וַיְהִי כְּכַלּוֹת יִרְמְיָהוּ לְדַבֵּר אֶל־כָּל־הָעָם אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ ה' אֱלֹהֵיהֶם אֲלֵיהֶם אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה

It was when Jeremiah concluded to speak to all the people all the words of the Lord their God, as the Lord their God sent him to them, to tell them all these matters,

וַיֹּאמֶר עֲזַרְיָה בֶן־הוֹשַׁעְיָה וְיוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכָל־הָאֲנָשִׁים הַזֵּדִים אֹמְרִים אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ שֶׁקֶר אַתָּה מְדַבֵּר לֹא שְׁלָחֲךָ ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ לֵאמֹר לֹא־תָבֹאוּ מִצְרַיִם לָגוּר שָׁם

that Azarya son of Hoshaya, and Yohanan son of Kare’ah, and all the evil men spoke, saying to Jeremiah: Falsehood you are speaking. The Lord our God did not send you to say: You shall not go to Egypt to reside there.

כִּי בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּה מַסִּית אֹתְךָ בָּנוּ לְמַעַן תֵּת אֹתָנוּ בְיַד־הַכַּשְׂדִּים לְהָמִית אֹתָנוּ וּלְהַגְלוֹת אֹתָנוּ בָּבֶל

Moreover, you are not even stating your own opinion. Rather, Barukh son of Neriya, your scribe and secretary, incites you against us in order to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, to kill us and to exile us to Babylon, as he himself wants to go there.

וְלֹא־שָׁמַע יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכָל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים וְכָל־הָעָם בְּקוֹל ה' לָשֶׁבֶת בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה

Yohanan son of Kare’ah and all the captains of the soldiers and all the people did not heed the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land of Judah. They feared that the Chaldeans would not care to find out who had killed Gedalya and who had supported him. Instead, they would simply murder all the surviving members of the army that had previously fought them.

וַיִּקַּח יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכָל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֵת כָּל־שְׁאֵרִית יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר־שָׁבוּ מִכָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר נִדְּחוּ־שָׁם לָגוּר בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה

Therefore, Yohanan son of Kare’ah and all the captains of the soldiers took all the remnant of Judah, who had returned, after the destruction of the Land of Israel, from all the neighboring nations where they were banished, in order to reside in the land of Judah:

אֶת־הַגְּבָרִים וְאֶת־הַנָּשִׁים וְאֶת־הַטַּף וְאֶת־בְּנוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֵת כָּל־הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר הִנִּיחַ נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים אֶת גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן וְאֵת יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא וְאֶת־בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּהוּ

the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters, all the people that Nevuzaradan, captain of the guards, had left there, together with Gedalya, son of Ahikam, son of Shafan; and also Jeremiah the prophet and Barukh son of Neriyahu, they took to Egypt against their will.

וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כִּי לֹא שָׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל ה' וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־תַּחְפַּנְחֵס

They, the members of this small army, together with the other survivors of the nation, who by force of circumstance were subject to the authority of Yohanan, came to the land of Egypt as they did not heed the voice of the Lord, and they came as far as the Egyptian city of Tahpanhes.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־ה' אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ בְּתַחְפַּנְחֵס לֵאמֹר׃

The word of the Lord was with Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying:

קַח בְּיָדְךָ אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלוֹת וּטְמַנְתָּם בַּמֶּלֶט בַּמַּלְבֵּן אֲשֶׁר בְּפֶתַח בֵּית־פַּרְעֹה בְּתַחְפַּנְחֵס לְעֵינֵי אֲנָשִׁים יְהוּדִים

Take in your hand great stones, and bury them in the cement, which was not dissimilar to the familiar cement of today, a mixture of mud, sand, and lime. Cement was already used for building in Egypt in those days. And you should place them in the mold [malben] for casting bricks, or the place where bricks [levenim] are made, or it refers to a courtyard in the shape of a rectangle [malben], that is at the entrance of the house of Pharaoh in Tahpanhes, before the eyes of the Jewish men.

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר ה' צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶת־נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עַבְדִּי וְשַׂמְתִּי כִסְאוֹ מִמַּעַל לָאֲבָנִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר טָמָנְתִּי וְנָטָה אֶת־שַׁפְרִירוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם

Say to them: So said the Lord of hosts, God of Israel: Behold, I am sending, and I will take Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I will place his throne above these stones that I buried, and he will spread his luxurious pavilion over them, the stones.

וּבָא וְהִכָּה אֶת־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אֲשֶׁר לַמָּוֶת — לַמָּוֶת וַאֲשֶׁר לַשְּׁבִי — לַשֶּׁבִי וַאֲשֶׁר לַחֶרֶב — לֶחָרֶב

He will come and smite the land of Egypt; those who are to death will go to death, and those who are to captivity, to captivity, and those who are to the sword, to the sword.

וְהִצַּתִּי אֵשׁ בְּבָתֵּי אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם וּשְׂרָפָם וְשָׁבָם וְעָטָה אֶת אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כַּאֲשֶׁר־יַעְטֶה הָרֹעֶה אֶת־בִּגְדוֹ וְיָצָא מִשָּׁם בְּשָׁלוֹם

I will ignite a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he, Nebuchadnezzar, will burn them and take them captive, and he will easily wrap up all the spoils of the land of Egypt, as a nomadic shepherd wraps up his garment and carries it on his shoulder. Such a garment might be one that is worn as protection from the cold, a mattress, or the material of the shepherd’s tent. And he, Nebuchadnezzar, will depart from there in peace.

וְשִׁבַּר אֶת־מַצְּבוֹת בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּי אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם יִשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ

He will shatter the monuments of the house of the sun, probably the well-known city of Heliopolis, where a ritual of sun-worshipping was practiced, which is in the land of Egypt, and the houses of the gods of Egypt he will burn in fire.