| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1The LORD spoke to Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. Zedekiah sent them to Jeremiah to ask, | 1The message that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Malchijah's son Pashhur and Maaseiah's son Zephaniah the priest: |
| 2"Please ask the LORD to come and help us, because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking us. Maybe the LORD will perform one of his miracles as in times past and make him stop attacking us and leave." | 2Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is fighting against us. Perhaps the LORD will do some of his miraculous acts for us, and Nebuchadnezzar will depart from us." |
| 3Jeremiah answered them, "Tell Zedekiah | 3Jeremiah told them, "This is what you are to say to Zedekiah, |
| 4that the LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'The forces at your disposal are now outside the walls fighting against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonians who have you under siege. I will gather those forces back inside the city. | 4This is what the LORD God of Israel says: "I'm about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. I'll gather them into the center of this city. |
| 5In anger, in fury, and in wrath I myself will fight against you with my mighty power and great strength! | 5Because of my anger, wrath, and great fury, I'll fight against you myself with an outstretched hand and a strong arm. |
| 6I will kill everything living in Jerusalem, people and animals alike! They will die from terrible diseases. | 6I'll strike down the residents of this city, both people and animals, and they'll die from a terrible plague. |
| 7Then I, the LORD, promise that I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and any of the people who survive the war, starvation, and disease. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will slaughter them with the sword. He will not show them any mercy, compassion, or pity.' | 7Afterwards," declares the LORD, "I'll give King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people—those who are left in this city from the plague, the sword, and the famine—into the control of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, right into the hand of their enemies and the hand of those who want to kill them. He'll execute them with swords and won't pity them. He won't spare them, nor will he have compassion on them."' |
| 8"But tell the people of Jerusalem that the LORD says, 'I will give you a choice between two courses of action. One will result in life; the other will result in death. | 8"You are to say to this people, 'This is what the LORD says: "I'm about to set before you the way of life and the way of death. |
| 9Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives. | 9Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by the plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live. He will save his life as a spoil of war. |
| 10For I, the LORD, say that I am determined not to deliver this city but to bring disaster on it. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon and he will destroy it with fire.'" | 10Indeed, I'm firmly decided—I'm sending calamity to this city, not good," declares the LORD. "It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will set it on fire."' |
| 11The LORD told me to say to the royal court of Judah, "Listen to what the LORD says, | 11"To the house of the king of Judah say, 'Hear this message from the LORD. |
| 12O royal family descended from David. The LORD says: 'See to it that people each day are judged fairly. Deliver those who have been robbed from those who oppress them. Otherwise, my wrath will blaze out against you. It will burn like a fire that cannot be put out because of the evil that you have done. | 12This is what the LORD says, house of David: "Judge appropriately every morning, and deliver those who have been robbed from the oppressor, so my anger does not break out like fire and burn with no one to put it out because of your evil deeds. |
| 13Listen, you who sit enthroned above the valley on a rocky plateau. I am opposed to you,' says the LORD. 'You boast, "No one can swoop down on us. No one can penetrate into our places of refuge." | 13"Look, I'm against you, city dwelling in the valley, rock of the plain," declares the LORD, "those of you who say, 'Who can come down against us and who can enter our habitations?' |
| 14But I will punish you as your deeds deserve,' says the LORD. 'I will set fire to your palace; it will burn up everything around it.'" | 14But I'll punish you according to what you have done," declares the LORD. "I'll start a fire in her forest, and it will consume everything around her."'" |
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