וַיִּגְּשׁוּ כָּל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים וְיוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וִיזַנְיָה בֶּן־הוֹשַׁעְיָה וְכָל־הָעָם מִקָּטֹן וְעַד־גָּדוֹל

All the captains of the soldiers, and Yohanan son of Kare’ah, and Yezanya son of Hoshaya, and all the people who survived the destruction and had formed a cohesive group, from the smallest to the greatest, approached Jeremiah,

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא תִּפָּל־נָא תְחִנָּתֵנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ וְהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעֲדֵנוּ אֶל־ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּעַד כָּל־הַשְּׁאֵרִית הַזֹּאת כִּי־נִשְׁאַרְנוּ מְעַט מֵהַרְבֵֶּה כַּאֲשֶׁר עֵינֶיךָ רֹאוֹת אֹתָנוּ

and they said to Jeremiah the prophet: Please, let our supplication fall before you, and pray on our behalf to the Lord your God on behalf of this entire remnant, for we have remained few from many, as your eyes see us. From the entire kingdom, with its officers and its army, only a small number of military battalions and a few civilians have survived.

וְיַגֶּד־לָנוּ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת־הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר נֵלֶךְ־בָּהּ וְאֶת־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשֶׂה

And the Lord your God will tell us the way in which we should go, and the thing that we should do. In their distress and uncertainty, they asked the prophet to present their request to God, so that they would receive His guidance.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא שָׁמַעְתִּי הִנְנִי מִתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כְּדִבְרֵיכֶם וְהָיָה כָּל־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲנֶה ה' אֶתְכֶם — אַגִּיד לָכֶם לֹא־אֶמְנַע מִכֶּם דָּבָר

Jeremiah the prophet said to them: I have heard and accepted your request. Behold, I am praying to the Lord your God in accordance with your words. I will ask Him to reply to your query, and it shall be that anything that the Lord will answer you I will tell you; I will not withhold anything from you. Of all the prophets, Moses alone had the assurance that when he inquired from God, he would receive an immediate response. Jeremiah was not guaranteeing the people an answer; he was simply saying that he would pray to God, and if He offers a response, Jeremiah would deliver to them God’s exact words.

וְהֵמָּה אָמְרוּ אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ יְהִי ה' בָּנוּ לְעֵד אֱמֶת וְנֶאֱמָן אִם־לֹא כְּכָל־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁלָחֲךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵלֵינוּ — כֵּן נַעֲשֶׂה

They said to Jeremiah: May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything that the Lord your God will send with you in our regard.

אִם־טוֹב וְאִם־רָע — בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ שֹׁלְחִים אֹתְךָ אֵלָיו — נִשְׁמָע לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יִיטַב־לָנוּ כִּי נִשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ

Whether good or bad, we will heed the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will be good for us, as we will heed the voice of the Lord our God. They expressed their absolute commitment to follow the instruction of God.

וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ עֲשֶׂרֶת יָמִים וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ

Although Jeremiah did not receive an immediate response, it was at the end of ten days, that the word of the Lord was with Jeremiah.

וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְאֶל כָּל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ וּלְכָל־הָעָם לְמִקָּטֹן וְעַד־גָּדוֹל

He, Jeremiah, called Yohanan son of Kare’ah and all the captains of the soldiers who were with him, and all the people from the smallest to the greatest.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֹתִי אֵלָיו לְהַפִּיל תְּחִנַּתְכֶם לְפָנָיו׃

He said to them: So said the Lord, God of Israel, to whom you sent me to pour your supplication before Him:

אִם־שׁוֹב תֵּשְׁבוּ בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת — וּבָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא אֶהֱרֹס וְנָטַעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא אֶתּוֹשׁ כִּי נִחַמְתִּי אֶל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי לָכֶם

If you will dwell in this land, I will build you, and I will not destroy, and I will plant you, and I will not uproot you, for it will be as though I have reconsidered the evil that I did to you. If you remain in the land, you will be successful here.

אַל־תִּירְאוּ מִפְּנֵי מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּם יְרֵאִים מִפָּנָיו אַל־תִּירְאוּ מִמֶּנּוּ נְאֻם־ה' כִּי־אִתְּכֶם אָנִי לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם וּלְהַצִּיל אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדוֹ

As for their fear of potential revenge from the Babylonians, the prophet instructs the people: Do not fear the king of Babylon, whom you fear. He reiterates: Do not fear him – this is the utterance of the Lord – for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand. You will be able to live securely in the land.

וְאֶתֵּן לָכֶם רַחֲמִים וְרִחַם אֶתְכֶם וְהֵשִׁיב אֶתְכֶם אֶל־אַדְמַתְכֶם

I will grant you the mercy of the king of Babylon, and he will have mercy upon you and return you to your land, your ancestral homes.

וְאִם־אֹמְרִים אַתֶּם לֹא נֵשֵׁב בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

But if you say in opposition to My statement: We will not dwell in this land, so as not to heed the voice of the Lord your God,

לֵאמֹר לֹא כִּי אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם נָבוֹא אֲשֶׁר לֹא־נִרְאֶה מִלְחָמָה וְקוֹל שׁוֹפָר לֹא נִשְׁמָע וְלַלֶּחֶם לֹא־נִרְעָב וְשָׁם נֵשֵׁב

saying: No; rather, we will come to the land of Egypt, so that we will be in a place where we will not see war, and the warning sound of the shofar we will not hear, and we will not hunger for bread, and there we will dwell in safety.

וְעַתָּה לָכֵן שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר־ה' שְׁאֵרִית יְהוּדָה כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִם־אַתֶּם שׂוֹם תְּשִׂמוּן פְּנֵיכֶם לָבֹא מִצְרַיִם וּבָאתֶם לָגוּר שָׁם —

Now, as you apparently prefer to flee to the nearby kingdom of Egypt, where you think you will find security, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, remnant of Judah: So said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel: If you set your faces to come to Egypt, and you come to reside there,

וְהָיְתָה הַחֶרֶב אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם יְרֵאִים מִמֶּנָּה — שָׁם תַּשִּׂיג אֶתְכֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם; וְהָרָעָב אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּם דֹּאֲגִים מִמֶּנּוּ — שָׁם יִדְבַּק אַחֲרֵיכֶם מִצְרַיִם וְשָׁם תָּמֻתוּ

it shall be that the sword that you fear will overtake you there, in the land of Egypt, and the famine of which you are concerned will pursue after you there, in Egypt, and there you will die.

וְיִהְיוּ כָל־הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־שָׂמוּ אֶת־פְּנֵיהֶם לָבוֹא מִצְרַיִם לָגוּר שָׁם — יָמוּתוּ בַּחֶרֶב בָּרָעָב וּבַדָּבֶר וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה לָהֶם שָׂרִיד וּפָלִיט מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם

It shall be concerning all the men who set their faces, who planned, to come to Egypt to reside there, that they will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, and there will not be a remnant or a survivor among them because of the evil that I am bringing upon them.

כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּאֲשֶׁר נִתַּךְ אַפִּי וַחֲמָתִי עַל־יֹשְׁבֵי יְרוּשָׁלִַם — כֵּן תִּתַּךְ חֲמָתִי עֲלֵיכֶם בְּבֹאֲכֶם מִצְרָיִם וִהְיִיתֶם לְאָלָה וּלְשַׁמָּה וְלִקְלָלָה וּלְחֶרְפָּה וְלֹא־תִרְאוּ עוֹד אֶת־הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה

For so said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel: Just as My wrath and My anger were poured on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My wrath be poured on you upon your arrival in Egypt, and you will become a paradigm of misfortune, cited by others who take an oath, and you will be an object of astonishment, a curse, and a disgrace, and you will not see this place, Judah, again. If you exile yourselves to Egypt, you will die there in an undignified manner.

דִּבֶּר ה' עֲלֵיכֶם שְׁאֵרִית יְהוּדָה אַל־תָּבֹאוּ מִצְרָיִם יָדֹעַ תֵּדְעוּ כִּי־הַעִידֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם

When Jeremiah delivered the word of God to the people, he apparently sensed that they had already decided to travel to Egypt, despite their earlier declaration that they would heed whatever God said. In essence, they were misleading him as well as themselves. Therefore, he adds an additional warning of his own. The Lord spoke about you, remnant of Judah: Do not come to Egypt; know that I forewarned you today.

כִּי הִתְעֵיתֶם בְּנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם כִּי־אַתֶּם שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֹתִי אֶל־ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם לֵאמֹר הִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעֲדֵנוּ אֶל־ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וּכְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ — כֵּן הַגֶּד־לָנוּ וְעָשִׂינוּ

For you have been false with yourselves; alternatively: You have misled me of your own will, or at the cost of your lives, as you sent me to the Lord your God, saying: Pray on our behalf to the Lord our God; and in accordance with everything that the Lord our God will say, tell us, and we will do it.

וָאַגִּד לָכֶם הַיּוֹם וְלֹא שְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקוֹל ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם

I told you today, but you did not heed the voice of the Lord your God and everything with which He sent me to you.

וְעַתָּה יָדֹעַ תֵּדְעוּ כִּי בַּחֶרֶב בָּרָעָב וּבַדֶּבֶר תָּמוּתוּ בַּמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר חֲפַצְתֶּם לָבוֹא לָגוּר שָׁם

Now, know that by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence you will die in the place where you desire to come to reside there. Jeremiah’s prophecy is clear: If the people remain in Israel, they will merit security, success, and prosperity, and they will have no reason to fear the king of Babylon. Conversely, if they travel to Egypt, they will experience troubles and suffering.