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One-sentence summary: The Lord relents from the destruction He purposed against the remnant in Judah and promises them safety if they stay and obey Him; the people rebel against the Lord's words through Jeremiah and flee to Egypt where the Lord swears they will die, although He says a remnant will still escape and return to Judah where He will plant them.
Ishmael of the royal family comes with ten men to the governor at Mizpah, and he eats bread with him. Then, he and the ten men kill him with the sword. He also kills the Jews that are with him and the Chaldeans there, the men of war. After that, on the second day, when no one is yet aware, some other 80 men come from other lands with their beards shaved and clothing torn, having cut themselves, bringing incense and offerings to the house of the Lord, and Ishmael goes to meet them, weeping. He tells them to come to the governor, but once they are in, he kills them also and throws them in a pit. But ten men are found that beg him not to kill them, saying they have treasures in the field of wheat and barley, and he does not kill them. And the pit is filled with the slain. Then, Ishmael carries the rest of the people away captive and goes to the Ammonites. But when the captains of the forces with him hear of all the evil he has done, they take men and go to find him. When the people with him see the captains of the forces and their leader, they are glad, and all the captives turn and come back. However, Ishmael escapes with eight men to the Ammonites. Then the captains and their leader take from Mizpah the rest of the people and depart and dwell in a place near Bethlehem.
All the captains of the forces come near and ask Jeremiah to pray for them, the remnant, that the Lord may show them the way to walk and what to do, and Jeremiah agrees. He says he will tell them whatever the Lord answers. They reply they will do whatever the Lord tells them through Jeremiah, "whether it is pleasing or displeasing...that it may be well with us when we obey the word of the Lord our God." After ten days, the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah, and he gathers all the captains and the people. He tells them that if they will remain in the land of Judah, the Lord will build and plant them. He says He will relent from the disaster He brought upon them. He tells them not to fear the king of Babylon, for the Lord is with them to save and deliver them from him. The Lord will have mercy and cause them to return to their own land. However, if they disobey and decide to go to Egypt to escape war and seek bread, the Lord says that the sword which they fear will overtake them there, along with the famine, and they will die there by the sword, famine, and pestilence, and none will escape. The Lord's fury will be poured on them if they enter Egypt, and they will never see their land again. Then, Jeremiah calls them hypocrites for saying they will do whatever the Lord God says. He says they have do not really want to obey, so they will die in Egypt, because that is where they really desire to go and dwell.
After Jeremiah speaks to the people the word of the Lord, they tell him that he is speaking falsely, that Baruch has set him against them so they may be taken captive to Babylon; they refuse to obey the Lord and stay in the land of Judah, so they go to the land of Egypt. Then, the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah, and He tells him to take large stones and hide them in the brick courtyard at the entrance to Pharaoh's house. He is to tell the people that the Lord will bring Nebuchadnezzar His servant and set his throne above the stones he has hidden. When he comes, he will strike Egypt and deliver to death those appointed to death, and to captivity and the sword. The Lord will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar will burn them and carry them away captive. He will array himself with the land of Egypt like a shepherd putting on his garment, and he will go on from there in peace.
The word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah concerning the Jews who are in Egypt. The Lord says they have seen the calamity the Lord brought on Judah and Jerusalem because they turned from the Lord and served other gods. They didn't listen to His prophets whom He sent. The Lord, therefore, asks why they are sinning against themselves by provoking Him to wrath and worshiping other gods in Egypt, to cut themselves off and become a curse and reproach among all nations. The Lord says because they have not humbled themselves, He will set His face against them, and the remnant of Judah will die in Egypt. Then, the men who know that their wives burn incense to other gods and all the people answer Jeremiah and say that they will not listen to him but will do what they say, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, as they have done in the past, saying they were well off then and saw no trouble. They say since they stopped, they have "lacked everything" and been consumed by the sword and famine. The women say when they worshiped her, they even had their husbands' permission. Then, Jeremiah says to them that the incense they burned in Jerusalem and Judah was brought before the Lord, and that He could not longer bear their evil doings and abominations, and that is why their land has become an abomination and a curse. He tells them to hear the word of the Lord. The Lord swears that His name will no more be named in the mouth of any man in Judah who is in Egypt, saying, "The Lord lives." They will all be consumed. Only a small number who escape the sword will go to Judah, and they will know whose word will stand, the people's or the Lord's. The sign will be that He will punish them, so that they will believe His words. The Lord says He will give Pharaoh into the hands of his enemies as He gave Zedekiah into the hands of his enemy.
Jeremiah speaks to Baruch when he writes the words of the Lord in a book. The Lord says to him that he said, "Woe is me... I find no rest." The Lord says that what He has built, He will break down, what He has planted, He will pluck up and tells him not to seek great things for himself. The Lord says he will have his life as a prize in all places, wherever he goes.
Thoughts/discussion questions:
These passages are a grim reminder of human nature apart from God. Like clockwork, the people chose the wrong way every time and ended up in bondage. We are the same. That is why we need a Savior.