A Warning against Going to Egypt

1Then all the captaines of the hoste, and Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and Iezaniah the sonne of Hoshaaiah, and all the people from the least vnto the most came, 2And saide vnto Ieremiah the Prophete, Heare our prayer, we beseeche thee, and pray for vs vnto the Lorde thy God, euen for all this remnant (for we are left, but a fewe of many, as thine eyes doe beholde) 3That the Lord thy God may shewe vs the way wherein wee may walke, and the thing that we may doe. 4Then Ieremiah the Prophet said vnto them, I haue heard you: behold, I will pray vnto ye Lord your God according to your wordes, and whatsoeuer thing the Lord shall answere you, I will declare it vnto you: I will keepe nothing backe from you. 5Then they said to Ieremiah, The Lord be a witnesse of trueth, and faith betweene vs, if we doe not, euen according to all things for ye which the Lord thy God shall send thee to vs. 6Whether it be good or euill, we will obey the voyce of the Lorde God, to whom we sende thee that it may be well with vs, when wee obey the voyce of the Lord our God.

7And so after ten dayes came the word of the Lord vnto Ieremiah. 8Then called he Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and all the captaines of the hoste, which were with him, & all ye people from ye least to the most, 9And saide vnto them, Thus saith the Lorde God of Israel, vnto whom ye sent me to present your prayers before him, 10If ye will dwell in this land, then I wil build you, and not destroy you, and I will plant you, and not roote you out: for I repent me of the euill that I haue done vnto you. 11Feare not for the King of Babel, of whom ye are afraide: be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you, to saue you, and to deliuer you from his hand, 12And I will graunt you mercie that he may haue compassion vpon you, and he shall cause you to dwell in your owne land. 13But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither heare the voyce of the Lord your God, 14Saying, Nay, but we will goe into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no warre, nor heare the sounde of the trumpet, nor haue hunger of bread, and there will we dwell, 15(And nowe therefore heare the worde of the Lorde, ye remnant of Iudah: thus sayeth the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, If ye set your faces to enter into Egypt, and goe to dwell there) 16Then the sworde that ye feared, shall take you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, for the which ye care, shall there hang vpon you in Egypt, and there shall ye die. 17And all the men that set their faces to enter into Egypt to dwell there, shall die by ye sword, by the famine and by the pestilence, and none of them shall remaine nor escape from the plague, that I will bring vpon them.

18For thus saith the Lorde of hostes the God of Israel, As mine anger and my wrath hath bene powred foorth vpon the inhabitants of Ierusalem: so shall my wrath be powred foorth vpon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt, and ye shall be a detestation, and an astonishment, and a curse and a reproche, & ye shall see this place no more. 19O ye remnant of Iudah, the Lorde hath said concerning you, Goe not into Egypt: knowe certeinely that I haue admonished you this day. 20Surely ye dissembled in your hearts When ye sent me vnto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for vs vnto the Lorde our God, and declare vnto vs euen according vnto al that the Lord our God shall say, and we will doe it. 21Therefore I haue this day declared it you, but you haue not obeyed the voyce of the Lorde your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me vnto you. 22Nowe therefore, knowe certeinely that ye shall die by the sworde, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to goe and dwell.