Part 520 (2/2)

41:16. Then Johanan the son of Caree, and all the captains of the soldiers that were with him, took all the remnant of the people whom they had recovered from Ismahel the son of Nathanias, from Masphath, after that he had slain G.o.dolias the son of Ahicam: valiant men for war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs whom he had brought back from Gabaon.

41:17. And they departed, and sat as sojourners in Chamaam, which is near Bethlehem: in order to go forward, and enter into Egypt,

41:18. From the face of the Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ismahel the son of Nathanias had slain G.o.dolias the son of Ahicam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land of Juda.

Jeremias Chapter 42

Jeremias a.s.sures the remnant of the people, that if they will stay in Juda, they shall be safe; but if they go down into Egypt, they shall perish.

42:1. Then all the captains of the warriors, and Johanan the son of Caree, and Jezonias, the son of Osaias, and the rest of the people from the least to the greatest came near:

42:2. And they said to Jeremias the prophet: Let our supplication fall before thee: and pray thou for us to the Lord thy G.o.d for all this remnant, for we are left but a few of many, as thy eyes do behold us.

42:3. And let the Lord thy G.o.d shew us the way by which we may walk, and the thing that we must do.

42:4. And Jeremias the prophet said to them: I have heard you: behold I will pray to the Lord your G.o.d according to your words: and whatsoever thing he shall answer me, I will declare it to you: and I will hide nothing from you.

42:5. And they said to Jeremias: The Lord be witness between us of truth and faithfulness, if we do not according to every thing for which the Lord thy G.o.d shall send thee to us.

42:6. Whether it be good or evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our G.o.d, to whom we send thee: that it may be well with us when we shall hearken to the voice of the Lord our G.o.d.

Good or evil... That is, agreeable or disagreeable.

42:7. Now after ten days, the word of the Lord came to Jeremias.

42:8. And he called Johanan the son of Caree, and all the captains of the fighting men that were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest.

42:9. And he said to them: Thus saith the Lord the G.o.d of Israel, to whom you sent me, to present your supplications before him:

42:10. If you will be quiet and remain in this land, I will build you up, and not pull you down: I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for now I am appeased for the evil that I have done to you.

I am appeased for the evil that I have done to you... That is, I am appeased, as I have sufficiently punished you, and now I am reconciled with you.

42:11. Fear not because of the king of Babylon, of whom you are greatly afraid: fear him not, saith the Lord: for I am with you, to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

42:12. And I will shew mercies to you, and will take pity on you, and will cause you to dwell in your own land.

42:13. But if you say: We will not dwell in this land, neither will we hearken to the voice of the Lord our G.o.d,

42:14. Saying: No, but we will go into the land of Egypt: where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor suffer hunger: and there we will dwell.

42:15. For this now hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Juda: Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the G.o.d of Israel: If you set your faces to go into Egypt, and enter in to dwell there:

42:16. The sword which you fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt: and the famine, whereof you are afraid, shall cleave to you in Egypt, and there you shall die.

42:17. And all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt, to dwell there, shall die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence: none of them shall remain, nor escape from the face of the evil that I will bring upon them.

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