Jeremiah 21
Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah
1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when aKing Zedekiah sent to him bPashhur the son of Malchijah, and cZephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2“Please dinquire of the Lord on our behalf, for eNebuchadnezzar king of fBabylon is warring against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us gaccording to all His ▼▼ Or miracles
wonderful acts, so that the enemy will withdraw from us.” 3Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to iturn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will jgather them into the center of this city. 5“I kMyself will war against you with an loutstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in manger and wrath and great indignation. 6“I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great npestilence. 7“Then afterwards,” declares the Lord, o“I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He pwill not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’ 8“You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I qset before you the way of life and the way of death. 9“He who rdwells in this city will die by the ssword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty. 10“For I have tset My face against this city for ▼▼ Lit evil
harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be vgiven into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will wburn it with fire.”’ 11“Then say to the household of the xking of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12O yhouse of David, thus says the Lord: z“Administer justice ▼▼ Or in the
every abmorning;And deliver the person who has been robbed from the ▼
▼ Lit hand
power of his oppressor,adThat My wrath may not go forth like fire
And aeburn with none to extinguish it,
Because of the evil of their deeds.
13“Behold, afI am against you, O agvalley dweller,
O ▼
▼ Lit rock of the level place
rocky plain,” declares the Lord,“You men who say, ‘ aiWho will come down against us?
Or who will enter into our habitations?’
14“But I will punish you ajaccording to the ▼
▼ Lit fruit
results of your deeds,” declares the Lord,“And I will alkindle a fire in its forest
That it may devour all its environs.”’”
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