8 And he summoned Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the commanders of the armies who were with him, and all the people from the smallest to the greatest,
9 and said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to cause your plea to fall before him:
10 ‘If only you will stay in this land, then I will build you and I will not tear you down, and I will plant you and I will not pluck you up, for I relent of the disaster that I have brought to you.
11 You must not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you are afraid of. You must not be afraid of him,’ declares Yahweh, ‘for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand.
12 And I will show you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and will restore you to your soil.
13 But if you are saying, “We will not stay in this land,” so as to not listen to the voice of Yahweh your God,
14 saying, “No, for we will go to the land of Egypt where we will not see war, and we will not hear the sound of a horn, and we will not be hungry for bread, and there we will stay,”