21The 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,H1697H3414H3068H4428H6667H7971H6583H1121H4441H6846H1121H4641H3548H5592“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.”H1875H3068H1157H5019H4428H894H3898H3068H6213H6381H59273Jeremiah replied, “Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him,H559H3414H559H66674‘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.H559H3068H430H3478H5437H3627H4421H3027H3898H4428H894H3778H6696H2351H2346H622H8432H58925I myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for I am very angry. You have made me furious!H3898H5186H3027H2389H2220H639H2534H1419H71106I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die.H5221H3427H5892H120H929H4191H1419H16987And 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.’H310H5002H3068H5414H6667H4428H3063H5650H5971H7604H5892H1698H2719H7458H3027H5019H4428H894H3027H341H3027H1245H5315H5221H6310H2719H2347H2550H73558“Tell all the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: Take your choice of life or death!H5971H559H559H3068H5414H6440H1870H2416H1870H41949Everyone 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!H3427H5892H4191H2719H7458H1698H3318H5307H3778H6696H2421H2421H5315H799810For 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.’H7760H6440H5892H7451H2896H5002H3068H5414H3027H4428H894H8313H784
Judgment on Judah’s Kings
11“Say to the royal family of Judah, ‘Listen to this message from the Lord!H1004H4428H3063H8085H1697H306812This 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.H1004H1732H559H3068H1777H4941H1242H5337H1497H3027H6231H2534H3318H784H1197H3518H6440H7455H461113I 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.”H3427H6010H6697H4334H5002H3068H559H5181H935H458514And 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.’”H6485H6529H4611H5002H3068H3341H784H3293H398H5439
Unknown
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.”H1875
