The Hebrew Prophets

And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,

`Take in thy hand great stones, and thou hast hidden them, in the clay, in the brick-kiln, that is at the opening of the house of Pharaoh in Tahpanhes, before the eyes of the men of Judah,

and thou hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: `Lo, I am sending, and I have taken Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have set his throne above these stones that I have hid, and he hath stretched out his pavilion over them,

and he hath come, and smitten the land of Egypt--those who are for death to death, and those who are for captivity to captivity, and those who are for the sword to the sword.

And I have kindled a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and it hath burned them, and he hath taken them captive, and covered himself with the land of Egypt, as cover himself doth the shepherd with his garment, and he hath gone forth thence in peace;

and he hath broken the standing pillars of the house of the sun, that is in the land of Egypt, and the houses of the gods of Egypt he doth burn with fire.'

The word that hath been unto Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who are dwelling in the land of Egypt--who are dwelling in Migdol, and in Tahpanhes, and in Noph, and in the land of Pathros--saying,

`Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Ye--ye have seen all the evil that I have brought in on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah, and lo, they are a waste this day, and there is none dwelling in them,

because of their wickedness that they have done, by provoking Me to anger, by going to make perfume, by serving other gods, that they knew not, they, ye, and your fathers.

`And I send unto you all my servants, the prophets, rising early and sending, saying: I pray you, do not this abomination that I have hated--

and they have not hearkened nor inclined their ear, to turn back from their wickedness, not to make perfume to other gods,

and poured out is My fury, and Mine anger, and it burneth in cities of Judah, and in streets of Jerusalem, and they are for a waste, for a desolation, as at this day.

`And, now, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Why are ye doing great evil unto your own souls, to cut off to you man and woman, infant and suckling, from the midst of Judah, so as not to leave to you a remnant:

by provoking Me to anger by the works of your hands, by making perfume to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye are going in to sojourn, so as to cut yourselves off, and so as to your being for a reviling and for a reproach among all nations of the earth?

`Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, that they have done in the land of Judah, and in streets of Jerusalem?

They have not been humbled unto this day, nor have they been afraid, nor have they walked in My law, and in My statutes, that I have set before you and before your fathers.

`Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Lo, I am setting my face against you for evil, even to cut off all Judah,

and I have taken the remnant of Judah, who have set their faces to enter the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they have all been consumed in the land of Egypt; they fall by sword, by famine they are consumed, from the least even unto the greatest, by sword and by famine they die, and they have been for an execration, for an astonishment, and for a reviling, and for a reproach.

`And I have seen after those dwelling in the land of Egypt, as I saw after Jerusalem, with sword, with famine, and with pestilence,

and there is not an escaped and remaining one of the remnant of Judah, who are entering into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, even to turn back to the land of Judah, whither they are lifting up their soul to return to dwell, for they do not turn back, except those escaping.'

And they answer Jeremiah--all the men who are knowing that their wives are making perfume to other gods, and all the women who are remaining, a great assembly, even all the people who are dwelling in the land of Egypt, in Pathros--saying:

`The word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of Jehovah--we are not hearkening unto thee;

for we certainly do everything that hath gone out of our mouth, to make perfume to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out to her libations, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our heads, in cities of Judah, and in streets of Jerusalem, and--we are satisfied with bread, and we are well, and evil we have not seen.

`And from the time we have ceased to make perfume to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out to her libations, we have lacked all, and by sword and by famine we have been consumed,

and when we are making perfume to the queen of the heavens, and pouring out to her libations--without our husbands have we made for her cakes to idolize her, and to pour out to her libations?'