Jeremiah 44:7
Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain; Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
Jeremiah 44:7 belongs to the account of the remnant of Jews left in the land after the captivity of Zedekiah and their subsequent flight into Egypt. It stands as a record of the strong, faithful work of Jeremiah set in contrast with the insincerity of those Jews. They had come to the place where they seemed unable to discern between right and wrong, their promises meant nothing, and the very secrets of their hearts were laid bare by the discernment of the Spirit of God.
They came to Jeremiah for counsel desiring only counsel in harmony with their own wishes and purposes. They refused to remain in the land under the protection which the king of Babylon would have given so long as they heeded the voice of Jeremiah. That prophet the king had learned to highly esteem.
They chose instead to go down into Egypt, where many of them went into idolatry. Jeremiah predicted the futility of their plans by prophesying the defeat of Egypt. He even pointed out the very place in the capital of Egypt where Nebuchadnezzar would set his standard.