Jerusalem’s Doom Is Sealed
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from theLordwhenKing Zedekiah sent to himPashhur the son of Melchiah, andZephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,
2 “Please inquire of theLordfor us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps theLordwill deal with us according to all His wonderful works, thatthekingmay go away from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,
4 ‘Thus says theLordGod of Israel: “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war thatarein your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; andI will assemble them in the midst of this city.
5 IMyself will fight against you with anoutstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath.
6 I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence.
7 And afterward,” says theLord,“I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword.He shall not spare them, or have pity or mercy.” ’
8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says theLord: “Behold,I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
9 He whoremains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shalllive, and his life shall be as a prize to him.
10 For I haveset My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says theLord.“It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shallburn it with fire.” ’
Message to the House of David
11 “And concerning the house of the king of Judah,say,‘Hear the word of theLord,
12 O house of David! Thus says theLord:
# “Execute judgmentin the morning;
And deliverhimwhoisplundered
Out of the hand of the oppressor,
Lest My fury go forth like fire
And burn so that no one can quenchit,
Because of the evil of your doings.
13 “Behold,Iamagainst you, O inhabitant of the valley,
Androck of the plain,” says theLord,
# “Who say,‘Who shall come down against us?
Or who shall enter our dwellings?’
14 But I will punish you according to thefruit of your doings,” says theLord;
“I will kindle a fire in its forest,
# Andit shall devour all things around it.” ’ ”