Jeremiah 21
1 The Word that came from the Lord to Jeremiah, when King Sedekias sent to
him Paschor the Son of Melchias, and Zephaniah Son of Basæas, 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.
3 And Jeremiah said to them, Thus
shall ye say to Sedekias king of Juda,
4 Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I
will turn back the weapons of war wherewith ye fight
against the Chaldeans that have besieged you from 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.
6 And I will smite all the dwellers in
this city, both men and cattle, with grievous
pestilence: and they shall die. 7 And
after this, thus saith 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.
8 And thou shalt say to this people,
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I have set 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.
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.
11 O house of the king of Juda, hear
ye the word of the Lord. 12 O house
of David, thus saith the Lord; Judge judgment 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.
13 Behold, I am against thee that
dwellest 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?
14 And I will kindle a fire in the
forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.