Disaster Because of Idolatry
1This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt: 2“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins 3because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew. 4Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’ 5But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. 6Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.
7“Now this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant? 8Why arouse my anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves a curse44:8 That is, your name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that you are cursed; also in verse 12; similarly in verse 22. and an object of reproach among all the nations on earth. 9Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your ancestors and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? 10To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your ancestors.
11“Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah. 12I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach. 13I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem. 14None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives.”
15Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, 16“We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! 17We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. 18But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.”
19The women added, “When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?”
20Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, 21“Did not the Lord remember and call to mind the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your ancestors, your kings and your officials and the people of the land? 22When the Lord could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became a curse and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today. 23Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.”
24Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt. 25This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have done what you said you would do when you promised, ‘We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.’
“Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! 26But hear the word of the Lord, all you Jews living in Egypt: ‘I swear by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, “As surely as the Sovereign Lord lives.” 27For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. 28Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.
29“ ‘This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.’ 30This is what the Lord says: ‘I am going to deliver Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hands of his enemies who want to kill him, just as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who wanted to kill him.’ ”
Abosonsom Mu Amanehunu
1Saa asɛm yi baa Yeremia nkyɛn; ɛfa Yudafo a wɔtete Misraim anafo fam wɔ Migdol, Tapanhes, Memfis ne Misraim atifi fam no ho. 2“Sɛɛ na Asafo Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, se: Muhuu amanehunu kɛse a mede baa Yerusalem ne Yuda nkurow nyinaa so no. Nnɛ wɔayeyɛ amamfo na wɔasɛesɛe 3esiane bɔne a wɔayɛ no nti. Wɔhyew nnuhuam, som anyame foforo a, wɔn anaa mo anaa mo agyanom nnim wɔn de hyɛɛ me abufuw. 4Mesomaa mʼasomfo adiyifo mpɛn pii a wɔkae se, ‘Monnyɛ saa atantanne a mikyi no!’ 5Nanso wɔantie, wɔamfa anyɛ asɛm, na wɔannan amfi wɔn amumɔyɛsɛm no ho na wɔannyae hyew a wɔhyew nnuhuam ma anyame foforo no. 6Enti mihwiee mʼabufuw gui, na ɛdɛw kɔɔ Yuda nkurow ne Yerusalem mmɔnten so ma ɛsɛesɛe na ɛdedaa mpan sɛnea ɛtete nnɛ yi.
7“Na mprempren, nea Asafo Awurade Nyankopɔn, Israel Nyankopɔn se ni: Adɛn nti na mode amanehunu kɛse aba mo ho so, sɛ muyii mmarima ne mmea, mmofra ne mmotafowa fii Yuda a moannyaw nkae biara amma mo ho. 8Adɛn nti na mode nea mo nsa ayɛ hyɛ me abufuw, na mohyew nnuhuam ma anyame foforo wɔ Misraim, baabi a moabɛtena hɔ no? Mobɛsɛe mo ho, na moayɛ nnome ne nsopa wɔ asase so amanaman nyinaa mu. 9Mo werɛ afi amumɔyɛsɛm a mo agyanom, Yuda ahemfo ne ahemmea yɛe, na mo ne mo yerenom nso yɛɛ wɔ Yuda asase ne Yerusalem mmɔnten so no ana? 10Ebesi nnɛ yi, wɔmmrɛɛ wɔn ho ase, wɔnnaa nidi adi na wonnii me mmara ne ahyɛde a mede maa mo ne mo agyanom no so.
11“Enti nea Asafo Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, se ni: Masi mʼadwene pi sɛ mede amanehunu bɛba mo so na masɛe Yuda nyinaa. 12Mɛfa Yuda nkae a wosii wɔn adwene pi sɛ wɔbɛkɔ Misraim akɔtena hɔ no. Wɔn nyinaa bewuwu wɔ Misraim; wɔbɛtotɔ wɔ afoa ano anaa ɔkɔm bekum wɔn. Efi akumaa so kosi ɔkɛse so, afoa ne ɔkɔm bekunkum wɔn. Wɔbɛyɛ nnome, ahodwiriwde, afɔbude ne ahohora. 13Mede afoa, ɔkɔm ne ɔyaredɔm bɛtwe wɔn a wɔtete Misraim no aso, sɛnea metwee Yerusalem aso no. 14Yuda nkae a wɔakɔtena Misraim no mu biara renguan, na wɔremfa wɔn ho nni na wɔasan aba Yuda, asase a wɔpɛ sɛ wɔsan bɛtena so no so; wɔn mu biara remma, gye aguanfo kakraa bi.”
15Afei mmarima a na wonim sɛ wɔn yerenom hyew nnuhuam ma anyame foforo, wɔne mmea a wɔwɔ hɔ no nyinaa, nnipadɔm no, ne nnipa a wɔwɔ Misraim Atifi fam ne Anafo fam ka kyerɛɛ Yeremia se, 16“Yɛrentie asɛm a waka akyerɛ yɛn wɔ Awurade din mu no! 17Ampa ara yɛbɛyɛ biribiara a yɛkae se yɛbɛyɛ: Yɛbɛhyew nnuhuam ama Ɔsoro Hemmea na yɛahwie ahwiesa ama no, sɛnea yɛne yɛn agyanom, ahemfo ne adwumayɛfo yɛɛ wɔ Yuda nkurow ne Yerusalem mmɔnten so no pɛpɛɛpɛ. Saa bere no na yɛwɔ aduan, na yedi yiye a yenni ɔhaw biara nso. 18Nanso efi bere a yegyaee nnuhuam a yɛhyew ma Ɔsoro Hemmea, na yegyaee ahwiesa a yɛde ma no no, biribiara abɔ yɛn na yɛrewuwu wɔ afoa ne ɔkɔm ano.”
19Na mmea no ka kaa ho se, “Bere a yɛhyew nnuhuam maa44.19 mmea—Esiane sɛ na Ɔsoro Hemmea no yɛ Babilonia bosom a ɔma awo no nti, na mmea di ne som no mu akoten. Ɔsoro Hemmea, na yehwiee ahwiesa maa no no, na yɛn kununom nnim sɛ yɛto ɔfam a ɛyɛ ne sɛso, hwie ahwiesa ma no ana?”
20Na Yeremia ka kyerɛɛ nnipa no nyinaa; mmarima ne mmea a wɔrebua no no se, 21“Mususuw sɛ, Awurade nnim sɛ, na mo ne mo agyanom, mo ahemfo, adwumayɛfo ne ɔmanfo no hyew nnuhuam ma ahoni wɔ Yuda nkurow so ne Yerusalem mmɔnten so ana? 22Bere a mo amumɔyɛ ne akyiwade a moyɛɛ no fonoo Awurade no, mo asase dannan nnomede ne amamfo a obiara nte so, sɛnea ɛte nnɛ yi. 23Esiane sɛ moahyew nnuhuam, ayɛ bɔne atia Awurade, na moanyɛ osetie amma no, na moanni ne mmara, nʼahyɛde ne nʼadansesɛm so nti, amanehunu aba mo so sɛnea muhu yi.”
24Afei Yeremia ka kyerɛɛ nnipa no nyinaa a mmea no ka ho se, “Mo Yudafo a mowɔ Misraim nyinaa muntie Awurade asɛm. 25Sɛɛ na Asafo Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, se: Mo ne mo yerenom de mo nneyɛe akyerɛ mo bɔ a mohyɛe se, ‘Ampa ara yebedi bɔ a yɛhyɛe sɛ, yɛbɛhyew nnuhuam ahwie ahwiesa ama Ɔsoro Hemmea no,’ no so.”
Monkɔ so, munni mo bɔhyɛ ne mo ntam so! 26Nanso muntie Awurade asɛm, mo Yudafo a mowɔ Misraim nyinaa. Mede me din kɛse no ka ntam se, nea Awurade se ni, obiara a ofi Yuda a ɔte Misraim asase so baabiara remmɔ me din nka ntam bio da se, “Sɛ Otumfo Awurade te ase yi.” 27Na mɛhwɛ ama wɔahu amane na ɛnyɛ yiyedi; Yudafo a wɔwɔ Misraim bewuwu wɔ afoa ne ɔkɔm ano kosi sɛ wɔbɛsɛe wɔn nyinaa. 28Wɔn a wobeguan afi afoa ano na wɔasan afi Misraim akɔ Yuda asase so no bɛyɛ kakraa bi. Afei Yuda nkae a wɔbɛtenaa Misraim no nyinaa behu nea nʼasɛm yɛ nokware; me de anaa wɔn de.
29“ ‘Eyi na ɛbɛyɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne ama mo sɛ mɛtwe mo aso wɔ ha, na moahu sɛ ampa ara mʼahunahuna a ɛfa ɔhaw ho no bɛba mu,’ Awurade na ose. 30‘Mede Misraimhene Farao Hofra rebɛhyɛ nʼatamfo a wɔpɛ sɛ wokum no no nsa, sɛnea mede Yudahene Sedekia hyɛɛ Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar, ne tamfo a na ɔrehwehwɛ no akum no no nsa. Sɛɛ na Awurade se.’ ”
