1. King Zedekiah of Judah sent for Pashhur son of Malchiah and for a priest named Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. Then he told them, “Talk with Jeremiah for me.”So they came to me and said,
2. “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia has attacked Judah. Please ask the Lord to work miracles for our people, as he has done in the past, so that Nebuchadnezzar will leave us alone.”
8. Then I told them that the Lord had said:People of Jerusalem, I, the Lord, give you the choice of life or death.
9. The Babylonian army has surrounded Jerusalem, so if you want to live, you must go out and surrender to them. But if you want to die because of hunger, disease, or war, then stay here in the city.
10. I have decided not to rescue Jerusalem. Instead, I am going to let the king of Babylonia burn it to the ground. I, the Lord, have spoken.
11-12. Pay attention, you who belongto the royal family.Each new day, make surethat justice is done,and rescue thosewho are being robbed.Or else my anger will flame uplike a fire that never goes out.
13. Jerusalem,from your mountaintopyou look out over the valleysand think you are safe.But I, the Lord, am angry,
14. and I will punish youas you deserve.I'll set your palace on fire,and everything around youwill go up in smoke.