Jeremiah 21:4-10

New King James Version

⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the ^[a]Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and ^(A)I will assemble them in the midst of this city. ⁵ I ^(B)Myself will fight against you with an ^(C)outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath. ⁶ I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence. ⁷ And afterward,” says the Lord, ^(D)“I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword. ^(E)He shall not spare them, or have pity or mercy.” ’

⁸ “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, ^(F)I set before you the way of life and the way of death. ⁹ He who ^(G)remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and ^[b]defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall ^(H)live, and his life shall be as a prize to him. ¹⁰ For I have ^(I)set My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says the Lord. ^(J)“It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall ^(K)burn it with fire.” ’