Jeremiah 21

Revised Geneva Translation

21 The Word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur, the son of Melchiah and Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah the Priest, saying,

² “Please inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babel, makes war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all His wondrous works, so that he may withdraw from us.”

³ Then Jeremiah said, “Thus shall you say to Zedekiah,

⁴ ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babel, and against the Chaldeans, who besiege you outside the walls. And I will assemble them into the midst of this city.

⁵ “And I, myself, will fight against you with an outstretched Hand, and with a mighty Arm, in anger and in wrath and in great indignation.

⁶ “And I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence.

⁷ “And after this,” says the LORD, “I will deliver Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his servants and the people and such as are left in this city, from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babel, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their lives. And he shall strike them with the edge of the sword. He shall neither spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’

⁸ “And to this people you shall say, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

⁹ ‘He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence. But he who goes out and falls before the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live. And his life shall be as plunder to him.

¹⁰ ‘For I have set My Face against this city, for calamity and not for good,’ says the LORD, ‘It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babel, and he shall burn it with fire.’”

¹¹ “And say to the House of the king of Judah, ‘Hear the Word of the LORD,

¹² O House of David! Thus says the LORD: “Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver the oppressed out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My wrath go out like fire and burn, so that no one can quench it because of the wickedness of your works.

¹³ “Behold, I come against you, O inhabitant of the valley, rock of the plain,” says the LORD, “which says, ‘Who shall come down against us?’ Or ‘Who shall enter into our habitations?’

¹⁴ “But I will visit you according to the fruit of your works,” says the LORD, “and I will kindle a fire in its forest. And it shall devour all around it.”’”