The 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
,
"Please ainquire
of the LORD
on our behalf
, for bNebuchadnezzar
king
of cBabylon
is warring
against
us; perhaps
the LORD
will deal
with us daccording to all
His 1wonderful
acts
, so that the enemy will withdraw
from us."
Then Jeremiah said
to them, "You shall say
to Zedekiah
as follows
:
`Thus says
the LORD
God
of Israel
, "Behold
, I am about to aturn
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 bgather
them into the center
of this
city
.
"I aMyself will war
against
you with an boutstretched
hand
and a mighty
arm
, even in canger
and wrath
and great
indignation
.
"I will also strike down
the inhabitants
of this
city
, both man
and beast
; they will die
of a great
apestilence
.
"Then afterwards," declares
the LORD
, " aI 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 bwill not spare
them nor
have
pity
nor
compassion
."'
"You shall also say to this
people
, `Thus
says
the LORD
, "Behold
, I aset
before
you the way
of life
and the way
of death
.
"He who adwells in this
city
will die
by the bsword
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
.
"For I have aset My face
against this
city
for 1harm
and not for good
," declares
the LORD
. "It will be bgiven
into the hand
of the king
of Babylon
and he will cburn
it with fire
."'
"Then say to the household of the aking
of Judah
, `Hear
the word
of the LORD
,
O ahouse of David
, thus
says
the LORD
: " bAdminister
justice
1every cmorning
; And deliver
the person who has been robbed
from the 2power
of his oppressor
, dThat My wrath
may not go
forth
like fire
And eburn
with none
to extinguish
it, Because
of the evil
of their deeds
.
"Behold, aI am against
you, O bvalley
dweller
, O 1rocky
plain
," declares
the LORD
, "You men who say
, ` cWho
will come
down
against
us? Or who
will enter
into our habitations
?'
"But I will punish you aaccording to the 1results
of your deeds
," declares
the LORD
, "And I will bkindle
a fire
in its forest
That it may devour
all
its environs
.""'