Warning Against Going to Egypt

Jeremiah 42

1 Now all the captains of the forces, a Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, b "Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and c pray for us to the LORD your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but d a few of many, as you can see), 3 "that the LORD your God may show us e the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do." 4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your words, and it shall be, that f whatever the LORD answers you, I will declare it to you. I will g keep nothing back from you." 5 So they said to Jeremiah, h "Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. 6 "Whether it is 1 pleasing or 2 displeasing, we will i obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, j that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God."

7 And it happened after ten days that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10 'If you will still remain in this land, then k I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I l relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 11 'Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,' says the LORD, m 'for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12 'And n I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.' 13 "But if o you say, 'We will not dwell in this land,' disobeying the voice of the LORD your God, 14 "saying, 'No, but we will go to the land of p Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell' - 15 "Then hear now the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'If you q wholly 3 set r your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, 16 'then it shall be that the s sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. 17 'So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And t none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.'

18 "For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'As My anger and My fury have been u poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And v you shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.' 19 "The LORD has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, w 'Do not go to Egypt!' Know certainly that I have 4 admonished you this day. 20 "For you 5 were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, 'Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.' 21 "And I have this day declared it to you, but you have x not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. 22 "Now therefore, know certainly that you y shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell."

  1. Cross References
    Jeremiah 40:8
    Then they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah - Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
    Jeremiah 40:13
    Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.
    Jeremiah 41:11
    But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done.
  2. Cross References
    Jeremiah 15:11
    The LORD said: "Surely it will be well with your remnant; Surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with you In the time of adversity and in the time of affliction.
  3. Cross References
    Exodus 8:28
    So Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that you m...
    1 Samuel 7:8
    So the children of Israel said to Samuel, "Do n...
    1 Samuel 12:19
    And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for yo...
    1 Kings 13:6
    Then the king answered and said to the man of G...
    Isaiah 37:4
    'It may be that the LORD your God will hear the...
    Jeremiah 37:3
    And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of S...
    Acts 8:24
    Then Simon answered and said, "Pray to the Lord...
    James 5:16
    Confess your trespasses to one another, and pra...
  4. Cross References
    Leviticus 26:22
    I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, destroy your livestock, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate.
    Deuteronomy 28:62
    You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God.
    Isaiah 1:9
    Unless the LORD of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah.
    Lamentations 1:1
    How lonely sits the city That was full of people! How like a widow is she, Who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces Has become a slave!
  5. Cross References
    Ezra 8:21
    Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.
  6. Cross References
    1 Kings 22:14
    And Micaiah said, " As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak.
    Jeremiah 23:28
    The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the LORD.
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 3:17
    And he said, "What is the word that the LORD spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.
    1 Samuel 3:18
    Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.
    Psalms 40:10
    I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth From the great assembly.
    Acts 20:20
    How I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house.
  8. Cross References
    Genesis 31:50
    "If you afflict my daughters, or if you take ot...
    Judges 11:10
    And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, "The...
    Jeremiah 43:2
    That Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the s...
    Micah 1:2
    Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all...
    Malachi 2:14
    Yet you say, "For what reason?" Because the LOR...
    Malachi 3:5
    And I will come near you for judgment; I will b...
  9. Cross References
    Exodus 24:7
    Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.
    Deuteronomy 5:27
    'You go near and hear all that the LORD our God may say, and tell us all that the LORD our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.'
    Joshua 24:24
    And the people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!
  10. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 5:29
    Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!
    Deuteronomy 5:33
    You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.
    Deuteronomy 6:3
    "Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you - 'a land flowing with milk and honey.'
    Jeremiah 7:23
    "But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'
  11. Cross References
    Jeremiah 24:6
    For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up.
    Jeremiah 31:28
    And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD.
    Jeremiah 33:7
    And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first.
    Ezekiel 36:36
    "Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it."
  12. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 32:36
    For the LORD will judge His people And have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their power is gone, And there is no one remaining, bond or free.
    Jeremiah 18:8
    If that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.
  13. Cross References
    Numbers 14:9
    "Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear t...
    2 Chronicles 32:7
    Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor ...
    2 Chronicles 32:8
    With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the...
    Isaiah 8:9
    Be shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in p...
    Isaiah 8:10
    Take counsel together, but it will come to noth...
    Isaiah 43:2
    When you pass through the waters, I will be wit...
    Isaiah 43:5
    Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your ...
    Jeremiah 1:19
    They will fight against you, But they shall not...
    Jeremiah 15:20
    And I will make you to this people a fortified ...
    Romans 8:31
    What then shall we say to these things? If God ...
  14. Cross References
    Nehemiah 1:11
    O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." For I was the king's cupbearer.
    Psalms 106:46
    He also made them to be pitied By all those who carried them away captive.
    Proverbs 16:7
    When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
  15. Cross References
    Jeremiah 44:16
    As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!
  16. Cross References
    Isaiah 31:1
    Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!
    Jeremiah 41:17
    And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way to Egypt.
    Jeremiah 43:7
    So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD. And they went as far as Tahpanhes.
  17. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 17:16
    "But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.'
    Jeremiah 44:12 - 14
    And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach!
  18. Cross References
    Luke 9:51
    Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.
  19. Cross References
    Jeremiah 44:13
    For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.
    Jeremiah 44:27
    Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them.
    Ezekiel 11:8
    You have feared the sword; and I will bring a sword upon you," says the Lord GOD.
    Amos 9:1 - 4
    I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said: "Strike the doorposts, that the thresholds may shake, And break them on the heads of them all. I will slay the last of them with the sword. He who flees from them shall not get away, And he who escapes from them shall not be delivered.
  20. Cross References
    Jeremiah 44:14
    'so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return and dwell. For none shall return except those who escape.'"
    Jeremiah 44:28
    Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs.
  21. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 36:16 - 19
    But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.
    Jeremiah 7:20
    Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place - on man and on beast, on the trees of the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched.
  22. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 29:21
    And the LORD would separate him from all the tr...
    Isaiah 65:15
    You shall leave your name as a curse to My chos...
    Jeremiah 18:16
    To make their land desolate and a perpetual his...
    Jeremiah 24:9
    I will deliver them to trouble into all the kin...
    Jeremiah 26:6
    "then I will make this house like Shiloh, and w...
    Jeremiah 29:18
    And I will pursue them with the sword, with fam...
    Jeremiah 29:22
    And because of them a curse shall be taken up b...
    Jeremiah 44:12
    And I will take the remnant of Judah who have s...
  23. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 17:16
    "But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.'
    Isaiah 30:1 - 7
    Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin.
  24. Cross References
    Isaiah 30:1 - 7
    Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin.
  25. Cross References
    Jeremiah 42:17
    'So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.'
    Ezekiel 6:11
    Thus says the Lord GOD: "Pound your fists and stamp your feet, and say, 'Alas, for all the evil abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
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