7 Ten days later, the Lord gave me an answer for
8 Johanan, the officers, and the other people. So I called them together
9 and told them that the Lord God of Israel had said:You asked Jeremiah to pray and find out what you should do.
10 I am sorry that I had to punish you, and so I now tell you to stay here in Judah, where I will plant you and build you up, instead of tearing you down and uprooting you.
11 Don't be afraid of the King of Babylonia. I will protect you from him,
12 and I will even force him to have mercy on you and give back your farms.
13 But you might keep on saying, “We won't stay here in Judah, and we won't obey the Lord our God.