leave yourselves without a remnant?

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8220;I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes.<n id="2" /> I will punish Egypt, its gods, and its kings. I will punish Pharaoh and all who trust in him.<n id="3" />

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="poetry">&#8220;You descendants of Jacob, my servants,<n id="2" /> do not be afraid;p> <p class="poetry">do not be terrified, people of Israel.p> <p class="poetry">For I will rescue you and your descendantsp> <p class="poetry">from the faraway lands where you are captives.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace.p> <p class="poetry">They will be secure and no one will terrify them.p>

<p class="poetry">Because you did that,p> <p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm that<n id="1" /> a time is comingp> <p class="poetry">when I will make Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon,p> <p class="poetry">hear the sound of the battle cry.p> <p class="poetry">It will become a mound covered with ruins.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Its villages will be burned to the ground.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Then Israel will take back its landp> <p class="poetry">from those who took their land from them.p> <p class="poetry">I, the Lord, affirm it!<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;When that time comes,&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;the people of Israel and Judah will return to the land together.p> <p class="poetry">They will come back with tears of repentancep> <p class="poetry">as they seek the <sc>Lordsc> their God.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">So I, the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all, say:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I will punish the king of Babylon and his landp> <p class="poetry">just as I punished the king of Assyria.p>

<p class="poetry">When that time comes,p> <p class="poetry">no guilt will be found in Israel.p> <p class="poetry">No sin will be found in Judah.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For I will forgive those of them I have allowed to survive.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Call for archers<n id="1" /> to come against Babylon!p> <p class="poetry">Summon against her all who draw the bow!p> <p class="poetry">Set up camp all around the city!p> <p class="poetry">Do not allow anyone to escape!p> <p class="poetry">Pay her back for what she has done.p> <p class="poetry">Do to her what she has done to others.p> <p class="poetry">For she has proudly defied me,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the Holy One of Israel.<n id="3" />p>

that the <sc>Lord,sc> the God of Israel, says,<n id="1" /> &#8216;The forces at your disposal<n id="2" /> are now outside the walls fighting against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonians<n id="3" /> who have you under siege. I will gather those forces back inside the city.<n id="4" />

So I, the <sc>Lord,sc> the God who rules over all, the God of Israel, say:<n id="1" /> &#8220;I will soon bring on Judah and all the citizens of Jerusalem all the disaster that I threatened to bring on them. I will do this because I spoke to them but they did not listen. I called out to them but they did not answer.&#8221;&#8217;&#8221;p>

For<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="2" /> says, &#8216;If you go to Egypt, I will pour out my wrath on you just as I poured out my anger and wrath on the citizens of Jerusalem.<n id="3" /> You will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse.<n id="4" /> You will never see this place again.&#8217;<n id="5" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all says, &#8216;You women<n id="1" /> have confirmed by your actions what you vowed with your lips! You said, &#8220;We will certainly carry out our vows to sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.&#8221; Well, then fulfill your vows! Carry them out!&#8217;<n id="2" />