THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET
JEREMIAH
Jeremiah 21 ©
King Zedekiah in the siege sends to inquire of Jeremiah, whether there be any hope and comfort to be expected from God, v. 1, etc. He receives a negative answer, but quite the contrary, 3. Yet God advises the people what is best for them, 8. And gives a lesson to the king’s house with a sharp threat, 11.
THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the 1son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for 2Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us 3according to all his wondrous works, that 4he may go up from us.
¶Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will 5turn back the 6weapons 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 7will assemble them into the midst of this city.
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.
And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both 8man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.
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 9life: and 10he shall smite them 11with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
¶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.
He that abidetha in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and 12falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his 13life shall be unto him for a prey.
For I have 14set my face against this city for 15evil, and not for 16good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
¶And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;
O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Executeb judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the 17oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Behold, I 18am against thee, 19O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of 20the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?
But I will 21punish you 22according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a 23firec in the forest 24thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.