Jeremiah 44:17-25

Jeremiah 44:17-25   17 Instead, we will certainly continue to fulfill every word our mouths have spoken: we will offer incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our ancestors, our kings and our leaders, in the cities of Y’hudah and the streets of Yerushalayim. For then we had plenty of food; everything was fine, we didn’t experience anything unpleasant.  18 But since we stopped offering to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything, and we have been destroyed by sword and famine.”  19 [Then the wives added,] “Are we the ones who offer incense to the queen of heaven? Do we pour out drink offerings to her? And did we make cakes marked with her image for her and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ consent?”  20 Then Yirmeyahu said to all the people- to the men, the women, and all the people who had answered him back:  21 “The incense you offered in the cities of Y’hudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim- you, your ancestors, your kings, your leaders and the people of the land- ADONAI kept remembering and taking note of this [insult],  22 until ADONAI could no longer bear it, so evil and so detestable were your deeds. This is why your land has become a wasteland, an object for astonishment and cursing, uninhabited, as it is today.  23 It is because you offered incense, sinned against ADONAI, didn’t listen to what ADONAI said, and didn’t live by his Torah, regulations and instructions that this disaster has befallen you, as it is today.”  24 In addition, Yirmeyahu said to all the people, but especially the women: “Hear the word of ADONAI, all Y’hudah who are in the land of Egypt;  25 this is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: ‘You and your wives stated your intentions with your mouths and performed them with your hands- you said, “We will certainly fulfill our vows that we made to offer incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.”‘ Without doubt, you will indeed fulfill every point of your vows.