211 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah , and Zephaniah the priest , the son of Maaseiah , saying , 2 "Please inquire of the Lord on our behalf , for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful acts , so that the enemy will withdraw from us." 3 Then Jeremiah said to them, "You shall say to Zedekiah as follows : 4 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel , "Behold , I am about to turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands , with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging e you outside e the wall ; and I will gather them into the center of this city . 5 "I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm , even in anger and wrath and great indignation . 6 "I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city , both man and beast ; they will die of a great pestilence . 7 "Then afterwards e ," declares the Lord , " I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people , even those who survive in this city from the pestilence , the sword and the famine , into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon , and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives ; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword . He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion ."'
8 "You shall also say to this people , 'Thus says the Lord , "Behold , I set before you the way of life and the way of death . 9 "He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence ; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging e you will live , and he will have his own life as booty . 10 "For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good ," declares the Lord . "It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire ."' 11 "Then say to the household of the king of Judah , 'Hear the word of the Lord , 12 O house of David , thus says the Lord : " Administer justice every morning ; And deliver the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor , That My wrath may not go forth like fire And burn with none to extinguish it, Because e of the evil of their deeds . 13 "Behold , I am against you, O valley dweller , O rocky plain ," declares the Lord , "You men who say , ' Who will come down against us? Or who will enter into our habitations ?' 14 "But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds ," declares the Lord , "And I will kindle a fire in its forest That it may devour all its environs .""'
