Jeremiah

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,

1This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the LORD. King Zedekiah had sent two men to him. They were Pashur son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, a priest. They said,

2Enquire, 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.

2"Please ask the LORD about us. Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon is making war on us. Maybe the LORD will do amazing things for us, as he has done before, so that Nebuchadrezzar will leave us alone."

NoteNebuchadrezzar is another spelling of Nebuchadnezzar. It is the same king of Babylon.

3Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:

3Then Jeremiah said to them, "This is what you are to tell Zedekiah.

4Thus 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.

4This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will turn your own weapons back against you. Those are the weapons you are using to fight the king of Babylon. The Chaldeans, the army of Babylon, have you surrounded outside the wall. I will bring their soldiers right into the middle of this city.

5And 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.

5I myself will fight against you. My hand will be stretched out and my arm will be strong. I will come in anger, in fury, and in great rage.

6And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.

6I will strike down everyone living in this city, both people and animals. They will die of a terrible sickness.

7And 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.

7After that, says the LORD, I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials, and the people. That means everyone in this city still alive after the sickness, the war, and the hunger. I will give them to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies, who want them dead. He will kill them with the sword. He will not spare them or show any pity or mercy.

8And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

8And tell this people: This is what the LORD says. Look, I am setting two roads in front of you. One is the way of life, and one is the way of death.

9He 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.

9Anyone who stays in this city will die by the sword, by hunger, or by sickness. But anyone who goes out and gives himself up to the Chaldeans surrounding you will live. He will get out alive, and his own life will be all he keeps.

NoteThe KJV says his life "shall be unto him for a prey." A prey is what a soldier carries off from a battle. The picture is a man who escapes with nothing but his own life, and counts that as his prize.

10For 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.

10I have set myself against this city to bring harm and not good, says the LORD. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.

11And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;

11And to the royal family of Judah, say this: Listen to the word of the LORD.

12O 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.

12Family of David, this is what the LORD says: Judge people fairly, every morning. Rescue the one who has been robbed from the hand of the one who is crushing him. If you do not, my anger will break out like fire because of the evil you have done. It will burn, and no one will be able to put it out.

13Behold, 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?

13Look, I am against you, city above the valley, sitting on your rocky high ground, says the LORD. You say, "Who can come down against us? Who can get inside our homes?"

NoteThis describes where Jerusalem stood: on high rocky ground above a valley. People there felt safe because the city was hard to attack.

14But 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.

14But I will punish you for the things you have done, says the LORD. I will light a fire in your forest, and it will burn up everything around it."