Jeremiah 42:1-7

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.

Jeremiah 42:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

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.