Jeremias 42

ARC · Chapter 42/52

1Então chegaram todos os principes dos exercitos, e Johanan, filho de Careah, e Jezanias, filho de Hosaias, e todo o povo, desde o menor até ao maior,

2E disseram a Jeremias, o propheta: Caia agora a nossa supplica diante de ti, e roga por nós ao Senhor teu Deus, por todo este resto; porque de muitos restamos uns poucos, como nos vêem os teus olhos;

3Para que o Senhor teu Deus nos ensine o caminho por onde havemos de andar e aquillo que havemos de fazer.

4E disse-lhes Jeremias, o propheta: Tenho ouvido: Eis que orarei ao Senhor vosso Deus conforme as vossas palavras; e será que toda a palavra que o Senhor vos responder eu vol-a declararei; não vos encobrirei palavra alguma.

5Então elles disseram a Jeremias: Seja o Senhor entre nós testemunha da verdade e fidelidade, se não fizermos conforme toda a palavra em que te enviar a nós o Senhor teu Deus.

6Ora seja em bem, ou seja em mal, á voz do Senhor nosso Deus, a quem te enviamos, obedeceremos, para que nos succeda bem, obedecendo á voz do Senhor nosso Deus.

7E succedeu que ao fim de dez dias veiu a palavra do Senhor a Jeremias.

8Então chamou a Johanan, filho de Careah, e a todos os principes dos exercitos, que havia com elle, e a todo o povo, desde o menor até ao maior,

9E disse-lhes: Assim diz o Senhor, Deus de Israel, a quem me enviastes, para lançar a vossa supplica diante d'elle:

10Se de boamente ficardes n'esta terra, então vos edificarei, e não vos derribarei; e vos plantarei, e não vos arrancarei; porque estou arrependido do mal que vos tenho feito.

11Não temaes o rei de Babylonia, a quem vós temeis; não o temaes, diz o Senhor, porque eu sou comvosco, para vos salvar e para vos fazer livrar da sua mão.

12E vos farei misericordia, para que elle tenha misericordia de vós, e vos faça voltar á vossa terra.

13Porém se vós disserdes: Não ficaremos n'esta terra, não obedecendo á voz do Senhor vosso Deus

14Dizendo: Não, antes iremos á terra do Egypto, onde não veremos guerra, nem ouviremos estrondo de trombeta, nem teremos fome de pão, e ali ficaremos.

15Portanto ouvi agora pois a palavra do Senhor, ó resto de Judah: assim diz o Senhor dos Exercitos, Deus de Israel: Se vós absolutamente pozerdes os vossos rostos para entrardes no Egypto, e entrardes para lá peregrinar,

16Será que a espada que vós temeis ali vos alcançará na terra do Egypto, e a fome de que vós receaes ali se vos pegará no Egypto, e ali morrereis.

17Assim serão todos os homens que pozeram os seus rostos para entrarem no Egypto, para lá peregrinarem: morrerão á espada, á fome, e da peste; e d'elles não haverá quem reste e escape do mal que eu farei vir sobre elles.

18Porque assim diz o Senhor dos Exercitos, Deus de Israel: Como se derramou a minha ira e a minha indignação sobre os habitantes de Jerusalem, assim se derramará a minha indignação sobre vós, entrando no Egypto; e servireis de maldição, e de espanto, e de execração, e de opprobrio, e não vereis mais este logar

19Fallou o Senhor ácerca de vós, ó resto de Judah! não entreis no Egypto; por certo sabei que testifiquei contra vós hoje

20Porque enganastes as vossas almas, pois vós me enviastes ao Senhor vosso Deus, dizendo: Ora por nós ao Senhor nosso Deus; e conforme tudo o que disser o Senhor Deus nosso, declara-nol-o assim, e o faremos.

21E vol-o tenho declarado hoje; porém não déstes ouvidos á voz do Senhor vosso Deus, nem a coisa alguma de aquillo que me enviou a vós

22Agora pois sabei por certo que á espada, á fome e da peste morrereis no mesmo logar onde desejastes entrar, para lá peregrinardes.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The remaining people ask Jeremiah to inquire of God about going to Egypt, promising to obey the answer. God responds that they should stay in Judah, warning that fleeing to Egypt would bring the very destruction they feared.

Explanation

This passage reveals a tension common in the experience of faith: asking for guidance while promising obedience in advance, yet already leaning toward a decision different from the answer received. The people wait ten days for Jeremiah's answer, a detail suggesting genuine seriousness in the process, but the final answer — to stay in the devastated land rather than seek apparent safety in Egypt — is not what they were hoping to hear. The promise that 'the sword you fear' would overtake them precisely in Egypt shows how fleeing a problem can, paradoxically, lead straight into it, when the flight goes against clear guidance already received.

Fun facts

  • The ten-day waiting period for the prophetic answer (v. 7) is cited by commentators as a rare biblical example of a clearly defined span of time between a request and a divine answer recorded in the text.
  • The fear of famine and war that drove the flight to Egypt was understandable: Egypt, though politically unstable at the time, was still seen as a region agriculturally more stable than a Judah devastated by war.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Jeremias 42:1After Ishmael’s defeat, all the remaining people -- from the greatest to the least -- gather to consult Jeremiah before deciding what to do next, afraid of Babylonian retaliation for Gedaliah’s death.
  2. Jeremias 42:2The request is humble and explicit: only a small remnant is left of a people that was once great, and they need guidance from God through Jeremiah to know what to do.
  3. Jeremias 42:3They ask specifically for practical direction: what way to go and what to do -- not a theoretical answer, but instruction for action regarding whether or not to go to Egypt.
  4. Jeremias 42:4Jeremiah agrees to pray and promises complete honesty: he will pass on everything God answers, hiding nothing, even if the answer is unwelcome to them.
  5. Jeremias 42:5The people make a formal oath, calling on God as witness that they will faithfully obey whatever the answer brings -- a promise that will soon be broken.
  6. Jeremias 42:6They reinforce the commitment, saying they will obey “whether it be good, or whether it be evil” -- promising to accept the answer even if they do not like it, which in the end will not happen.
  7. Jeremias 42:7Jeremiah waits ten days before receiving God’s answer -- an interval showing that prophetic revelation did not come on instant demand.
  8. Jeremias 42:8After the wait, Jeremiah gathers the same group -- Johanan, the commanders, and all the people -- to deliver the answer they received.
  9. Jeremias 42:9He emphasizes that the message comes directly from God, exactly in answer to the request for guidance they themselves had made.
  10. Jeremias 42:10The group led by Johanan promises to obey God before even knowing the answer (42:5-6). And when the answer comes back against what they wanted -- not to go to Egypt -- they change their minds right away, showing that the question already had a decided answer beforehand.
  11. Jeremias 42:11The main answer: they do not need to fear the king of Babylon, because God promises to be with them to save them and deliver them from his hand, if they stay in the land.
  12. Jeremias 42:12It promises that God will make the Babylonian king himself show them mercy, to the point of letting them remain safely in their own land.
  13. Jeremias 42:13Anticipates the objection the people probably already had in mind: refusing to stay in the land would mean directly disobeying the answer they had asked for.
  14. Jeremias 42:14Describes the reasoning that would lead them to Egypt: the illusion that there would be no war, famine, or violence there -- a hope for safety that God is about to disprove.
  15. Jeremias 42:15Introduces the second part of the answer: what will happen specifically if they insist on going to Egypt against the guidance they received.
  16. Jeremias 42:16The irony of the warning: the very dangers they want to avoid -- sword and famine -- will overtake them precisely in Egypt, the place they chose to flee them.
  17. Jeremias 42:17Extends the threat: everyone who insists on going to Egypt will die by sword, famine, or plague, with no one escaping the announced disaster.
  18. Jeremias 42:18Directly compares what will happen in Egypt to what already happened in Jerusalem: the same wrath of God poured out, resulting in them becoming an object of cursing and mockery among the nations.
  19. Jeremias 42:19Restates the prohibition solemnly, making clear that this is not a suggestion, and that the warning had already been officially given that very same day.
  20. Jeremias 42:20Jeremiah accuses the people of deceiving themselves: they asked for an answer from God while promising to obey, but their real intention was already to go to Egypt regardless -- a sham consultation.
  21. Jeremias 42:21Confirms that the message was faithfully delivered, but the people simply paid no attention to any part of it -- the disobedience was already decided before the answer even arrived.
  22. Jeremias 42:22Closes the chapter by repeating the sentence: whoever insists on going to Egypt will die there, by sword, famine, or plague -- the most direct warning possible before the wrong decision of the next chapter.

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