Jeremiah

TARGETED ORACLES

To Zedekiah

These words of the Lord came to Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent Pashur, son of Malchiah, and the priest Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, to tell him:

“Seek the Lord’s guidance on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has begun a war against us. Perhaps the Lord will work some miracles and turn the enemy’s plans around and withdraw.”

Jeremiah replied: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to Zedekiah:

I am about to bring back to you the weapons you are fighting with outside the wall, the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you; and I will place these weapons in the middle of the city.

Then I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, filled with anger, fury, and great wrath.

I will strike down everyone in the city, both humans and animals, and they will die from a terrible plague.

After this—all the Lord’s words here—I will hand over Zedekiah, the king of Judah, his servants, and the surviving citizens who escape the plague, the sword, and famine to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. I will give them into the hands of their enemies, those who seek their blood. They will be killed mercilessly and without compassion.”

To Those People

Then the Lord instructed me to tell the people: “Take heed! I, the Lord, am offering you a choice between the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death.

Those who stay inside the city will die by sword, famine, or plague; those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans besieging the city will survive and be the only ones saved.

For I am turning this city over for its ruin, not for its good—word of the Lord—it will be handed over to the king of Babylon, who will destroy it by fire.”

To the Royal House of Judah

You will deliver this message to the king’s officials. Tell the royal family of Judah this:

Officials of David’s palace, listen to the word of the Lord: “Give judgment every morning and rescue the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, so that my fury does not break out like a fire with no one to stop it.”

To Jerusalem

This is the Lord’s word: “See, I am coming to you who live in the hills overlooking the valley, you who say, ‘Who will come against us and enter this secure place?’

I will punish you according to your deeds, and in your forests, I will kindle a fire that will devour all that surrounds it.”