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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Jeremiah 44 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/jeremiah/44.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/jeremiah/44-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > Jeremiah 44</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../jeremiah/43.htm" title="Jeremiah 43">◄</a> Jeremiah 44 <a href="../jeremiah/45.htm" title="Jeremiah 45">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">The <span class="nd">Lord</span> Will Destroy the People of Judah</h3><p class="par"><span class="v24_44_1"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.1" class="v24_44_1">1</span>The <span class="nd">Lord</span> told me to speak with the Jews who were living in the towns of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis in northern Egypt, and also to those living in southern Egypt. He told me to tell them:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v24_44_2"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.2" class="v24_44_2">2</span>I am the <span class="nd">Lord</span> All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You saw how I destroyed Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. They lie empty and in ruins today, </span><span class="v24_44_3"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.3" class="v24_44_3">3</span>because the people of Judah made me angry by worshiping gods that had never helped them or their ancestors.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v24_44_4"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.4" class="v24_44_4">4</span>Time after time I sent my servants the prophets to tell the people of Judah how much I hated their disgusting sins. The prophets warned them to stop sinning, </span><span class="v24_44_5"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.5" class="v24_44_5">5</span>but they refused to listen and would not stop worshiping other gods. </span><span class="v24_44_6"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.6" class="v24_44_6">6</span>Finally, my anger struck like a raging flood, and today Jerusalem and the towns of Judah are nothing but empty ruins.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v24_44_7"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.7" class="v24_44_7">7</span>Why do you now insist on heading for another disaster? A disaster that will destroy not only you, but also your children and babies. </span><span class="v24_44_8"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.8" class="v24_44_8">8</span>You have made me angry by worshiping idols and burning incense to other gods after you came here to Egypt. You will die such a disgusting death, that other nations will use the name of Judah as a curse word. </span><span class="v24_44_9"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.9" class="v24_44_9">9</span>When you were living in Jerusalem and Judah, you followed the example of your ancestors in doing evil things, just like your kings and queens. </span><span class="v24_44_10"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.10" class="v24_44_10">10</span>Even now, your pride keeps you from respecting me and obeying the laws and teachings I gave you and your ancestors.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v24_44_11"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.11" class="v24_44_11">11</span>I, the <span class="nd">Lord</span> All-Powerful, have decided to wipe you out with disasters. </span><span class="v24_44_12"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.12" class="v24_44_12">12</span>There were only a few of you left in Judah, and you decided to go to Egypt. But you will die such horrible deaths in war or from starvation, that people of other countries will use the name of Judah as a curse word. </span><span class="v24_44_13"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.13" class="v24_44_13">13</span>I punished Jerusalem with war, hunger, and disease, and that's how I will punish you. </span><span class="v24_44_14"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.14" class="v24_44_14">14</span>None of you will survive. You may hope to return to Judah someday, but only a very few of you will escape death and be able to go back.</span></p><h3 class="s1">The People Refuse To Worship the <span class="nd">Lord</span></h3><p class="par"><span class="v24_44_15"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.15" class="v24_44_15">15</span>A large number of Jews from both northern and southern Egypt listened to me as I told them what the <span class="nd">Lord</span> had said. Most of the men in the crowd knew that their wives often burned incense to other gods. So they and their wives shouted:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v24_44_16"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.16" class="v24_44_16">16</span>Jeremiah, what do we care if you speak in the <span class="nd">Lord</span>'s name? We refuse to listen! </span><span class="v24_44_17"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.17" class="v24_44_17">17</span>We have promised to worship the goddess Astarte, the Queen of Heaven,<a href="#fn" id="link_Jer.44.17!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> and that is exactly what we are going to do. We will burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to her, just as we, our ancestors, our kings, and our leaders did when we lived in Jerusalem and the other towns of Judah. We had plenty of food back then. We were well off, and nothing bad ever happened to us. </span><span class="v24_44_18"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.18" class="v24_44_18">18</span>But since the time we stopped burning incense and offering wine sacrifices to her, we have been dying from war and hunger.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v24_44_19"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.19" class="v24_44_19">19</span>Then the women said, “When we lived in Judah, we worshiped the Queen of Heaven and offered sacrifices of wine and special loaves of bread shaped like her. Our husbands knew what we were doing, and they approved of it.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v24_44_20"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.20" class="v24_44_20">20</span>Then I told the crowd:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v24_44_21"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.21" class="v24_44_21">21</span>Don't you think the <span class="nd">Lord</span> knew that you and your ancestors, your leaders and kings, and the rest of the people were burning incense to other gods in Jerusalem and everywhere else in Judah? </span><span class="v24_44_22"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.22" class="v24_44_22">22</span>And when he could no longer put up with your disgusting sins, he placed a curse on your land and turned it into a desert, as it is today. </span><span class="v24_44_23"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.23" class="v24_44_23">23</span>This disaster happened because you worshiped other gods and rebelled against the <span class="nd">Lord</span> by refusing to obey him or follow his laws and teachings.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v24_44_24"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.24-Jer.44.25" class="v24_44_24">24-25</span>Then I told the men and their wives, that the <span class="nd">Lord</span> All-Powerful, the God of Israel, had said:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v24_44_24">Here in Egypt you still keep your promises to burn incense and offer sacrifices of wine to the so-called Queen of Heaven. </span><span class="v24_44_26"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.26" class="v24_44_26">26</span>Keep these promises! But let me tell you what will happen. As surely as I am the <span class="nd">Lord</span> God, I swear that I will never again accept any promises you make in my name. </span><span class="v24_44_27"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.27" class="v24_44_27">27</span>Instead of watching over you, I will watch for chances to harm you. Some of you will die in war, and others will starve to death. </span><span class="v24_44_28"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.28" class="v24_44_28">28</span>Only a few will escape and return to Judah. Then everyone who went to live in Egypt will know that when I say something will happen, it will—no matter what you say.</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v24_44_29"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.29" class="v24_44_29">29</span>And here is how you will know that I will keep my threats to punish you in Egypt. </span><span class="v24_44_30"><span class="reftext" id="Jer.44.30" class="v24_44_30">30</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Jer.44.30!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> I will hand over King Hophra of Egypt to those who want to kill him,<a href="#fn" id="link_Jer.44.30!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> just as I handed Zedekiah<a href="#fn" id="link_Jer.44.30!f.3" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> over to Nebuchadnezzar,<a href="#fn" id="link_Jer.44.30!f.4" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> who wanted to kill him.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">44.17 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">the goddess Astarte, the Queen of Heaven: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">The Hebrew text has “the queen of heaven,” which probably refers to the goddess Astarte.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">44.30 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">King Hophra … kill him: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hophra, also known as Apries, ruled Egypt from 589 to 570 <char style="sc">b.c.</char>, when he was killed by Ahmosis II, who then became king of Egypt and ruled until 526 <char style="sc">b.c.</char></char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">44.30 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Zedekiah: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See the note at 1.3.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">44.30 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Nebuchadnezzar: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See the note at 21.2.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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