Haftorah Beam - Bo

The Torah portion concludes the recounting of the Egyptian plagues.  The Haftorah portion tells of a later episode in Egyptian/Jewish history.  In the time of the prophet Jeremiah, Egypt invades Israel, and is in turn overrun by the Babylonians. Jeremiah proclaims:

כה  אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, הִנְנִי פוֹקֵד אֶל-אָמוֹן מִנֹּא, וְעַל-פַּרְעֹה וְעַל-מִצְרַיִם, וְעַל-אֱלֹהֶיהָ וְעַל-מְלָכֶיהָ; וְעַל-פַּרְעֹה--וְעַל הַבֹּטְחִים, בּוֹ.	25 The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith: Behold, I will punish Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with her gods, and her kings; even Pharaoh, and them that trust in him;
כו  וּנְתַתִּים, בְּיַד מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם, וּבְיַד נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר מֶלֶךְ-בָּבֶל, וּבְיַד-עֲבָדָיו; וְאַחֲרֵי-כֵן תִּשְׁכֹּן כִּימֵי-קֶדֶם, נְאֻם-יְהוָה.  {פ}	26 and I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants; and afterwards it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the LORD. {P}
כז  וְאַתָּה אַל-תִּירָא עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב, וְאַל-תֵּחַת יִשְׂרָאֵל--כִּי הִנְנִי מוֹשִׁעֲךָ מֵרָחוֹק, וְאֶת-זַרְעֲךָ מֵאֶרֶץ שִׁבְיָם; וְשָׁב יַעֲקוֹב וְשָׁקַט וְשַׁאֲנַן, וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד.	27 But fear not thou, O Jacob My servant, neither be dismayed, O Israel; for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.
כח  אַתָּה אַל-תִּירָא עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב, נְאֻם-יְהוָה--כִּי אִתְּךָ, אָנִי:  כִּי אֶעֱשֶׂה כָלָה בְּכָל-הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִדַּחְתִּיךָ שָּׁמָּה, וְאֹתְךָ לֹא-אֶעֱשֶׂה כָלָה, וְיִסַּרְתִּיךָ לַמִּשְׁפָּט, וְנַקֵּה לֹא אֲנַקֶּךָּ.  {פ}	28 Fear not thou, O Jacob My servant, saith the LORD, for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee, but I will not make a full end of thee; and I will correct thee in measure, but will not utterly destroy thee. {P}

We see the special relationship between G*d and Israel: while we, like all nations, can and will be exiled and punished, we will not be destroyed, as other nations may.  The cultures of the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, and Canaanites have long died out, but the Jews still read the same Torah, still observe the same rituals and holidays as in the days of the prophets.

But fear not thou, O Jacob My servant, neither be dismayed, O Israel; for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall again be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.