Jeremias advarer folket imod at flygte til Egypten
1Johanan, Jezanja, de øvrige officerer og et stort antal civile ledere kom nu hen til mig og sagde:2„Gå i forbøn for os hos Herren din Gud, for som du ser, er der ikke mange tilbage af os mere.3Bed Herren, din Gud, om at vise os, hvad vi skal gøre, og hvor vi skal tage hen.”4Jeg gav dem følgende svar: „Godt, jeg vil bede til Herren for jer, og alt, hvad han siger til mig, vil jeg fortælle jer i alle detaljer.”5„Vi lover højtideligt ind for Herrens ansigt, at vi vil adlyde alt, hvad han beder dig om at sige til os,” sagde de.6„Uanset om vi bryder os om det eller ej, vil vi adlyde Herren, din Gud, som vi nu rådspørger gennem dig. For hvis vi gør, hvad han siger, vil det gå os godt.”7Ti dage senere svarede Herren på min bøn,8og jeg kaldte så Johanan, officererne og de øvrige ledere sammen.9Derpå sagde jeg til dem: „I bad mig spørge Herren, Israels Gud, til råds, og her er hans svar:10Bliv boende her i landet. Hvis I gør det, vil jeg velsigne jer og give jer fremgang. Det gør mig ondt at se de lidelser, I har været igennem, selv om jeg var nødt til at straffe jer.11I behøver ikke frygte den babyloniske konge, for jeg vil beskytte jer, så han ikke kan gøre jer noget ondt.12Jeg vil være barmhjertig imod jer og sørge for, at han også er barmhjertig. I kan trygt blive boende i landet.13-14Men hvis I nægter at blive boende i landet, som Herren, jeres Gud, har sagt, og hvis I absolut vil til Egypten, fordi I tror jer sikre for krig og hungersnød dernede,15så hør, hvad Herren siger til den rest af judæere, som er tilbage: Hvis I rejser til Egypten,16vil al den krig og hungersnød I frygter her, følge jer, så I mister livet dernede.17Det er den skæbne, der venter hver eneste af jer: Hvis I slår jer ned i Egypten, vil I dø som ofre for krig, hungersnød og sygdom. Det bliver min straf for jeres ulydighed.18Herren, den Almægtige, Israels Gud, siger: På samme måde som jeg i min vrede straffede Jerusalems indbyggere, vil jeg straffe jer, så snart I ankommer til Egypten. I vil blive afskyet og hadet, forbandet og hånet, og I kommer aldrig hjem til jeres land igen.”19Derefter sagde jeg til dem: „I er en rest af Judas folk, og Herren har advaret jer imod at tage til Egypten. Hvis I vælger ikke at lytte til Herren,20kommer I til at bøde med jeres liv. Det var jer selv, der bad mig søge Herren om råd, og I lovede at adlyde ham, lige meget hvad det var, han sagde.21I dag har jeg så givet jer Herrens svar, men I er åbenbart alligevel ikke villige til at gøre, som han siger.22Derfor skal I vide, at hvis I gør alvor af at rejse til det land, som I ønsker at flygte til, vil I blive ramt af krig, hungersnød og sygdom.”
1Then 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 to the greatest, came near (Jer 6,13; Jer 40,8; Jer 40,13; Jer 41,11; Jer 43,2)2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— (3.Mos 26,22; 1.Sam 7,8; 1.Sam 12,19; Es 37,4; Jer 36,7; Jer 40,15; Jer 42,20)3that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” (Ez 8,21; Jer 37,17)4Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” (4.Mos 22,18; 1.Sam 3,18)5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us. (1.Mos 31,50; Dom 11,10; Jer 42,21; Åb 1,5; Åb 3,14)6Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” (Jer 7,23)7At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. (Ez 3,16)8Then he summoned Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest, (Jer 42,1)9and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him: (Jer 42,2)10If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. (1.Mos 6,6; 5.Mos 32,36; Jer 18,8; Jer 24,6)11Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. (Jer 22,25; Jer 30,10; Jer 41,18; Rom 8,31)12I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land. (Neh 1,11)13But if you say, ‘We will not remain in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God (Jer 43,4; Jer 44,16)14and saying, ‘No, we will go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or be hungry for bread, and we will dwell there,’ (Jer 4,19; Jer 37,21; Jer 41,17)15then hear the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: If you set your faces to enter Egypt and go to live there, (5.Mos 17,16; Jer 42,19; Jer 44,1; Jer 44,12; Jer 44,27)16then the sword that you fear shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are afraid shall follow close after you to Egypt, and there you shall die. (Jer 42,22; Jer 44,12; Ez 11,8)17All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. They shall have no remnant or survivor from the disaster that I will bring upon them. (Klag 2,22)18“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: As my anger and my wrath were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You shall become an execration, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. You shall see this place no more. (Jer 7,20; Jer 18,16)19The Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day (Jer 42,14; Jer 43,2; Ez 2,5)20that you have gone astray at the cost of your lives. For you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lord our God, and whatever the Lord our God says, declare to us and we will do it.’ (Jer 42,2; Jer 42,3)21And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything that he sent me to tell you. (Jer 42,5)22Now therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.” (Jer 42,16)