Jeremiah

21 The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah when King Sidkijah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malkijah and Priest Sephaniah the son of Maʽasejah to say 2** “Inquire of Jehovah on our behalf, because the king of Babylon is making war on us: perhaps Jehovah will do with us the like of all his wonders, and he will break off his attack”; 3 and Jeremiah said to them “This is what you are to say to Sidkijah: 4 ‘Says Israel’s God Jehovah, Here I am going to turn round the weapons you have in your hands, with which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans that are besieging you outside the wall, and get them in inside the city; 5 and I myself will fight you with outstretched hand and strong arm and with anger and choler and great wrath; 6 and I will strike the inhabitants of this city, man and beast, with a great pestilence, and they will die. 7* And after that, quoth Jehovah, I will give King Sidkijah of Judah and his officers and the people that are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the starvation, into the hands of their enemies who are after their lives, and they will massacre them; I will have no mercy nor tender feelings.’

8 “And to this people you are to say ‘Says Jehovah, Here I am putting before you the road to life and the road to death. 9* He who stays in this city will die by the sword and by starvation and by pestilence; and he who goes out to the Chaldeans that are besieging you will live, and have his life for booty; 10 for I have fixed my face on this city for harm and not for good, quoth Jehovah; into the hands of the king of Babylon it will be given, and he will burn it down.’

11 “And for the family of the king of Judah: Listen to Jehovah’s word. 12* House of David, Jehovah says ‘Give just verdicts morning by morning, and take stolen goods out of a rapacious man’s hands, for fear my choler should start out like a fire and burn unquenchably.’ 13* Have at you, inhabitant of the vale, rock of the plain, quoth Jehovah! you who say ‘Who will come down on us?’ and ‘Who will get into our coverts?’ 14* but I will light a fire in her bush and it shall devour on all sides of her.”