New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Jeremiah 44
1
A message came to me from the Lord about all of the Jews who were living in Lower Egypt. They were living in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis. It was also about all of the Jews who were living in Upper Egypt.
Reference
Parallel theme
Exodus 14:2
Jeremiah 2:16
Ezekiel 30:14
References Egypt
Isaiah 11:11
Isaiah 19:13
Jeremiah 46:19
Ezekiel 30:18
Ezekiel 30:16
Ezekiel 29:14
Word
Jeremiah 46:14
2
The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He said, "You saw all of the trouble I brought on Jerusalem. I also brought it on all of the towns in Judah. Today they lie there deserted and destroyed.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 4:7
References Jerusalem
Jeremiah 9:11
Micah 3:12
References Lord
Isaiah 6:11
Jeremiah 34:22
3
That is because of the evil things their people did. They made me very angry. They burned incense to other gods. And they worshiped them. They and you and your people of long ago never had anything to do with those gods before.
Reference
Evil
Deuteronomy 32:17
Nehemiah 9:33
Daniel 9:5
References God
Deuteronomy 29:26
Deuteronomy 13:6
Jeremiah 44:8
4
"Again and again I sent my servants the prophets. They said, 'Don't worship other gods! The Lord hates it!'
Reference
Parallel theme
Ezekiel 8:10
Ezekiel 16:47
Prophecy
Jeremiah 26:5
Jeremiah 7:25
Jeremiah 29:19
Zechariah 7:7
Sin
Jeremiah 7:13
Jeremiah 16:18
2 Chronicles 36:15
5
"But the people didn't listen. They didn't pay any attention. They didn't turn from their sinful ways. They didn't stop burning incense to other gods.
6
"So my burning anger was poured out. It blazed out against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. It made them the dry and empty places they are today."
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 51:20
Jeremiah 7:20
Ezekiel 8:18
References Jerusalem
Isaiah 51:17
Jeremiah 42:18
7
The Lord God who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, "Why do you want to bring all of this trouble on yourselves? You are cutting off from Judah its men and women. You are cutting off the children and babies. Not one of you will be left.
Reference
Evil
Proverbs 5:22
Ezekiel 33:11
Parallel theme
Habakkuk 2:10
Jeremiah 51:22
Proverbs 15:32
Jeremiah 44:14
Jeremiah 9:21
Deuteronomy 32:25
References Lord
Numbers 16:38
Jeremiah 7:19
8
Why do you want to make me angry with the gods your hands have made? Why do you burn incense to the gods of Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves. All of the nations on earth will call down curses on you. They will bring shame on you.
Reference
Curse
Jeremiah 42:18
Isaiah 65:15
Jeremiah 26:6
Jeremiah 29:18
Jeremiah 44:12
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 18:16
2 Chronicles 7:20
Isaiah 3:8
References Egypt
Hebrews 3:16
References God
Jeremiah 44:3
9
"Have you forgotten the evil things your people did long ago? The kings and queens of Judah did those same things. So did you and your wives. They were done in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem.
10
"To this very day the people of Judah have not made themselves low in my sight. They have not shown any respect for me. They have not obeyed my law. They have not followed the rules I gave you and your people long ago."
Reference
11
The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, "I have decided to bring horrible trouble on you. I will destroy the whole land of Judah.
Reference
Evil
Jeremiah 21:10
Amos 9:4
Psalm 34:16
Parallel theme
Leviticus 26:17
References Israel
Leviticus 17:10
12
I will destroy the people of Judah who are left. They had decided to go to Egypt and settle down there. But all of them will die in Egypt. They will die of war or hunger. All of them will die, from the least important of them to the most important. They will die of war or hunger. People will call down curses on them. They will be shocked at them. They will say bad things about them. And they will bring shame on them.
Reference
13
I will use war, hunger and plague to punish the Jews who live in Egypt. I punished Jerusalem in the same way.
Reference
14
"None of the people of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape. Not one of them will live to return to Judah. They long to return and live there. But only a few will escape from Egypt and go back."
Reference
15
All of the Jews who were living in Lower and Upper Egypt gathered to give me their answer. A large crowd had come together. It included men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods. Their wives were there with them. All of them said to me,
Reference
16
"We won't listen to the message you have spoken to us in the Lord's name!
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 19:27
17
We will certainly do everything we said we would. We'll burn incense to the goddess who is called the Queen of Heaven. We'll pour out drink offerings to her. We'll do just as we and our people before us did. Our kings and our officials also did it. All of us did it in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food. We were well off. We didn't suffer any harm.
Reference
Kingdom
Nehemiah 9:34
Jeremiah 19:13
Jeremiah 44:21
Parallel theme
Exodus 16:3
Ezekiel 20:8
2 Kings 17:16
Numbers 30:12
Sacrifice
Jeremiah 7:18
Deuteronomy 23:23
Jeremiah 44:25
18
"But then we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven. We stopped pouring out drink offerings to her. And ever since that time we haven't had anything. Instead, we've been dying of war and hunger."
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 40:12
19
The women added, "We burned incense to the Queen of Heaven. We poured out drink offerings to her. And our husbands knew we were making cakes that looked like her. They knew we were pouring out drink offerings to her."
Reference
20
Then I spoke to all of the people who were answering me. I spoke to men and women alike. I said,
21
"Didn't the Lord know you were burning incense in the towns of Judah? Didn't he care that you were also doing it in the streets of Jerusalem? You and your people before you were doing it. Your kings and officials were doing it too. So were the rest of the people in the land.
Reference
Kingdom
Jeremiah 44:17
Jeremiah 44:9
Parallel theme
Psalm 79:8
Hosea 7:2
References Jerusalem
Jeremiah 11:13
References Lord
Isaiah 64:9
Jeremiah 14:10
Amos 8:7
22
"The Lord couldn't put up with the evil things you were doing anymore. He hated the things you did. So people called down curses on your land. It became a dry and empty desert. No one lived there. And that's the way it still is today.
Reference
Curse
Jeremiah 25:18
Jeremiah 44:12
Evil
Malachi 2:17
Parallel theme
Isaiah 7:13
Isaiah 43:24
Jeremiah 25:11
Jeremiah 25:38
Jeremiah 18:16
23
"You have burned incense to other gods. You have sinned against the Lord. You haven't obeyed him or his law. You haven't followed his rules. You haven't lived up to the terms of the covenant he made with you. That's why all of this trouble has come on you. You have seen it with your own eyes."
Reference
24
Then I spoke to all of the people. That included the women. I said, "All you people of Judah in Egypt, listen to the Lord's message.
Reference
25
The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, 'You and your wives have done what you promised you would do. You said, "We will certainly keep the promises we made to the Queen of Heaven. We'll burn incense to her. We'll pour out drink offerings to her." ' "Go ahead then. Do what you said you would! Keep your promises!
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 14:9
26
But listen to the Lord's message. Listen, all you Jews living in Egypt. 'I take an oath in my own great name,' says the Lord. 'I promise that no one from Judah who lives anywhere in Egypt will ever again pray in my name. None of them will ever take an oath and say, "You can be sure that the Lord and King is alive."
Reference
References God
Hebrews 6:13
Psalm 50:16
Ezekiel 20:39
Amos 6:8
References Lord
Genesis 22:16
Jeremiah 5:2
Jeremiah 4:2
27
" 'I am watching over them to do them harm and not good. The Jews in Egypt will die of war and hunger until all of them are destroyed.
Reference
28
Some will not be killed. They will return to Judah from Egypt. But they will be very few. Then all of the people of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know the truth. They will know whether what I say or what they say will come true.
Reference
Parallel theme
Isaiah 10:19
Psalm 33:11
References Egypt
Jeremiah 44:14
Word
Jeremiah 44:29
Zechariah 1:6
29
" 'I will give you a miraculous sign that I will punish you in this place,' announces the Lord. 'Then you can be sure that my warnings of harm against you will come true.'
Reference
Summary of Jeremiah 44
Jeremiah 44 is one of the strongest confrontations between the prophet and the surviving Judeans in Egypt. The people have already experienced the destruction of Jerusalem, the loss of their homeland, the collapse of the monarchy, and the death or exile of many of their fellow Judeans, yet instead of turning away from the practices Jeremiah says caused the disaster, they openly declare that they intend to continue worshiping other gods.
The chapter begins with Jeremiah addressing the Judeans scattered throughout Egypt, including those living in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and Pathros. He reminds them that they have personally witnessed the devastation of Judah and Jerusalem.
Jeremiah's argument is straightforward: the destruction did not happen randomly.
For generations, the people had repeatedly turned away from God, worshiped other gods, and ignored the warnings delivered through the prophets. God had given them many opportunities to change, but they refused.
Jeremiah now asks an uncomfortable question: Why would they repeat the very behavior that contributed to the destruction of their nation?
The answer becomes clear when the people respond.
They openly tell Jeremiah that they will not obey the Lord's message.
Instead, they intend to continue burning offerings to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her. Their reasoning is especially revealing: they believe that when they worshiped this deity, they had experienced prosperity, food, and security, whereas when they stopped, they experienced famine and war.
In their minds, their personal experience appears to prove that the prophet is wrong.
Jeremiah completely rejects this interpretation.
He argues that their idolatry did not bring prosperity; rather, it was part of the rebellion that brought God's judgment upon Judah. The people have confused correlation with cause. They look at their circumstances and conclude that their religious practices helped them, while Jeremiah looks at the entire history of Judah and sees a repeated pattern of rebellion followed by judgment.
This disagreement reveals a profound spiritual problem: the people have decided that their own interpretation of events is more trustworthy than God's word.
The women also become particularly vocal in this confrontation. They explain that they have practiced this worship with the knowledge and approval of their husbands. This shows that idolatry is not merely a political or priestly issue; it has become part of ordinary family and community life.
Jeremiah responds that the Lord has remembered these practices and judged them.
The fact that the people survived Jerusalem's destruction does not mean that God's judgment has ended. Their relocation to Egypt does not place them outside God's authority.
In fact, Jeremiah warns that Egypt will not provide the safety they expect.
They fled to Egypt because they were afraid of Babylon, but God tells them that war, famine, and disease will follow them there. Only a small number will survive.
This is a powerful continuation of chapter 43. The people thought that changing their location would solve their problem. Jeremiah explains that the deeper issue is not geography but obedience.
The chapter also contains an important contrast between the people's confidence and God's certainty. The people confidently say they will continue their religious practices, while God declares that their decision will lead to judgment. He then gives them a sign involving Pharaoh Hophra, demonstrating that even the political power of Egypt will not provide permanent protection.
The reference to Pharaoh Hophra is significant because Egypt represented exactly what the Judean refugees were seeking: political power, military protection, food, and independence from Babylon.
But Jeremiah's message is that none of these things can replace trust in God.
The chapter is therefore not simply about idolatry. It is about where people place their trust.
The Judeans have chosen foreign gods, Egypt, political security, and their own interpretation of events rather than God's word. They believe they know what has made them prosperous and what will make them safe.
Jeremiah insists that their greatest problem is not external danger but persistent refusal to listen to God.
The chapter is particularly tragic because the people have already witnessed the consequences of their previous choices. Jerusalem's destruction should have been enough to make them reconsider their ways, but instead they interpret the disaster in a completely different way and decide to continue doing what Jeremiah condemns.
This makes Jeremiah 44 a powerful warning about the danger of learning the wrong lesson from suffering.
A painful experience does not automatically produce wisdom. People can experience judgment, loss, or failure and still conclude that they should continue in the same direction.
The central message is that Jeremiah 44 shows the tragic consequences of knowingly rejecting God's warning even after experiencing the results of previous disobedience, because the Judean refugees in Egypt have personally witnessed Jerusalem's destruction yet refuse to believe that their idolatry contributed to the disaster, openly declaring that they will continue worshiping the Queen of Heaven because they believe their past prosperity came from those practices; Jeremiah challenges this reasoning by reminding them that God repeatedly warned Judah before its destruction and that the nation's suffering was connected to its persistent rebellion, while their escape to Egypt cannot protect them because true security does not come from geography, political power, foreign gods, or human plans but from obedience to God, making the chapter a sobering warning that people can witness the consequences of wrong choices and still repeat them when they trust their own interpretation more than God's word.
The chapter begins with Jeremiah addressing the Judeans scattered throughout Egypt, including those living in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and Pathros. He reminds them that they have personally witnessed the devastation of Judah and Jerusalem.
Jeremiah's argument is straightforward: the destruction did not happen randomly.
For generations, the people had repeatedly turned away from God, worshiped other gods, and ignored the warnings delivered through the prophets. God had given them many opportunities to change, but they refused.
Jeremiah now asks an uncomfortable question: Why would they repeat the very behavior that contributed to the destruction of their nation?
The answer becomes clear when the people respond.
They openly tell Jeremiah that they will not obey the Lord's message.
Instead, they intend to continue burning offerings to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her. Their reasoning is especially revealing: they believe that when they worshiped this deity, they had experienced prosperity, food, and security, whereas when they stopped, they experienced famine and war.
In their minds, their personal experience appears to prove that the prophet is wrong.
Jeremiah completely rejects this interpretation.
He argues that their idolatry did not bring prosperity; rather, it was part of the rebellion that brought God's judgment upon Judah. The people have confused correlation with cause. They look at their circumstances and conclude that their religious practices helped them, while Jeremiah looks at the entire history of Judah and sees a repeated pattern of rebellion followed by judgment.
This disagreement reveals a profound spiritual problem: the people have decided that their own interpretation of events is more trustworthy than God's word.
The women also become particularly vocal in this confrontation. They explain that they have practiced this worship with the knowledge and approval of their husbands. This shows that idolatry is not merely a political or priestly issue; it has become part of ordinary family and community life.
Jeremiah responds that the Lord has remembered these practices and judged them.
The fact that the people survived Jerusalem's destruction does not mean that God's judgment has ended. Their relocation to Egypt does not place them outside God's authority.
In fact, Jeremiah warns that Egypt will not provide the safety they expect.
They fled to Egypt because they were afraid of Babylon, but God tells them that war, famine, and disease will follow them there. Only a small number will survive.
This is a powerful continuation of chapter 43. The people thought that changing their location would solve their problem. Jeremiah explains that the deeper issue is not geography but obedience.
The chapter also contains an important contrast between the people's confidence and God's certainty. The people confidently say they will continue their religious practices, while God declares that their decision will lead to judgment. He then gives them a sign involving Pharaoh Hophra, demonstrating that even the political power of Egypt will not provide permanent protection.
The reference to Pharaoh Hophra is significant because Egypt represented exactly what the Judean refugees were seeking: political power, military protection, food, and independence from Babylon.
But Jeremiah's message is that none of these things can replace trust in God.
The chapter is therefore not simply about idolatry. It is about where people place their trust.
The Judeans have chosen foreign gods, Egypt, political security, and their own interpretation of events rather than God's word. They believe they know what has made them prosperous and what will make them safe.
Jeremiah insists that their greatest problem is not external danger but persistent refusal to listen to God.
The chapter is particularly tragic because the people have already witnessed the consequences of their previous choices. Jerusalem's destruction should have been enough to make them reconsider their ways, but instead they interpret the disaster in a completely different way and decide to continue doing what Jeremiah condemns.
This makes Jeremiah 44 a powerful warning about the danger of learning the wrong lesson from suffering.
A painful experience does not automatically produce wisdom. People can experience judgment, loss, or failure and still conclude that they should continue in the same direction.
The central message is that Jeremiah 44 shows the tragic consequences of knowingly rejecting God's warning even after experiencing the results of previous disobedience, because the Judean refugees in Egypt have personally witnessed Jerusalem's destruction yet refuse to believe that their idolatry contributed to the disaster, openly declaring that they will continue worshiping the Queen of Heaven because they believe their past prosperity came from those practices; Jeremiah challenges this reasoning by reminding them that God repeatedly warned Judah before its destruction and that the nation's suffering was connected to its persistent rebellion, while their escape to Egypt cannot protect them because true security does not come from geography, political power, foreign gods, or human plans but from obedience to God, making the chapter a sobering warning that people can witness the consequences of wrong choices and still repeat them when they trust their own interpretation more than God's word.