Jehovah spoke further through Jeremiah to the remnant of Judah that His wrath and anger had poured forth and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. They became a waste and a desolation because of their wickedness which they did to provoke Him to anger, in that they went to burn incense to serve other gods, not listening to His servants the prophets (44:1-6). They had seen all these things.
Jehovah went on to ask them why they were still doing a great evil against their souls, provoking Him to anger with the works of their hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, that they might be cut off and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth (vv. 7-8). Then He asked them if they had forgotten the wickedness of their fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah and of their wives, and their own wickedness and the wickedness of their own wives, which they did in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. They had not become contrite even to that day (vv. 9-10). Therefore, Jehovah, the God of Israel, would set His face against them for evil, even to cut off all Judah. Furthermore, He would take the remnant of Judah who had set their faces to go to the land of Egypt, and they would all be consumed in the land of Egypt by sword and by famine. He would punish those who dwelt in the land of Egypt as He had punished Jerusalem: with sword, with famine, and with pestilence (vv. 11-14).
According to 44:15-30 there was an argument between a great assemblage of those who knew that their wives burned incense to others gods and all the women who stood by, and Jeremiah the prophet.
They answered Jeremiah, saying that they would not listen to the word which he had spoken to them in the name of Jehovah. Instead, they would surely do everything which had gone out of their mouth, burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, just as they themselves and their fathers, their kings, and their princes did in the streets of Jerusalem, for they had plenty of food and were well off and did not see evil (vv. 15-17). They continued by saying that since they had ceased burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, they had lacked everything and had been consumed by sword and by famine. They made cakes to the queen of heaven, making images of her and pouring out libations to her, with their husbands (vv. 18-19).