Jeremias 44

¹ The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, and atThese were all famous and strange cities in Egypt, where the Jews that fled dwelt for their safety but the prophet declares that there is no hold so strong that can preserve them from God's vengeance.Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,

² Thus sayeth the Lorde of hostes the God of Israel, Yee haue seene all the euill that I haue brought vpon Ierusalem, and vpon all the cities of Iudah: and beholde, this day they are desolate, and no man dwelleth therein,

³ Because of their wickednes which they haue comitted, to prouoke me to anger in that they went to burne incense, & to serue other gods, who they knew not, neither they nor you nor your fathers.

⁴ Yet I sent to you all my servants the prophets,Read (Jer_7:25, Jer_25:3, Jer_29:19, Jer_32:33).rising early and sending [them], saying, O, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

⁵ But they would not heare nor incline their eare to turne from their wickednes, and to burne no more incense vnto other gods.

⁶ WhereforeHe sets before their eyes God's judgments against Judah and Jerusalem for their idolatry that they might beware by their example, and not with the same wickedness provoke the Lord: for then they would be double punished.my fury and my anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted [and] desolate, as at this day.

⁷ Therefore now thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel, Wherfore commit ye this great euill against your soules, to cut off from you man and woman, childe and suckling out of Iudah, and leaue you none to remaine?

⁸ In that yee prouoke mee vnto wrath with the woorkes of your hands, burning incense vnto other Gods in the lande of Egypt whither yee be gone to dwell: that yee might bring destruction vnto your selues, and that ye might be a curse and a reproch among all nations of the earth.

⁹ Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of theHe shows that we ought to keep in memory God's plagues from the beginning that considering them, we might live in his fear, and know if he did not spare our fathers, yea kings, princes, rulers and also whole countries and nations for their sins that we vile worms cannot look to escape punishment for ours.kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

¹⁰ They are not humbled vnto this day, neither haue they feared nor walked in my lawe nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.

¹¹ Therefore thus sayeth the Lorde of hostes the God of Israel, Beholde, I will set my face against you to euill and to destroy all Iudah,

¹² And I will take the remnant of Judah, thatWhich have fully set their minds and are gone there on purpose. By which he excepts the innocents as Jeremiah and Baruch that were forces: therefore the Lord shows that he will set his face against them: that is, purposely destroy them.have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, [and] fall in the land of Egypt; they shall [even] be consumed by the sword [and] by the famine: they shall die, from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, [and] an horror, and aRead (Jer_26:6, Jer_41:18).curse, and a reproach.

¹³ For I will visite them that dwel in the land of Egypt, as I haue visited Ierusalem, by ye sworde, by the famine, and by the pestilence,

¹⁴ So that none of the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return butMeaning but a few.such as shall escape.

¹⁵ Then all the men which knewe that their wiues had burnt incense vnto other gods and all the wome that stoode by, a great multitude, euen all the people that dwelt in the lande of Egypt in Pathros, answered Ieremiah, saying,

¹⁶ [As for] the word that thou hast spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we willThis declares how dangerous a thing it is to decline once from God and to follow our own fantasies: for Satan ever solicits such and does not leave them till he has brought them to extreme impudency and madness, even to justify their wickedness against God and his prophets.not hearken to thee.

¹⁷ But we will certainly do whatever thing proceedeth from our own mouth, to burn incense toRead (Jer_7:18) it seems that the papists gathered of this place «Salbe Regina» and «Regina caeli latare» calling the virgin Mary Queen of heaven and so out of the blessed virgin and mother of our saviour Christ, made an idol; for here the prophet condemns their idolatry.the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for [then] we hadThis is still the argument of idolaters who esteem religion by the belly and instead of acknowledging God's works who sends both plenty and famine, health and sickness. They attribute it to their idols and so dishonour God.plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil.

¹⁸ But since wee left off to burne incense to the Queene of heauen, and to powre out drinke offerings vnto her, we haue had scarcenesse of all things, and haue beene consumed by the sworde and by the famine.

¹⁹ And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make for her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, withoutThis teaches us what a great danger it is for the husbands to permit their wives anything of which they are not assured by God's word: for by it they take an opportunity to justify their doings and their husbands will give an account of it before God.our husbands?

²⁰ Then said Ieremiah vnto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had giuen him that answere, saying,

²¹ Did not the Lorde remember the incense, that yee burnt in the cities of Iudah, and in the streetes of Ierusalem, both you, and your fathers, your Kinges, and your princes, and the people of the land, and hath he not considered it?

²² So that the Lord could no longer forbeare, because of the wickednes of your inuentions, and because of the abominations, which ye haue committed: therefore is your lande desolate and an astonishment, and a curse and without inhabitant, as appeareth this day.

²³ Because ye haue burnt incense and because ye haue sinned against the Lorde, and haue not obeyed the voyce of the Lorde, nor walked in his Lawe, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies, therefore this plague is come vpon you, as appeareth this day.

²⁴ Moreouer Ieremiah saide vnto all the people and to all the women, Heare the word of the Lord, all Iudah that are in the land of Egypt.

²⁵ Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with yourYou have committed double evil in making wicked vows, and in performing the same.hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.

²⁶ Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my nameThis declares a horrible plague toward idolaters, seeing that God will not vouchsafe to have his Name mentioned by such as have polluted it.shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.

²⁷ Behold, I wil watch ouer them for euil and not for good, and all men of Iudah that are in the land of Egypt, shalbe consumed by the sword, and by the famine, vntill they be vtterly destroied.

²⁸ Yet a small number that escape the swordWe see therefore that God has a perpetual care over his, wherever they are scattered: for though they are but two or three, yet he will deliver them when he destroys his enemies.shall return from the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that have gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.

²⁹ And this shal be a signe vnto you, saith the Lord, whe I visit you in this place, that ye may know that my words shal surely stand against you for euill.

³⁰ Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I willHe shows the means by which they would be destroyed to assure them of the certainty of the plague and yet they remain still in their obstinacy till they perish: for Josephus writes that five years after the taking of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar the younger having overcome the Moabites and the Ammonites went against Egypt and slew the king and so brought these Jews and others into Babylon.give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.