9 Jeremiah said to them, “You sent me to plead your case humbly to the Lord. This is what the Lord God of Israel says:
10 Suppose you stay in this land. Then I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you and not uproot you. I will change my plans about the disaster I’ve brought on you.
11 Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Don’t be afraid of him, declares the Lord. I’m with you. I will save you and rescue you from his power.
12 I will have compassion on you. I will make him have compassion on you and return you to your land.
13 “But suppose you say, ‘We won’t stay in this land,’ and you disobey the Lord your God.
14 Then you say, ‘We’ll go to Egypt, where we won’t have to see war, hear the sound of a ram’s horn, or be hungry. We’ll stay there.’
15 “Now, listen to the word of the Lord, you people who are left in Judah. This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Suppose you’re determined to go to Egypt, and you go and live there.