1The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malchijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
2“Please inquire of Yahweh on our behalf, for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps Yahweh will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds, so that he withdraws from us.”
3Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah:
4Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Behold, I am turning back the weapons of war that are in your hand, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall, and I will gather them into the midst of this city.
5And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, in anger and in wrath and in great fury.
6And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence.
7And afterward—declares Yahweh—I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, those in this city who survive the pestilence, the sword, and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them, nor pity, nor have mercy.
8And to this people you shall say: Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
9Whoever remains in this city will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and his life will be his as plunder.
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.
11And to the house of the king of Judah: Hear the word of Yahweh.
12House of David, thus says Yahweh: Render justice each morning, and rescue the one who has been robbed from the hand of the oppressor, lest my wrath go out like fire and burn with none to quench it, because of the evil of their deeds.
13Behold, I am against you, enthroned one of the valley, rock of the plain—declares Yahweh—you who say, “Who will come down against us? Who will enter our dwellings?”
14And I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds—declares Yahweh—and I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it will devour all that is around her.
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