| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1The LORD spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah, | 1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malchijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said, |
| 2“Please speak to the LORD for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the LORD will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies.” | 2“Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, since Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is waging war against us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us something like all His past wonders, so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.” |
| 3Jeremiah replied, “Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him, | 3But Jeremiah answered, “You are to tell Zedekiah that |
| 4‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside your walls attacking you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city. | 4this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will turn against you the weapons of war in your hands, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the wall, and I will assemble their forces in the center of this city. |
| 5I myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for I am very angry. You have made me furious! | 5And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with anger, fury, and great wrath. |
| 6I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die. | 6I will strike down the residents of this city, both man and beast. They will die in a terrible plague.’ |
| 7And after all that, says the LORD, I will hand over King Zedekiah, his staff, and everyone else in the city who survives the disease, war, and famine. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their other enemies. He will slaughter them and show them no mercy, pity, or compassion.’ | 7‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’ |
| 8“Tell all the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Take your choice of life or death! | 8Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. |
| 9Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life! | 9Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war. |
| 10For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the LORD. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.’ Judgment on Judah’s Kings | 10For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it with fire.’ |
| 11“Say to the royal family of Judah, ‘Listen to this message from the LORD! | 11Moreover, tell the house of the king of Judah to hear the word of the LORD. |
| 12This is what the LORD says to the dynasty of David: “‘Give justice each morning to the people you judge! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Otherwise, my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins. | 12O house of David, this is what the LORD says: ‘Administer justice every morning, and rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor, or My wrath will go forth like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it because of their evil deeds. |
| 13I will personally fight against the people in Jerusalem, that mighty fortress— the people who boast, “No one can touch us here. No one can break in here.” | 13Behold, I am against you who dwell above the valley, atop the rocky plateau—declares the LORD—you who say, “Who can come against us? Who can enter our dwellings?” |
| 14And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness, says the LORD. I will light a fire in your forests that will burn up everything around you.’” | 14I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in your forest that will consume everything around you.’ ” |
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