Jerusalem Will Fall to Babylon

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“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.

3And Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you⁺ shall say to Zedekiah: 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 will fight against you⁺ with an outstretched hand and with a mighty arm, and in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. 6And I will strike those dwelling in this city, both man and beast; by a great pestilence they will die!’

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.

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. 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 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

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

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!’”