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Vulgate: Jeremiah: Jeremiah Chapter 44

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This is Jeremiah 44 from the Latin Vulgate Bible, a prophetic oracle belonging to the Hebrew prophetic tradition. The chapter records Jeremiah's confrontation with Jewish exiles living in Egypt (at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and Pathros), whom he accuses of resuming the worship of foreign gods, particularly the "Queen of Heaven." God's central argument, delivered through Jeremiah, is that the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah was direct punishment for this idolatry, and that continuing such worship in Egypt will bring the same annihilation upon the exiles there. What makes this passage distinctive is the striking counter-argument offered by the people themselves: they claim that their fortunes actually *improved* when they worshipped the Queen of Heaven, and that disaster followed only when they stopped — directly inverting Jeremiah's causal logic. The women further note that the sacrifices were conducted with their husbands' knowledge, implicitly deflecting individual guilt. Jeremiah rejects this interpretation entirely, and God's response is a sworn oath that virtually no Judeans will survive their Egyptian exile — only a tiny remnant will return — and that Pharaoh Hophra will be handed to his enemies as a confirming sign.

Vulgate: Jeremiah: Jeremiah Chapter 44

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