1 Eis a palavra que foi dirigida a Jeremias a propósito de todos os judeus, residentes no Egito, em Migdol, em Táfnis, em Mênfis e na região de Faturés:
2 Eis o que diz o Senhor dos exércitos, Deus de Israel: vistes todas as calamidades que fiz recair sobre Jerusalém e sobre todas as cidades de Judá. Converteram-se, agora, em desertos inabitáveis.
3 {Tudo isso aconteceu} por causa do mal que cometeram, irritando-me por incensarem e renderem culto a deuses estranhos que não conheciam, nem vós nem vossos pais.
4 Desde o início, contudo, jamais cessei de enviar-vos os profetas, meus servos, a fim de dizer-vos que não devíeis cometer tão detestáveis abominações.
5 Não me escutaram, porém, e nem deram ouvidos, recusando abandonar sua maldade e cessar de oferecer incenso a deuses estranhos.
6 Assim, sobre eles recaiu toda a minha cólera, consumindo as cidades de Judá e as ruas de Jerusalém, que ficaram reduzidas ao estado de devastação, como hoje se apresentam.
7 E, agora, eis o que diz o Senhor dos exércitos, Deus de Israel: por que trabalhais assim contra vós mesmos, causando desse modo no seio de Judá a exterminação dos homens, das mulheres, das crianças e dos meninos de peito, a tal ponto que de vosso povo ninguém sobreviverá,
8 dado que me irritastes pela vossa vida, ofertando incenso a deuses estranhos, aqui no Egito, aonde viestes estabelecer-vos? Por que perecer e tornar-vos entre todas as nações da terra um tema de maldição e objeto de vergonha?
9 Esquecestes os crimes de vossos pais, os dos reis de Judá e das mulheres de vossa terra, vossos próprios crimes e os de vossas mulheres, cometidos na terra de Judá e nas ruas de Jerusalém?
10 Nenhum arrependimento até hoje sentiram, nem temor tiveram. Não observaram minha lei, nem os mandamentos que vos havia imposto assim como a vossos pais.
11 Eis por que, assim disse o Senhor dos exércitos, Deus de Israel, vou desviar de vós a minha face para vossa desgraça e extermínio de Judá.
12 E tomarei o resto de Judá que quis vir habitar no Egito. Perecerão todos, vítimas da espada e da fome. Perecerão pequenos e grandes, pela espada e pela fome; serão citados como execráveis, e constituirão objeto de espanto, de maldição e de opróbrio.
13 Castigarei os que residem no Egito, como o fiz em Jerusalém, pela espada, pela fome e pela peste.
14 Dos que vieram de Judá estabelecer-se no Egito, nenhum escapará nem sobreviverá para regressar à Judéia, local a que aspiram voltar para lá de novo habitar. Ninguém voltará, a não ser alguns fugitivos.
15 Então, todos os homens, cientes de que suas mulheres ofereciam incenso aos deuses estranhos, todas as mulheres em grande número lá reunidas e todo o povo residente em Faturés, no Egito, responderam a Jeremias:
16 O que nos dizes em nome do Senhor não o aceitamos.
17 Cumpriremos, porém, todas as promessas que fizemos de queimar incenso à rainha do céu e de lhe oferecer libações, como o fazíamos, nós e nossos pais, nossos reis e chefes, nas cidades de Judá e nas ruas de Jerusalém. Então, tínhamos pão em fartura, vivíamos na abundância e não sabíamos o que fosse a desgraça.
18 Ora, depois que cessamos de queimar incenso à rainha do céu e de lhe oferecer libações, tudo nos falta, e perecemos pela espada e pela fome.
19 Além disso, quando queimamos incenso à rainha do céu e lhe oferecemos libações, é, porventura, sem o consentimento de nossos maridos que ofertamos torta à sua efígie e lhe rendemos libações?
20 Dirigiu-se então Jeremias à multidão, aos homens e mulheres e a quantos lhe haviam assim respondido:
21 Do incenso que queimastes, disse-lhes, nas cidades de Judá e nas ruas de Jerusalém, vós, vossos pais, vossos reis e chefes, assim como o povo, não se terá recordado o Senhor e nisso não terá pensado?
22 Não tendo o Senhor podido suportar mais tempo a maldade de vossos atos e abominações, foi nossa terra reduzida ao estado de solidão, devastada e amaldiçoada, onde ninguém mais habita, como hoje se apresenta.
23 E, se a calamidade presente vos adveio, é porque oferecestes o incenso desse modo, pecando contra o Senhor, e porque lhe recusastes ouvir a voz e observar suas leis e preceitos.
24 Jeremias acrescentou, a respeito do povo e das mulheres: Escutai a palavra do Senhor, povo de Judá que reside no Egito.
25 Eis o que diz o Senhor dos exércitos, Deus de Israel: vós e vossas mulheres fazeis com as mãos o que diz a vossa boca. Dizeis: cumpriremos as promessas de oferecer incenso e libações em honra da rainha do céu. - Pois bem! Cumpri vossos votos, mantende vossas promessas.
26 Escutai, porém, a palavra do Senhor, judeus que habitais no Egito. Eis, diz o Senhor, pelo meu grande nome eu juro! Esse nome não será mais pronunciado em todo o Egito por nenhum homem de Judá, dizendo: Pela vida do Senhor Javé!
27 Vou ocupar-me com eles para a desgraça e não para o bem. Todos os judeus que residem no Egito perecerão pela espada e pela fome, até o total aniquilamento.
28 O pequeno número deles que escapar à espada voltará do Egito para Judá. Os sobreviventes de Judá que vierem estabelecer-se no Egito saberão que predição se há de consumar, se a minha, ou a deles.
29 Eis o sinal - oráculo do Senhor - pelo qual reconhecereis que, aqui mesmo, me laçarei contra vós, a fim de que saibais que minha predição se há de cumprir com certeza para a vossa desgraça.
30 Eis o que diz o Senhor: vou entregar o faraó Hofra, rei do Egito, aos seus inimigos e àqueles que lhe querem roubar a vida, assim como entreguei Sedecias, rei de Judá, ao poder de Nabucodonosor, rei de Babilônia, seu inimigo, e que lhe procurava tirar a vida.
1 The word which came to Jeremiah about all the Jews who were living in the land of Egypt, in Migdol and at Tahpanhes and at Noph and in the country of Pathros, saying,
2 The Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: You have seen all the evil which I have sent on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah; and now, this day they are waste and unpeopled;
3 Because of the evil which they have done, moving me to wrath by burning perfumes in worship to other gods, who were not their gods or yours or the gods of their fathers.
4 And I sent all my servants the prophets to you, getting up early and sending them, saying, Do not do this disgusting thing which is hated by me.
5 But they gave no attention, and their ears were not open so that they might be turned from their evil-doing and from burning perfume to other gods.
6 Because of this, my passion and my wrath were let loose, burning in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are waste and unpeopled as at this day.
7 So now, the Lord, the God of armies, the God of Israel, has said, Why are you doing this great evil against yourselves, causing every man and woman, little child and baby at the breast among you in Judah to be cut off till not one is still living;
8 Moving me to wrath with the work of your hands, burning perfumes to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to make a place for yourselves, so that you may become a curse and a name of shame among all the nations of the earth?
9 Have you no memory of the evil-doing of your fathers, and the evil-doing of the kings of Judah, and the evil-doing of their wives, and the evil which you yourselves have done, and the evil which your wives have done, in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 Even to this day their hearts are not broken, and they have no fear, and have not gone in the way of my law or of my rules which I gave to you and to your fathers.
11 So this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: See, my face will be turned against you for evil, for the cutting off of all Judah;
12 And I will take the last of Judah, whose minds are fixed on going into the land of Egypt and stopping there, and they will all come to their end, falling in the land of Egypt by the sword and by being short of food and by disease; death will overtake them, from the least to the greatest, death by the sword and by need of food: they will become an oath and a cause of wonder and a curse and a name of shame.
13 For I will send punishment on those who are living in the land of Egypt, as I have sent punishment on Jerusalem, by the sword and by need of food and by disease:
14 So that not one of the rest of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt and are living there, will get away or keep his life, to come back to the land of Judah where they are hoping to come back and be living again: for not one will come back, but only those who are able to get away.
15 Then all the men who had knowledge that their wives were burning perfumes to other gods, and all the women who were present, a great meeting, answering Jeremiah, said,
16 As for the word which you have said to us in the name of the Lord, we will not give ear to you.
17 But we will certainly do every word which has gone out of our mouths, burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her as we did, we and our fathers and our kings and our rulers, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then we had food enough and did well and saw no evil.
18 But from the time when we gave up burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, we have been in need of all things, and have been wasted by the sword and by need of food.
19 And the women said, When we were burning perfumes to the queen of heaven and draining out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes in her image and give her our drink offerings without the knowledge of our husbands?
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women and all the people who had given him that answer,
21 The perfumes which you have been burning in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers and your kings and your rulers and the people of the land, had the Lord no memory of them, and did he not keep them in mind?
22 And the Lord was no longer able to put up with the evil of your doings and the disgusting things you did; and because of this your land has become a waste and a cause of wonder and a curse, with no one living in it, as at this day.
23 Because you have been burning perfumes, and sinning against the Lord, and have not given ear to the voice of the Lord, or gone in the way of his law or his rules or his orders; for this reason this evil has come on you, as it is today.
24 Further, Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, Give ear to the word of the Lord, all those of Judah who are living in Egypt:
25 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: You women have said with your mouths, and with your hands you have done what you said, We will certainly give effect to the oaths we have made, to have perfumes burned to the queen of heaven and drink offerings drained out to her: then give effect to your oaths and do them.
26 And now give ear to the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are living in the land of Egypt: Truly, I have taken an oath by my great name, says the Lord, that my name is no longer to be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, By the life of the Lord God.
27 See, I am watching over them for evil and not for good: all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will be wasted by the sword and by need of food till there is an end of them.
28 And those who get away safe from the sword will come back from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, a very small number; and all the rest of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt and are living there, will see whose word has effect, mine or theirs.
29 And this will be the sign to you, says the Lord, that I will give you punishment in this place, so that you may see that my words will certainly have effect against you for evil:
30 The Lord has said, See, I will give up Pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, into the hands of those who are fighting against him and desiring to take his life, as I gave Zedekiah, king of Judah, into the hands of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, his hater, who had designs against his life.