The People Go to Egypt

¹I told the people everything the Lord had told me.

²But Azariah, Johanan and some other arrogant men said to me, “You're lying! The Lord didn't tell you to say that we shouldn't go to Egypt.[#43.2 Hebrew “Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah.”]

³Baruch son of Neriah must have told you to say that. He wants the Babylonians to capture us, so they can take us away to Babylonia or even kill us.”

⁴Johanan, the other army officers, and everyone else refused to stay in Judah in spite of the Lord 's command.

⁵So Johanan and the officers led us away toward Egypt. The group that left Judah included those who had been scattered in other countries and who had then come back to live in Judah.[#2 K 25.26.]

⁶Baruch and I and others in the group had been staying with Gedaliah, because Nebuzaradan, the Babylonian officer in charge of the guard, had ordered him to take care of the king's daughters and quite a few men, women, and children.

⁷The people disobeyed the Lord and went to Egypt. The group had settled in Tahpanhes,

⁸when the Lord told me: