1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur, the son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,

2 Will you get directions from the Lord for us; for Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, is making war against us; it may be that the Lord will do something for us like all the wonders he has done, and make him go away from us.

3 Then Jeremiah said to them, This is what you are to say to Zedekiah:

4 The Lord God of Israel has said, See, I am turning back the instruments of war in your hands, with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and the Chaldaeans, who are outside the walls and shutting you in; and I will get them together inside this town.

5 And I myself will be fighting against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even with angry feeling and passion and in great wrath.

6 And I will send a great disease on the people living in this town, on man and on beast, causing their death.

7 And after that, says the Lord, I will give up Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his servants and his people, even those in the town who have not come to their end from the disease and the sword and from need of food, into the hands of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hands of their haters, and into the hands of those desiring their death: he will put them to the sword; he will not let anyone get away, he will have no pity or mercy.

8 And to this people you are to say, The Lord has said, See, I put before you the way of life and the way of death.

9 He who keeps in this town will come to his death by the sword and through need of food and through disease; but he who goes out and gives himself up to the Chaldaeans who are shutting you in, will go on living, and will keep his life safe.

10 For my face is turned to this town for evil and not for good, says the Lord: it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will have it burned with fire.

11 About the family of the king of Judah. Give ear to the word of the Lord;

12 O family of David, this is what the Lord has said: Do what is right in the morning, and make free from the hands of the cruel one him whose goods have been violently taken away, or my wrath will go out like fire, burning so that no one may put it out, because of the evil of your doings.

13 See, I am against you, you who are living on the rock of the valley, says the Lord; you who say, Who will come down against us? or who will get into our houses?

14 I will send punishment on you in keeping with the fruit of your doings, says the Lord: and I will put a fire in her woodlands, burning up everything round about her.

1 Então o rei Zedequias enviou Pasur (filho de Malquias), acompanhado de Sofonias o sacerdote (filho de Maaséias), junto de Jeremias a rogar-lhe: Pede ao Senhor que nos ajude, pois que Nabucodonozor, rei de Babilónia, declarou-nos guerra! Talvez o Senhor tenha compaixão de nós e faça um poderoso milagre, como nos tempos passados, e force Nabucodonozor a retirar as suas forças militares.

3 Jeremias respondeu: Digam ao rei Zedequias que o Senhor lhe comunica o seguinte: Tornarei todo o teu armamento sem utilidade nenhuma contra o rei da Babilónia e contra os caldeus que te sitiam. Com efeito, trarei os teus inimigos até mesmo ao coração da cidade, e serei eu próprio quem combaterá contra vocês, porque a minha cólera é grande. Mandarei uma terrível praga a esta cidade, e morrerão todos, tanto homens como animais. E no fim, entregarei Zedequias, ele próprio, mais todos os que tiverem ficado na cidade após aquela calamidade, para serem mortos sem piedade nem misericórdia, às mãos do rei Nabucodonozor de Babilónia.

8 Diz a este povo que o Senhor lhes comunica isto: Ponho na vossa frente dois caminhos, o da vida e o da morte. Ficarem aqui em Jerusalém e morrerem - abatidos pelos vossos inimigos, mortos pela fome e pela doença - ou saírem, entregarem-se ao exército caldeu e viverem. Porque me virei contra esta cidade; serei seu inimigo e não seu defensor, diz o Senhor. Será cativa do rei de Babilónia, o qual a reduzirá a cinzas.

11 E ao rei de Judá, diz o Senhor: Ouçam a palavra do Senhor - Ó descendência de David! Depressa! Faz justiça a quem estás a julgar! Liberta o oprimido da mão do que o subjuga antes que a minha ira se acenda contra ti, semelhante a um fogo que ninguém será capaz de extinguir, por causa da maldade das vossas acções. Lutarei contra esta cidade de Jerusalém, que domina os vales como um altivo rochedo, diz o Senhor, e que se gaba, dizendo: Estamos seguros; ninguém ousará tocar-nos aqui! Serei eu próprio quem vos destruirá, por causa dos vossos pecados, diz o Senhor. Acenderei um fogo nos bosques que queimará tudo em redor.