New Living Translation NLT
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 The LORD spoke through Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashhur son of Malkijah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, to speak with him. They begged Jeremiah,
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This is the word that came to Yirmeyahu from ADONAI when King Tzidkiyahu sent to him Pash'chur the son of Malkiyah and Tz'fanyah the son of Ma'aseiyah with this message:
2 “Please speak to the LORD for us and ask him to help us. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is attacking Judah. Perhaps the LORD will be gracious and do a mighty miracle as he has done in the past. Perhaps he will force Nebuchadnezzar to withdraw his armies.”
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"Please consult ADONAI for us, because N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel is making war on us. Maybe ADONAI will perform a miracle for us and cause him to withdraw."
3 Jeremiah replied, “Go back to King Zedekiah and tell him,
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Yirmeyahu answered them, "Here is what you are to tell Tzidkiyahu:
4 ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I will make your weapons useless against the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside your walls attacking you. In fact, I will bring your enemies right into the heart of this city.
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'This is what ADONAI, the God of Isra'el, says: "I will make the weapons of war that you have in your hands ineffectual in your fight against the king of Bavel and the Kasdim who are outside the walls besieging you. Instead, I will gather them inside this city;
5 I myself will fight against you with a strong hand and a powerful arm, for I am very angry. You have made me furious!
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and I myself will fight against you with my hand stretched out and with a strong arm, in anger, rage and great fury.
6 I will send a terrible plague upon this city, and both people and animals will die.
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I will strike the inhabitants of this city, humans and animals alike, and they will die of a terrible plague.
7 And after all that, says the LORD, I will hand over King Zedekiah, his staff, and everyone else in the city who survives the disease, war, and famine. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and to their other enemies. He will slaughter them and show them no mercy, pity, or compassion.’
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Afterwards," says ADONAI "I will hand over Tzidkiyahu king of Y'hudah, his servants, the people, and anyone remaining alive in this city after the plague, war and famine, to N'vukhadretzar king of Bavel and to their enemies, to those who seek their lives; and he will put them to the sword. He will not spare them; he will have no pity, no compassion."'
8 “Tell all the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Take your choice of life or death!
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"And here is what you are to tell this people: 'ADONAI says: "Look! I am presenting you with the way of life and the way of death.
9 Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine, or disease, but those who go out and surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life!
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Anyone who stays in this city will die by sword, famine and plague. But he who leaves and surrenders to the Kasdim besieging you will stay alive; his own life will be his only 'spoils of war.'
10 For I have decided to bring disaster and not good upon this city, says the LORD . It will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will reduce it to ashes.’
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For I have determined absolutely that this city will have evil, not good," says ADONAI. "It is going to be handed over to the king of Bavel, and he will burn it to the ground."'
11 “Say to the royal family of Judah, ‘Listen to this message from the LORD !
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"To the royal house of Y'hudah say: 'Hear the word of ADONAI;
12 This is what the LORD says to the dynasty of David: “‘Give justice each morning to the people you judge! Help those who have been robbed; rescue them from their oppressors. Otherwise, my anger will burn like an unquenchable fire because of all your sins.
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house of David, this is what ADONAI says: "Judge fairly every morning, rescue the wronged from their oppressors; or my fury will lash out like fire, burning so hot that no one can quench it, because of how evil your actions are."
13 I will personally fight against the people in Jerusalem, that mighty fortress— the people who boast, “No one can touch us here. No one can break in here.”
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ADONAI says, "I am against you, [Yerushalayim,] situated in a valley like a rock on a plain. You who say, 'Who can come down against us? Who can enter our lairs?'
14 And I myself will punish you for your sinfulness, says the LORD . I will light a fire in your forests that will burn up everything around you.’”
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I will punish you," says ADONAI, "as your deeds deserve. I will set its forest on fire, and it will devour everything around it."'"
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.