Jeremiah 21

Modern

Literal

Jerusalem Will Fall to Babylon

¹This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malchijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said,

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH, by King Zedekiah sending to him Pashhur son of Malchijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, saying:

²“Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, since Nebuchadnezzar^a king of Babylon is waging war against us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us something like all His past wonders, so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”

²“Inquire for us, please, of YHWH, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps YHWH will deal with us according to all His wonderful deeds, and he will go away from us.

³But Jeremiah answered, “You are to tell Zedekiah that

³And Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah:

⁴this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will turn against you the weapons of war in your hands, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans^a who besiege you outside the wall, and I will assemble their forces in the center of this city.

⁴Thus says YHWH God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you will be fighting against the king of Babylon, and the Chaldeans setting up siege against you from outside the walls. And I will gather them in the midst of this city.

⁵And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with anger, fury, and great wrath.

⁵And I will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a mighty arm, and in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.

⁶I will strike down the residents of this city, both man and beast. They will die in a terrible plague.’

⁶And I will strike those dwelling in this city, both man and beast; by a great pestilence they will die!’

⁷‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’

⁷‘And after thus,’ a declaration of YHWH, ‘I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and those left over in this city from the pestilence and from the sword and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their soul. And he will strike them with the mouth of the sword; he will not spare them, and he will not have pity, and he will not have compassion.

⁸Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

⁸And to this people you shall say, thus says YHWH: ‘Behold, I am setting before you the way of the life and the way of the death.

⁹Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war.

⁹The one staying settled in this city will die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; and the one going out and falling away to the Chaldeans that besiege you, and he even shall live, and his soul will be to him as a prize.

¹⁰For I have set My face against this city to bring disaster and not good, declares the LORD. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will destroy it with fire.’

¹⁰For I have set My face against this city for evil and not for good—a declaration of YHWH. Into the hand of the king of Babylon it will be given, and he will burn it with fire.

A Message to the House of David

¹¹Moreover, tell the house of the king of Judah to hear the word of the LORD.

¹¹And to the house of the king of Judah: Hear the word of YHWH!

¹²O house of David, this is what the LORD says:

‘Administer justice every morning,

and rescue the victim of robbery

from the hand of his oppressor,

or My wrath will go forth like fire

and burn with no one to extinguish it

because of their evil deeds.

¹²O house of David, thus says YHWH: ‘Judge with justice in the morning, and deliver the one plundered from the hand of the oppressor, lest My fury go forth and burn like the fire, so that no one can quench it—because of the evil of your deeds.

¹³Behold, I am against you who dwell above the valley,

atop the rocky plateau—

declares the LORD—

you who say, “Who can come against us?

Who can enter our dwellings?”

¹³Behold, I am against you, a declaration of YHWH, O dweller of the valley, O rock of the plain, who say, “Who shall come down against us or who shall come into our dwellings?

¹⁴I will punish you as your deeds deserve,

declares the LORD.

I will kindle a fire in your forest

that will consume everything around you.’”

¹⁴And I will attend to you according to the fruit of your deeds, a declaration of YHWH, and I will kindle a fire in its forest, and it will devour all around it!’”