Jeremiah 42

1 And all the princes of (the) warriors nighed, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah, and the residue common people, from a little man unto a great man. (And all the leaders of the warriors, including Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah, along with the common people, from a little man unto a great man, came to the prophet Jeremiah.)

2 And they said to Jeremy, the prophet, Our prayer fall in thy sight, and pray thou for us to thy Lord God, for all these remnants; for we be left a few of many, as thine eyes behold us; (And they said to the prophet Jeremiah, May our prayer come before thee, and thou pray for us to the Lord thy God, yea, for all these remnants; for we who be left be but a few of many, as thine eyes do see;)

3 and thy Lord God tell to us the way, by which we shall go, and the word which we shall do. (and the Lord thy God tell us the way, by which we shall go, and everything that we should do.)

4 Forsooth Jeremy, the prophet, said to them, I have heard (you); lo! I pray to our Lord God, by your words (lo! I shall pray to the Lord your God, with your words); I shall show to you each word, whatever word the Lord shall answer to me, neither I shall hide anything from you.

5 And they said to Jeremy, The Lord be (a) witness of truth and of faith betwixt us; if not by each word, in which thy Lord God shall send thee to us, so we shall do, (And they said to Jeremiah, May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not do each command, which the Lord thy God shall give to thee, for us,)

6 whether it be good either evil. We shall obey to the voice of our Lord God, to whom we send thee, that it be well to us, when we have heard the voice of our Lord God. (whether it be good or evil. We shall obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee, so that it may be well with us, when we have heard the voice of the Lord our God.)

7 Forsooth when ten days were [ful]filled, the word of the Lord was made to Jeremy.

8 And he called Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the princes of warriors, that were with him (and all the leaders of the warriors, who were with him), and all the people from the least unto the most;

9 and he said to them, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, to whom ye sent me, that I should meekly set forth your prayers in his sight.

10 If ye rest, and dwell in this land, I shall build you, and I shall not destroy; I shall plant, and I shall not draw out; for now I am pleased on the evil which I did to you. (If ye rest, and live in this land, I shall build you, and I shall not destroy you; I shall plant you, and I shall not draw you out; for now I repent for the evil which I have done to you.)

11 Do not ye dread of the face of the king of Babylon, whom ye that be fearful, dread; do not ye dread him, saith the Lord, for I am with you, to make you safe, and to deliver [you] from his hand. (Do not ye fear the king of Babylon, whom ye who be fearful, do fear; do not ye fear him, saith the Lord, for I am with you, to make you safe, and to deliver you out of his hands.)

12 And I shall give mercies to you, and I shall have mercy on you, and I shall make you dwell in your land (and I shall help you to live in your own land).

13 Forsooth if ye say, We shall not dwell in this land, neither we shall hear the voice of our Lord God, (But if ye say, We shall not live in this land, nor shall we listen to the voice of the Lord our God,)

14 and say, Nay, but we shall go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see battle, and shall not hear the noise, either sound, of trump, and we shall not suffer hunger, and there we shall dwell; (and say, Nay! but we shall go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see battle, and shall not hear the sound of the trumpet, and we shall not suffer hunger, and we shall live there;)

15 for this thing, ye remnants of Judah, hear now the word of the Lord. The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, If ye set your face, for to enter into Egypt, and if ye enter, to dwell there (If ye set your face, to enter into Egypt, and if ye go, to live there),

16 the sword which ye dread shall take you there in the land of Egypt, and the hunger for which ye be anguished shall cleave to you in Egypt; and there ye shall die (and ye shall die there).

17 And all the men that setted their face, to enter into Egypt, and to dwell there, shall die by sword, and hunger, and pestilence; no man of them shall dwell still, neither shall escape from the face of [the] evil, which I shall bring on them. (And all those who set their face, to enter into Egypt, and to live there, shall die by the sword, and hunger, and pestilence; not one of them shall still remain, nor shall escape from the face of the evil, which I shall bring upon them.)

18 For why the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, As my strong vengeance and mine indignation is welled together on the dwellers of Jerusalem, so mine indignation shall be welled together on you, when ye have entered into Egypt; and ye shall be into swearing, and into wondering, and into cursing, and into shame; and ye shall no more see this place. (For the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, As my strong vengeance and my indignation is welled together upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my indignation shall be welled together upon you, when ye have entered into Egypt; and ye shall be into swearing, and into wondering, and into cursing, and into shame; and ye shall no longer see this place.)

19 The word of the Lord is on you, ye remnants of Judah; do not ye enter into Egypt; ye (that be) witting shall know, that I have witnessed (against that) to you today; (This word of the Lord is for you, ye remnant of Judah; do not ye enter into Egypt; ye who be witting, or who understand, now know, that I have witnessed against that to you today;)

20 for ye have deceived your souls, for ye sent me to your Lord God, and said, Pray thou for us to our Lord God, and by all things whatever things our Lord [God] shall say to thee, so tell thou to us, and we shall do. (for ye have deceived your own souls, when ye sent me to the Lord your God, and said, Pray thou for us to the Lord our God, and everything that the Lord our God shall say to thee, tell thou to us, and we shall do it.)

21 And I told to you today, and ye heard not the voice of your Lord God, on all things for which he sent me to you. (And so I told it to you today, but ye have not listened to, or obeyed, the voice of the Lord your God, regarding anything for which he hath sent me to you.)

22 Now therefore, ye (that be) witting shall know, for ye shall die by sword, and hunger, and pestilence, in the place to which ye would enter, to dwell there. (And so, ye who be witting now know, or understand, that ye shall die by the sword, and hunger, and pestilence, in the place where ye would go, to live there.)

Jeremiah 42 Commentary

Chapter 42

Johanan desires Jeremiah to ask counsel of God. (1-6) They are assured of safety in Judea, but of destruction in Egypt. (7-22)

Verses 1-6 To serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and the captains ask for his assistance. In every difficult, doubtful case, we must look to God for direction; and we may still, in faith, pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our hearts, and the leadings of Providence. We do not truly desire to know the mind of God, if we do not fully resolve to comply with it when we know it. Many promise to do what the Lord requires, while they hope to have their pride flattered, and their favourite lusts spared. Yet something betrays the state of their hearts.

Verses 7-22 If we would know the mind of the Lord in doubtful cases, we must wait as well as pray. God is ever ready to return in mercy to those he has afflicted; and he never rejects any who rely on his promises. He has declared enough to silence even the causeless fears of his people, which discourge them in the way of duty. Whatever loss or suffering we may fear from obedience, is provided against in God's word; and he will protect and deliver all who trust in him and serve him. It is folly to quit our place, especially to quit a holy land, because we meet with trouble in it. And the evils we think to escape by sin, we certainly bring upon ourselves. We may apply this to the common troubles of life; and those who think to avoid them by changing their place, will find that the grievances common to men will meet them wherever they go. Sinners who dissemble with God in solemn professions especially should be rebuked with sharpness; for their actions speak more plainly than words. We know not what is good for ourselves; and what we are most fond of, and have our hearts most set upon, often proves hurtful, and sometimes fatal.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH CAHPTER 42

This chapter contains a request of the Jews to Jeremiah, to pray to the Lord for them to direct them, and the Lord's answer to it. The request is made by the captains and all the people, Jer 42:1-3; which Jeremiah undertook to present to the Lord, Jer 42:4; they promising to go according to the direction that should be given, Jer 42:5,6. After ten days an answer is returned, and the prophet calls the captains and people together to hear it, Jer 42:7,8; the purport of which was, that if they continued in the land of Judah, it would be well with them, and they would be safe, Jer 42:9-12; but if they went into Egypt, they should die by the sword, famine, and pestilence, and be a curse and reproach, and never see their own land more, Jer 42:13-18; they are charged with dissimulation and disobedience, Jer 42:19-21; and the chapter is concluded with an assurance of their perishing by the above judgments in the place they were desirous of dwelling in, Jer 42:22.