Chapter 21

Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah

1 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,

2 “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.”

3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows:

4 ‘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.

5 “I aMyself will war against you with an boutstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in canger 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 apestilence.

7 “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.” ’

8 “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.

9 “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.

10 “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.” ’

11 “Then say to the household of the aking of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord,

12 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.

13 “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?’

14 “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.” ’ ”