En stor del af judæerne søger alligevel tilflugt i Egypten
1Da jeg havde givet dem Herrens svar,2-3sagde Jezanja,[1] Johanan og de andre overmodige mænd til mig: „Du lyver! Herren har ikke sagt, at vi ikke må rejse til Egypten og bosætte os der. Det er Baruk, Nerijas søn, der står bag den idé. Det er ham, der har overtalt dig til at sige sådan, så vi kan blive slået ihjel af babylonierne eller gjort til slaver i Babylonien.”4Johanan, officererne og de øvrige ledere nægtede altså at adlyde Herrens befaling om at blive i Juda.5Johanan og de andre officerer samlede en stor gruppe judæere og begav sig af sted til Egypten. Deriblandt var alle de judæere, der netop var vendt hjem fra nabolandene, som de i sin tid var flygtet til.6Også kongens døtre og alle de andre, som Nebuzaradan havde overladt i Gedaljas varetægt i Mitzpa, blev taget med, både mænd, kvinder og børn. De tvang også Baruk og mig til at tage med.7De nægtede altså at adlyde Herren og nåede inden længe frem til byen Takpankes i Egypten.8Mens vi var i Takpankes, sagde Herren til mig:9„Kald Judas mænd sammen. Tag så i deres påsyn nogle store sten og grav dem ned i brolægningen ved indgangen til Faraos palads her i Takpankes.10Derefter skal du sige til judæerne: Hør, hvad Herren, den Almægtige, Israels Gud, siger: Kong Nebukadnezar af Babylon er min tjener, og jeg vil bringe ham her til Egypten. Han vil rejse sin trone på brolægningen og udspænde sin tronhimmel over de sten, der er gravet ned her.11Når han kommer, vil han rasere Egypten. Nogle vil blive dræbt i kampen, andre vil blive taget til fange, og andre vil dø af sygdom. Alle vil få den skæbne, som er bestemt for dem.12Nebukadnezar vil sætte ild til de egyptiske guders templer og enten brænde afgudsbillederne eller tage dem med sig. Som hyrden, der piller lus af sin kappe, vil den babyloniske konge pille Egypten ren og drage bort som sejrherre.13Han vil knuse de hellige obelisker i Heliopolis og brænde Egyptens gudetempler.”
1When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all these words of the Lord their God, with which the Lord their God had sent him to them,2Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there,’ (Salm 86,14; Es 13,11; Jer 40,8; Jer 42,1; Jer 42,19; Mal 4,1)3but Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may kill us or take us into exile in Babylon.” (Jer 32,12; Jer 37,13; Jer 38,22)4So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. (Jer 40,13; Jer 43,2)5But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven— (Jer 40,11)6the men, the women, the children, the princesses, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. (Jer 38,23; Jer 39,10; Jer 39,14; Jer 40,7; Jer 44,20)7And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they arrived at Tahpanhes. (Es 30,4; Jer 2,16; Jer 44,1; Jer 46,14)8Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes: (Jer 43,7)9“Take in your hands large stones and hide them in the mortar in the pavement that is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah, (Jer 43,7)10and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden, and he will spread his royal canopy over them. (Jer 1,15; Jer 25,9)11He shall come and strike the land of Egypt, giving over to the pestilence those who are doomed to the pestilence, to captivity those who are doomed to captivity, and to the sword those who are doomed to the sword. (Jer 15,2; Jer 44,13; Jer 46,13)12I shall kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd cleans his cloak of vermin, and he shall go away from there in peace. (2.Mos 12,12; Salm 104,2; Es 19,1; Es 49,18; Jer 17,27; Jer 46,25; Jer 48,7; Ez 30,13)13He shall break the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt, and the temples of the gods of Egypt he shall burn with fire.’” (2.Mos 23,24; Jer 43,12)