1And all the captains of the forces drew near, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the small even to the great,
2and said to Jeremiah the prophet: Let our supplication fall, please, before you, and pray for us to YHWH your God, for all this remnant; for we are left a few of many, as your eyes do see us;
3that YHWH your God may tell us the way in which we should walk, and the thing that we should do.
4And Jeremiah the prophet said to them: I have heard; behold, I am praying to YHWH your God according to your words; and it shall be that all the word that YHWH answers you, I will declare to you—I will not withhold from you a thing.
5And they said to Jeremiah: May YHWH be against us a true and faithful witness, if we do not do according to all the word with which YHWH your God sends you to us.
6Whether good or whether evil, to the voice of YHWH our God, to whom we are sending you, we will listen; so that it may be well with us, when we listen to the voice of YHWH our God.
7And it came to pass, at the end of ten days, that the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah.
8And he called to Johanan the son of Kareah, and to all the captains of the forces who were with him, and to all the people, from the small even to the great,
9and said to them: Thus said YHWH, God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before Him:
10If you will surely dwell in this land, then I will build you and not pull down, and I will plant you and not pluck up; for I have relented concerning the evil that I have done to you.
11Do not fear because of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not fear him—declaration of YHWH—for I am with you, to save (yasha) you and to deliver you from his hand.
12And I will give to you compassions, and he will have compassion on you, and cause you to return to your ground (adamah).
13But if you are saying: We will not dwell in this land—so as not to listen to the voice of YHWH your God—
14saying: No, but we will enter the land of Egypt, where we shall not see war, nor hear the sound of a horn, nor hunger for bread; and there we will dwell—
15and now, therefore, hear the word of YHWH, O remnant of Judah: Thus said YHWH of hosts (tzevaot), God of Israel: If you indeed set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to sojourn there,
16then it shall come to pass that the sword, which you fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, of which you are anxious, shall cling after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die.
17And all the men (ish) who set their faces to enter Egypt to sojourn there shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and there shall be for them none remaining or escaping from the evil that I am bringing upon them.
18For thus said YHWH of hosts (tzevaot), God of Israel: As My anger and My fury were poured out upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall My fury be poured out upon you when you enter Egypt; and you shall become an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.
19YHWH has spoken concerning you, O remnant of Judah: Do not enter Egypt; know surely that I have warned you this day.
20For you have gone astray in your souls (nephesh), for you yourselves sent me to YHWH your God, saying: Pray for us to YHWH our God; and according to all that YHWH our God says, so declare to us, and we will do it.
21And I have declared to you this day, but you have not listened to the voice of YHWH your God, even to all that He has sent me to you for.
22And now, know surely that by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence you shall die in the place where you desire to go, to sojourn there.