Jeremiah 21New King James Version
Jerusalem’s Doom Is Sealed
21 The word which came to Jeremiah from theLordwhen(A)King Zedekiah sent to him(B)Pashhur the son of Melchiah, and(C)Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,2 (D)“Please inquire of theLordfor us, for[a]Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps theLordwill deal with us according to all His wonderful works, thatthe kingmay go away from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,4 ‘Thus says theLordGod of Israel: “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war thatarein your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the[b]Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and(E)I will assemble them in the midst of this city.5 I(F)Myself will fight against you with an(G)outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath.6 I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence.7 And afterward,” says theLord,(H)“I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword.(I)He shall not spare them, or have pity or mercy.” ’
8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says theLord: “Behold,(J)I set before you the way of life and the way of death.9 He who(K)remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and[c]defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall(L)live, and his life shall be as a prize to him.10 For I have(M)set My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says theLord.(N)“It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall(O)burn it with fire.” ’
Message to the House of David
11 “And concerning the house of the king of Judah,say,‘Hear the word of theLord,12 O house of David! Thus says theLord:
(P)“Execute[d]judgment(Q)in the morning;
And deliverhim who isplundered
Out of the hand of the oppressor,
Lest My fury go forth like fire
And burn so that no one can quenchit,
Because of the evil of your doings.
13 “Behold,(R)Iamagainst you, O[e]inhabitant of the valley,
Androck of the plain,” says theLord,
“Who say,(S)‘Who shall come down against us?
Or who shall enter our dwellings?’
14 But I will punish you according to the(T)fruit of your[f]doings,” says theLord;
“I will kindle a fire in its forest,
And(U)it shall devour all things around it.” ’ ”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 21:2Heb.Nebuchadrezzar,and so elsewhere in the book
- Jeremiah 21:4OrBabylonians,and so elsewhere in the book
- Jeremiah 21:9Lit.falls away to
- Jeremiah 21:12Dispense justice
- Jeremiah 21:13dweller
- Jeremiah 21:14deeds
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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