20 Then Jeremiah said to all of them, men and women alike, who had given him that answer,
21 “Do you think the lord did not know that you and your ancestors, your kings and officials, and all the people were burning incense to idols in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
22 It was because the lord could no longer bear all the disgusting things you were doing that he made your land an object of cursing—a desolate ruin without inhabitants—as it is today.
23 All these terrible things happened to you because you have burned incense to idols and sinned against the lord. You have refused to obey him and have not followed his instructions, his decrees, and his laws.”
24 Then Jeremiah said to them all, including the women, “Listen to this message from the lord, all you citizens of Judah who live in Egypt.
25 This is what the lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘You and your wives have said, “We will keep our promises to burn incense and pour out liquid offerings to the Queen of Heaven,” and you have proved by your actions that you meant it. So go ahead and carry out your promises and vows to her!’
26 “But listen to this message from the lord, all you Judeans now living in Egypt: ‘I have sworn by my great name,’ says the lord, ‘that my name will no longer be spoken by any of the Judeans in the land of Egypt. None of you may invoke my name or use this oath: “As surely as the Sovereign lord lives.”