Jeremias 21
1 THE WORD THAT CAME FROM THE LORD TO JEREMIAS, WHEN KING SEDEKIAS SENT TO HIM PASCHOR THE SON OF MELCHIAS, AND SOPHONIAS SON OF BASAEAS, THE PRIEST, SAYING,
The word which came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, —when King Zedekiah sent unto him Pashhur, son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying:
2 Enquire of the Lord for us; for the king of Babylon has risen up against us; if the Lord will do according to all his wonderful works, and [the king] shall depart from us.
Enquire for us I pray thee of Yahweh, in that, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, maketh war against us, —Peradventure Yahweh will deal with us according to all his wonders, so that he go up from us.
3 And Jeremias said to them, Thus shall you say to Sedekias king of Juda,
Then said Jeremiah unto them, —Thus, shall ye say unto Zedekiah:
4 Thus says the Lord; Behold, I [will] turn back the weapons of war wherewith you fight against the Chaldeans that have besieged you from outside the wall, and I will gather them into the midst of this city.
Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel—Behold me! turning back the weapons of war that are in your hand, wherewith, ye, 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.
5 And I will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, with wrath and great anger.
And I myself, will fight against you, with a hand outstretched, and with an arm of strength, —and with anger and with wrath and with great indignation;
6 And I will strike all the dwellers in this city, [both] men and cattle, with grievous pestilence: and they shall die.
and I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast, —of a great pestilence, shall they die.
7 And after this, thus says the Lord; I will give Sedekias king of Juda, and his servants, and the people that is left in this city from the pestilence, and from the famine, and from the sword, into the hands of their enemies, that seek their lives: and they shall cut them in pieces with the edge of the sword: I will not spare them, and I will not have compassion upon them.
And after that, Declareth Yahweh—Will I deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants, and the people—even such as are left in this city from the pestilence from the sword and from the famine, —into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, even into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them who are seeking their life, —and he will smite them with the edge of the sword, he will not have pity on them nor will he spare nor will he have compassion.
8 And you shall say to this people, Thus says the Lord; Behold, I have set before you the way of life, and the way of death.
And unto this people, shalt thou say, Thus, saith Yahweh, —Behold me! setting before you the way, of life, and the way of death:
9 He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by famine: but he that goes forth to advance to the Chaldeans that have besieged you, shall live, and his life shall be to him for a spoil, and he shall live.
He that remaineth in this city, shall die—by the sword or by the famine or by the pestilence, —Whereas, he that goeth forth and falleth unto the Chaldeans, who are besieging you, —then shall he live, and, his life, shall become to him, a spoil;
10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good: it shall be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall consume it with fire.
For I have set my face against this city, for calamity and not for blessing, Declareth Yahweh, —Into the hand of the king of Babylon, shall it be given up, and he will burn it with fire.
11 O house of the king of Juda, hear you the word of the Lord.
Now, as to the house of the king of Judah, —hear ye the word of Yahweh: —
12 O house of David, thus says the Lord; Judge judgement in the morning, and act rightly, and rescue the spoiled one from the hand of him that wrongs him, lest mine anger be kindled like fire, and it burn, and there be none to quench [it].
O house of David! Thus, saith Yahweh, Administer justice betimes, And deliver the robbed out of the hand of the oppressor, —Lest mine indignation come forth like fire And burn and there be none to quench it, Because of the wickedness of your doings:
13 Behold, I am against you that dwell in the valley of Sor; in the plain country, [even against] them that say, Who shall alarm us? or who shall enter into our habitation?
Behold me! against thee, O thou dweller in the vale on the level rock, Declareth Yahweh, —Ye who are saying, Who shall come down upon us? Who shall enter our habitations?
14 And I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
Yet will I bring punishment upon you according to the fruit of your doings, Declareth Yahweh, —and will kindle a fire in her forest, and it shall devour all things round about her.
