Jeremiah 42:11
Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.
Jeremiah 42:11 belongs to chapters 40-45, which follow the fall of Jerusalem and carry the movement from restoration after Babylon toward the greater restoration under Christ. The same passage is also placed in the history of the two years before Jerusalem fell.
The word was spoken to the Jews and small remnant left in the land, including its leaders, directing them to remain in Judah and to abandon their intended journey to Egypt. It assures those who feared the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, that they need not fear him, because the Lord is with them to save them and to deliver them from his hand and power. The protection and blessing were conditional on obedience and remaining in the land, with the Babylonian king himself providing them protection as long as they heeded the counsel.
Fearing the king would return and destroy them, the remnant rejected the counsel after inquiring of Jeremiah and fled to Egypt despite his strong protest. Egypt would soon fall to Babylon, and those who went there would face sword, famine, and pestilence. The chapter illustrates insincere prayer, since the people asked for God's guidance but then rejected it, showing that words of prayer do not prove a true desire to obey when the heart does not mean them. As part of the book's appeals and assurances of God's kindness and help, the verse remains applicable today.