v. 7. And it came to pass after ten days, during which the caravan remained encamped in the same place, since Jeremiah did not presume to speak of himself, but awaited the inspiration of the Lord, that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, by special revelation or in a vision.
v. 8. Then called he Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people, from the least even to the greatest, the same ones who had presented their petition to him, v. 1,
v. 9. and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, the fact that He is the Lord of His people, of His Church, being brought out here, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplications before Him:
v. 10. If ye will still abide in this land, continuing to make their home in the country of their fathers, then will I build you and not pull you down, a figure taken from the erection of buildings, and I will plant you and not pluck you up, a figure taken from the work of a gardener; for I repent Me of the evil that I have done unto you, their repentance would cause His good will to return upon them.
v. 11. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid, the fear of whose vengeance had caused them to prepare for flight; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand, an assurance of safety which should have quieted all their fears.
v. 12. And I will show mercies unto you, literally, "I will give you to experience mercies," that he, the king of Babylon, may have mercy upon you and cause you to return to your own land, which they were now leaving in abject flight.
v. 13. But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord, your God, thereby once more becoming guilty of open rebellion against God,
v. 14. saying, No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, a plan which they had at least been discussing, if they had not yet decided upon it, where we will see no war nor hear the sound of the trumpet, as it called the soldiers to the battle, nor have hunger of bread, in the various unfortunate conditions accompanying war with which they had become so familiar in the last year, and there will we dwell;
v. 15. and now, therefore, the direct prophecy resumed after the parenthetical remark concerning the possibility of their resuming their rebellious ways, hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, determined upon their course, no matter what the consequences would be, and go to sojourn there, to make it a place of refuge at least for the time being,
v. 16. then it shall come to pass that the sword which ye feared, contrary to the assurance of Jehovah, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine whereof ye were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt, pursuing them with unrelenting fierceness; and there ye shall die.
v. 17. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there, having definitely made up their mind to that effect: they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, which, by God's punishment, could strike them in Egypt as well as in Judea; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.
v. 18. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, As Mine anger and My fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, resulting in the destruction which they had witnessed, so shall My fury be poured forth upon you when ye shall enter into Egypt; and ye shall be an execration, an object of cursing, and an astonishment, an object of horror, and a curse, and a reproach, an object of derision; and ye shall see this place no more.
v. 19. The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah, so the prophet now elaborates upon the direct prophecy of Jehovah, Go ye not into Egypt; know certainly that I have admonished you this day, testifying against them and warning them.
v. 20. For ye dissembled in your hearts, literally, "ye have used deceit upon your own souls," when ye sent me unto the Lord, your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord, our God, and according unto all that the Lord, our God, shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it. Cf vv. 5-6.
v. 21. And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, your God, nor anything for the which He hath sent me unto you, their very attitudes expressing their dissatisfaction with the directions transmitted to them.
v. 22. Now, therefore, know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn. It was a last solemn warning, which, however, was bound to be disregarded by the obstinate Jews, just as so many similar warnings since have been neglected to the unbelievers' hurt.