וַיְהִי כְּכַלֹּות יִרְמְיָהוּ לְדַבֵּר אֶל־כָּל־הָעָם אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחֹו יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם   43:1 אֲלֵיהֶם אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה׃

Jere. 43:1   And it was at the end of Jeremiah speaking all the words of the Lord, their God, to all the people, that the Lord, their God, had sent him all these words in regard to them,

וַיֹּאמֶר עֲזַרְיָה בֶן־הוֹשַׁעְיָה וְיוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכָל־הָאֲנָשִׁים הַזֵּדִים אֹמְרִים אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ שֶׁקֶר אַתָּה   43:2

  מְדַבֵּר לֹא שְׁלָחֲךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ לֵאמֹר לֹא־תָבֹאוּ מִצְרַיִם לָגוּר שָׁם׃

Jere. 43:2   then Azariah son of Hoshaiah spoke, as well as Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men, saying to Jeremiah, “You are speaking falsehood.  The Lord, our God, has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go into Egypt to stay there,’

כִּי בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּה מַסִּית אֹתְךָ בָּנוּ לְמַעַן תֵּת אֹתָנוּ בְיַד־הַכַּשְׂדִּים לְהָמִית אֹתָנוּ וּלְהַגְלֹות אֹתָנו   43:4ּ      בָּבֶל׃

Jere. 43:3   but Baruch son of Neriah has been inciting you against us so that he can deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans to put us to death or to carry us away captive to Babylon.”

This sounds to me like an excuse to do what they wanted to do in the first place.  They would not let God get in the way of their desires (or fears).

וְלֹא־שָׁמַע יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכָל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים וְכָל־הָעָם בְּקוֹל יְהוָה לָשֶׁבֶת בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה׃   43:4

Jere. 43:4   So Johanan son of Kareah did not listen, as well as all the chiefs of the forces and all the people, to the voice of the Lord to remain in the land of Judah.

וַיִּקַּח יוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכָל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֵת כָּל־שְׁאֵרִית יְהוּדָה אֲשֶׁר־שָׁבוּ מִכָּל־הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר   43:5

 נִדְּחוּ־שָׁם לָגוּר בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה׃

Jere. 43:5   And Johanan son of Kareah took, as well as all the chiefs of the forces, the whole remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations where they had been driven off to stay in the land of Judah,

אֶת־הַגְּבָרִים וְאֶת־הַנָּשִׁים וְאֶת־הַטַּף וְאֶת־בְּנֹות הַמֶּלֶךְ וְאֵת כָּל־הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר הִנִּיחַ נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן   43:6            רַב־טַבָּחִים אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן וְאֵת יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא וְאֶת־בָּרוּךְ בֶּן־נֵרִיָּהוּ׃

Jere. 43:6   the men and the women and the children, as well as the daughters of the king and every individual who Nebuzaraden, captain of the guardsmen, had given rest, with Gedaliah son Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah, the prophet, and Baruch son of Neriah,

וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כִּי לֹא שָׁמְעוּ בְּקֹול יְהוָה וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־תַּחְפַּנְחֵס׃   43:7

Jere. 43:7   and they entered the land of Egypt, because they had not listened to the voice of the Lord, and they went as far as Tahpanhes.

וַיְהִי דְבַר־יְהוָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ בְּתַחְפַּנְחֵס לֵאמֹר׃   43:8

Jere. 43:8   And the word of the Lord occurred to Jeremiah saying,

קַח בְּיָדְךָ אֲבָנִים גְּדֹלֹות וּטְמַנְתָּם בַּמֶּלֶט בַּמַּלְבֵּן אֲשֶׁר בְּפֶתַח בֵּית־פַּרְעֹה בְּתַחְפַּנְחֵס לְעֵינֵי   43:9              אֲנָשִׁים יְהוּדִים׃

Jere. 43:9   “Take in your hand large stones and bury them in the mortar in the framework that is by the entrance of the house of Pharoah in Tahpanhes for the eyes of the Judean men.”

Here once more we have a situation in which it is doubtful that Jeremiah actually performed the act dictated by the Lord.  Did he travel to Egypt with large stones and bury them there?  To me it seems reasonable to understand these passages as intended for us in the future, not for the Judean men.  So Jeremiah might have related here what he had dreamed (or envisioned) but he did not actually perform these acts.  What do you think?

וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאֹות אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶת־נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר   43:10             מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל עַבְדִּי וְשַׂמְתִּי כִסְאֹו מִמַּעַל לָאֲבָנִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר טָמָנְתִּי וְנָטָה אֶת־(שַׁפְרוּרֹו) [שַׁפְרִירֹו]      עֲלֵיהֶם׃

Jere. 43:10   “Then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, God of Israel:  ‘Behold, I am sending and will take Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, My servant, and I will set his throne on top of these stones that I have buried, and he will spread forth his royal pavilion over them.’

The word in parentheses, containing a vav instead of a yad, is incorrectly spelled.  The correction is in the brackets.

  וּבָאָה) [וּבָא] וְהִכָּה אֶת־אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אֲשֶׁר לַמָּוֶת לַמָּוֶת וַאֲשֶׁר לַשְּׁבִי לַשֶּׁבִי וַאֲשֶׁר לַחֶרֶב לֶחָרֶב׃   43:11

Jere. 43:11   ‘And he shall come and smite the land of Egypt.  Who is for death, to death, and who is for captivity, to captivity, and who is for the sword, to the sword.’

The first word in this verse before the left parenthesis has an extra heh suffix.  The correction is in the brackets.  I have to say this again:  Please forgive the missing right parenthesis.

וְהִצַּתִּי אֵשׁ בְּבָתֵּי אֱלֹהֵי מִצְרַיִם וּשְׂרָפָם וְשָׁבָם וְעָטָה אֶת־אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כַּאֲשֶׁר־יַעְטֶה הָרֹעֶה   43:12           אֶת־בִּגְדֹו וְיָצָא מִשָּׁם בְּשָׁלֹום׃

Jere. 43:12   ‘And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt and he will burn them and take them captive, and he will envelop the land of Egypt as the shepherd would envelop himself with his garment; then he shall leave from there peacefully.’

וְשִׁבַּר אֶת־מַצְּבֹות בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְאֶת־בָּתֵּי אֱלֹהֵי־מִצְרַיִם יִשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ׃   43:13

Jere. 43:13   ‘He shall also shatter the pillars of Beth-shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt, and he will burn the houses of the gods of Egypt with fire.’”

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