Jeremiah 42

1 Then all [every single one] the commanders [captains, leaders] of the forces [army, military strength], along with Johanan [Jehovah has graced] son of Kareah, Jezaniah [Jehovah has listened] son of Hoshaiah, and all [the entire nation] the people from the least [smallest, most insignificant] to the greatest [most important, prominent], approached [came near, drew close] word study 2 Jeremiah the prophet [a spokesperson for God] and said, “May our petition [humble request, supplication] come before you; pray [intercede, make a plea] to the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God] on behalf of this entire remnant [what is left after destruction, a small surviving group]. For few [a small number, only a little] of us remain of the many [a large multitude], as you can see [behold, observe] with your own eyes [the ability to perceive, understand]. word study 3 Pray that the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God] will tell [declare openly, reveal] us the way [path, journey] we should walk [live, proceed] and the thing [matter, affair] we should do [accomplish, perform].” word study 4 “I have heard [given attention to, listened carefully to] you,” replied Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed, a major prophet] the prophet [someone who speaks for God, a spokesperson]. “I will surely [definitely, without fail] pray [intercede, make petition] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] as you request [according to your words, as you have said], and I will tell [declare openly, make known] you everything [all, the whole] that the LORD [Yehovah] answers [responds, gives an answer]; I will not [absolutely not, by no means] withhold [keep back, hold from] a word [a matter, an affair] from you [keep nothing back from you].” word study 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] be a true [faithful, trustworthy] and faithful [reliable, steadfast] witness [testifier, one who sees and experiences] against us if we do not act upon [obey, follow] every word [message, command] that the LORD [the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] sends [dispatches, commissions] you to tell [inform, instruct] us [to us, towards us]. word study 6 Whether it is [good or evil] pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice [sound or utterance] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] our God [Elohim, the supreme God] to whom we are sending you, so that it may [be well or go well] go well with us, for we will obey the voice of the LORD our God [because we trust in His goodness]!” word study 7 After [at the end of, following] ten [a decade, a period of completion] days [a period of twenty-four hours, a day of reckoning] the word [a matter or affair] of the LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] came [to be, to exist] to Jeremiah [whom Jehovah has appointed, a prophet of God], word study 8 and he summoned [called out to] Johanan [Jehovah has graced] son of Kareah, all [every single one] the commanders [leaders, captains] of the forces [army, military] who were with him, and all [every person, from the least to the greatest] the people [nation, community] from the least [small, insignificant] to the greatest [most important, prominent]. word study 9 Jeremiah told them, “Thus [in this manner, as follows] says the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], the God [Elohim, the supreme deity] of Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants], to whom [toward, in the direction of] you sent me to present [to cause to fall, to bring before] your petition [supplication, a humble request for favor or grace]: word study 10 ‘If [on the condition that] you will indeed stay [dwell, remain, abide] in this land [country, territory, region], then I will build [establish, construct] you up [strengthen, restore] and not [never, under no circumstances] tear [overthrow, destroy] you down [demolish, ruin]; I will plant [establish, cultivate] you and not [never, under no circumstances] uproot [pluck up, remove] you, for [because, since] I will relent [be sorry, comfort] of [concerning, regarding] the disaster [calamity, evil, affliction] I have brought [caused, inflicted] upon [toward, against] you. word study 11 Do not be afraid [have no fear, do not dread] of the king [ruler, monarch] of Babylon [confusion, mixing], whom you now fear [are afraid of, revere]; do not be afraid [dread, be in awe] of him, declares [says, utters] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], for I am with [near, beside] you to save [rescue, deliver] you and deliver [snatch away, rescue] you from him [his hand, his power]. word study 12 And I will show you [have mercy on, grant] compassion [tender love, pity], and he will have [show, grant] compassion [mercy, kindness] on you and restore [cause to return, bring back] you to your own [native, ancestral] land [earth, soil].’ word study 13 But if you say [refuse to obey], ‘We will not stay [dwell, remain] in this [specific] land,’ and you thus disobey [fail to heed] the voice [sound, utterance] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] your God [Elohim, the supreme deity], word study 14 and if you say, ‘No [refusing to obey], but we will go to the land [region, territory] of Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] and live [dwell, reside] there, where we will not see [perceive, experience] war [battle, conflict] or hear [listen to, obey] the sound [voice, noise] of the ram’s horn [trumpet] or hunger [be hungry, lack food] for bread [food, sustenance],’ word study 15 then hear [listen and obey] the word [message, declaration] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], O remnant [what is left after destruction] of Judah! This is what the LORD [God of Israel] of Hosts [armies, heavenly forces], the God [Elohim, supreme deity] of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined [set your faces, fully intend] to go [enter, migrate] to Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa] and reside [sojourn, live as a foreigner] there, word study 16 then the sword [instrument of war, cutting instrument] you fear [dread, are anxious about] will overtake [catch up to, reach] you there [in that place, at that time], and the famine [hunger, lack of food] you dread [are afraid of, fear] will follow [pursue, cleave to] on your heels [closely, relentlessly] into Egypt [the land of the Egyptians], and you will die [perish, come to an end] there [in that place, at that time]. word study 17 So all [every single one, without exception] who resolve [set their faces, determine] to go to Egypt [a foreign land, a place of exile] to reside [to sojourn, live as foreigners] there will die [meet their end, perish] by sword [violence, warfare] and famine [hunger, lack of food] and plague [pestilence, disease] [a trio of devastating judgments]. Not one of them will survive [remain alive, escape] or escape [flee, be delivered] the disaster [evil, calamity] I will bring [send, inflict] upon them [on their heads, as a consequence].’ word study 18 For this is what the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] of Hosts [armies, heavenly forces], the God [Elohim, the supreme Creator] of Israel, says: ‘Just as My anger [intense wrath, fierce indignation] and wrath [burning fury, fierce passion] were poured out [liberally bestowed, abundantly given] on the residents [inhabitants, dwellers] of Jerusalem, so will My wrath [righteous judgment, holy anger] be poured out [freely bestowed, generously given] on you if you go to Egypt [a place of bondage, a land of slavery]. You will become an object of cursing [a token of divine displeasure] and horror [dread, terror], of vilification [shame, reproach] and disgrace [shame, humiliation], and you will never see [behold, gaze upon] this place [the land of promise, the holy city] again.’ word study 19 The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] has told you, O remnant [what is left after destruction] of Judah, ‘Do not [in no way] go to Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa].’ Know [to ascertain by seeing, to learn] for sure that I have warned [testified, given witness] you today [this present day, at this moment]! word study 20 For you have deceived [led astray, gone astray in your hearts] yourselves by sending me to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God], saying, ‘Pray [intercede, make petition] to the LORD our God on our behalf [for our sake, in our place], and as for all [everything, the whole] that the LORD our God says [speaks, commands], tell [declare, make known] it to us and we will do [obey, fulfill] it.’ word study 21 For I have told [declared openly, made known] you today [at this present time], but you have not obeyed [given ear to, heeded] the voice [sound, utterance] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God] in all [everything, every matter] He has sent [dispatched, commissioned] me to tell [inform, announce] you. word study 22 Now [at this time, in this moment] therefore, know [be aware, understand, perceive] for sure [certainly, without a doubt] that by [through, because of] sword [cutting instrument, warfare] and famine [hunger, lack of food] and plague [disease, pestilence, devastation] you will die [pass away, come to an end] in the place [location, region, area] where you desire [wish, long] to go [travel, migrate] to reside [live, dwell, stay] [as sojourners, temporarily].” word study