“1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king
Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son
of Maaseiah the priest, saying, 2 Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for
us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be
that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works,
that he may go up from us. 3 Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye
say to Zedekiah: 4 Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will
turn back the weapons of war that [are] in your hands, wherewith ye
fight against the king of Babylon, and [against] the Chaldeans, which
besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst
of this city. 5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched
hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great
wrath. 6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and
beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. 7 And afterward, saith the
LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the
people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the
sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those
that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the
sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.”
“8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I
set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 9 He that abideth
in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the
pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that
besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good,
saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon,
and he shall burn it with fire. 11 And touching the house of the king of
Judah, [say], Hear ye the word of the LORD; 12 O house of David, thus
saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver [him that
is] spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like
fire, and burn that none can quench [it], because of the evil of your
doings. 13 Behold, I [am] against thee, O inhabitant of the valley,
[and] rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down
against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? 14 But I will
punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I
will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things
round about it.” (Jeremiah 21:1-14 AV)