Jeremiah’s Message for Zedekiah

1The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2“Please inquire of Yahweh on our behalf, for [†]Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps Yahweh will deal with us according to all His [†]wonderful acts, so that the enemy will go up from us.”

3Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4‘Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to turn 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 gather them into the center of this city. 5I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation. 6I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence. 7Then afterwards,” declares Yahweh, “I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who remain 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 enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not show pity on them nor spare nor have compassion.”’

8“You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9He who inhabits this city will die by the sword 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 spoil. 10For I have set My face against this city for [†]evil and not for good,” declares Yahweh. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.”’

11“Then say to the household of the king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, 12O house of David, thus says Yahweh:

“Render justice [†]every morning;

And deliver the person who has been robbed from the [†]power of his oppressor,

Lest My wrath go forth like fire

And burn with none to extinguish it,

Because of the evil of their deeds.

13“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,

O [†]rocky plain,” declares Yahweh,

“You men who say, ‘Who will come down against us?

Or who will enter into our dwelling places?’

14But I will punish you according to the [†]results of your deeds,” declares Yahweh,

“And I will kindle a fire in its forest

That it may devour all its surroundings.”’”