Pashur

1A message 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.

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,

NoteJeremiah was a prophet. A prophet told people what God was saying. Zephaniah was a priest. Priests worked at God's temple and helped people pray. When LORD is written in big letters, it stands for God's own name.

2The men said, "Please ask the LORD about us. Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon, is making war on us. Maybe the LORD will do great wonders like he did long ago. Then the king of Babylon will go away and leave us alone."

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.

NoteBabylon was a strong country far away. Its king sent an army to take over Jerusalem. King Zedekiah wanted Jeremiah to find out God's answer for him. Long ago God had rescued his people from Egypt. The king hoped God would do something big like that again.

3Then Jeremiah said to them, "Here is what you must tell Zedekiah."

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

4The LORD, the God of Israel, says this: Look, I will turn your own weapons back against you. You are using them to fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans, his army. They have camped all around outside your wall. I will bring that army right into the middle of this city.

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.

NoteThe Chaldeans were the people of Babylon. Their soldiers sat in camps all around the city wall. This was called a siege. No food could get in, and nobody could get out.

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

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.

Note"With an outstretched hand and with a strong arm" meant God's full strength. Those same words once told how God saved his people. Here that strength is turned against them.

6I will strike down the people who live in this city, and the animals too. They will die from a terrible sickness that spreads fast.

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

7After that, says the LORD, I will hand over Zedekiah, king of Judah. I will hand over his helpers and the people too. That means the ones still alive after the sickness, the fighting, and the hunger. I will give them to Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon. I will give them to their enemies, who want them dead. He will kill them with the sword. He will not spare them or feel sorry for them at all.

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.

Note"The sword" is a way of saying war and killing. The King James calls the hunger "famine." That is when a city runs out of food.

8And you must say this to the people. The LORD says: Look, I am setting two paths in front of you. One path leads to life. One path leads to death.

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.

9Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, by hunger, or by sickness. But whoever goes out and gives himself up to the Chaldeans outside will live. He will get to keep his own life, and nothing more.

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.

NoteSoldiers who won a battle carried home prizes. The King James calls such a prize a "prey." Here the only thing a person carries away is his own life.

10I have set my face against this city to bring harm, not good, says the LORD. It will be handed over to the king of Babylon. He will burn it down with fire.

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.

NoteTo "set my face against" something meant to decide firmly. God has made up his mind about this city.

1Four men heard what Jeremiah kept telling everyone. They were Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jucal, and Pashur.

Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,

NoteJeremiah was a prophet. A prophet told people what God said. These four men were officials, important helpers of the king.

2Jeremiah said, "The LORD says this. Anyone who stays in this city will die. War, hunger, or sickness will kill them. But anyone who goes out and gives up to the army of Babylon will live. He will get to keep his own life, and he will live."

Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

NoteThe LORD in big letters is God's own special name. To "give up" here means to walk out to the enemy. Then the soldiers would let you live instead of killing you.

3"The LORD says this too. This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon. That army will take it."

Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.

NoteBabylon was a strong country far away. Its army had come to attack this city, Jerusalem.

4So the officials said to the king, "Please have this man killed. His words make our soldiers lose heart. They make all the people lose heart too. This man does not want good for these people. He wants harm."

Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

NoteThe officials were important men who helped the king rule the country.

5King Zedekiah said, "He is yours. Do what you want. I cannot stop you."

Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.

NoteZedekiah was the king in Jerusalem. He was afraid of his own officials. So he let them do what they wanted with Jeremiah.

6So they took Jeremiah and put him in the pit that belonged to Malchiah, the king's son. The pit was in the prison yard. They let Jeremiah down with ropes. There was no water in the pit, only thick mud. Jeremiah sank down into the mud.

Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

NoteThe pit was a cistern. People dug deep holes like this to hold rainwater. This one had no water left, only deep mud. The prison yard was an open yard where guards watched people.