Jeremiah 42
Open in the reader1Then all the commanders of the forces, along with He-Who-Is-Has-Been-Gracious son of Shaven, He-Who-Is-Listens son of He-Who-Is-Has-Saved, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached
2He-Who-Is-Will-Rise the prophet and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to He-Who-Is your God on behalf of this entire remnant. For few of us remain of the many, as you can see with your own eyes.
3Pray that He-Who-Is your God will tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do.”
4“I have heard you,” replied He-Who-Is-Will-Rise the prophet. “I will surely pray to He-Who-Is your God as you request, and I will tell you everything that He-Who-Is answers. I will not withhold a word from you.”
5Then they said to He-Who-Is-Will-Rise, “May He-Who-Is be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act upon every word that He-Who-Is your God sends you to tell us.
6Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of He-Who-Is our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we obey the voice of He-Who-Is our God!”
7After ten days the word of He-Who-Is came to He-Who-Is-Will-Rise,
8and he summoned He-Who-Is-Has-Been-Gracious son of Shaven, all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest.
9He-Who-Is-Will-Rise told them, “Thus says He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, to whom you sent me to present your petition:
10‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I will relent of the disaster I have brought upon you.
11Do not be afraid of the king of Confusion, whom you now fear; do not be afraid of him, declares He-Who-Is, for I am with you to save you and deliver you from him.
12And I will show you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own land.’
13But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and you thus disobey the voice of He-Who-Is your God,
14and if you say, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Two-Straits and live there, where we will not see war or hear the sound of the ram’s horn or hunger for bread,’
15then hear the word of He-Who-Is, O remnant of Praised! This is what He-Who-Is of Hosts, the God of Strives-with-God, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Two-Straits and reside there,
16then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow on your heels into Two-Straits, and you will die there.
17So all who resolve to go to Two-Straits to reside there will die by sword and famine and plague. Not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring upon them.’
18For this is what He-Who-Is of Hosts, the God of Strives-with-God, says: ‘Just as My anger and wrath were poured out on the residents of Foundation-of-Peace, so will My wrath be poured out on you if you go to Two-Straits. You will become an object of cursing and horror, of vilification and disgrace, and you will never see this place again.’
19He-Who-Is has told you, O remnant of Praised, ‘Do not go to Two-Straits.’ Know for sure that I have warned you today!
20For you have deceived yourselves by sending me to He-Who-Is your God, saying, ‘Pray to He-Who-Is our God on our behalf, and as for all that He-Who-Is our God says, tell it to us and we will do it.’
21For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of He-Who-Is your God in all He has sent me to tell you.
22Now therefore, know for sure that by sword and famine and plague you will die in the place where you desire to go to reside.”