Jeremiah 42:9-13

Jeremiah said to them, “You sent me to ask the LORD for what you wanted. This is what the God of Israel says: ‘If you will stay in Judah, I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you and not pull you up, because I am sad about the disaster I brought on you. Now you fear the king of Babylon, but don’t be afraid of him. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says the LORD, ‘because I am with you. I will save you and rescue you from his power. I will be kind to you, and he will also treat you with mercy and let you stay in your land.’ “But if you say, ‘We will not stay in Judah,’ you will disobey the LORD your God.