I. On Kings and Prophets (21:1-23:40)
A. Speaking of Kings (21:1-23:8)
1. Bad News, Good News (21:1-10)
a) Bad News for Zedekiah (21:1-7)
21 1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh when King Zedekiah sent to
him Pashhur son of Malchiah and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, say-
ing:^2 'Seek would you Yahweh on our behalf, for Nebuchadrezzar, king of
Babylon, is fighting against us; perhaps Yahweh will do for us according to all
his extraordinary deeds, and he will go away from us.'^3 But Jeremiah said to
them, Thus you shall say to Zedekiah:(^4) Thus said Yahweh, God of Israel:
Look I will turn around the weapons of war that are in your hand, with
which you are fighting the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are be-
sieging you from outside the wall, and I will gather them together into the
midst of this city.^5 And I myself will fight against you with outstretched
hand and with strong arm, yes, in anger and in wrath and in great fury.
(^6) And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city-both human and beast;
by a great pestilence they shall die.
(^7) And after this-oracle of Yahweh-I will give Zedekiah, king of Judah,
and his servants, and the people, and those remaining in this city from the
pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Neb-
uchadrezzar, king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into
the hand of those who seek their lives. And he will strike them down into
the mouth of the sword; he will not spare them, and he will not pity, and he
will not have mercy.
b) Bad News-Good News for the People (21:8-10)
21 8 And to this people you shall say:
Thus said Yahweh:
Look I will set before you the way of life and the way of death.^9 Whoever
stays in this city shall die by sword, and by famine, and by pestilence, but