Jeremiah 43

1When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people every word of the LORD their God, all the words the LORD their God had sent him to give them,

2then Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah, with all the arrogant men, answered Jeremiah, “What you say is a lie! The LORD our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to settle there.’ 3Baruch son of Neriah is the one stirring you up against us, so that we will be handed over to the Chaldeans, to be killed or carried off to Babylon.” 4So Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the forces and all the people refused to obey the command the LORD gave them to remain in the land of Judah. 5But Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces led away the whole remnant of Judah, those who had come back from all the nations where they had been scattered in order to live in the land of Judah: 6the men, the women and the children, the king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, and also the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah. 7So they went into the land of Egypt, since they did not obey the LORD, and came as far as Tahpanhes.

8The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes: 9“Take some large stones in your hands and bury them in the mortar of the brick pavement at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, while the men of Judah watch. 10Then tell them, ‘The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says this: I am about to send for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, my servant, and bring him here. I will set his throne over these stones that I have buried, and he will spread his royal canopy over them. 11He will come and strike the land of Egypt: whoever is marked out for death, to death; whoever is marked out for captivity, to captivity; and whoever is marked out for the sword, to the sword. 12I will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and carry them off as captives. He will wrap himself in the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself in his cloak, and he will leave there unharmed. 13He will smash the sacred pillars of Beth-shemesh in the land of Egypt, and set the temples of the gods of Egypt on fire.’”