¹² When they fast, I am ^(A)not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer ^(B)burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to ^(C)make an end of them by the ^(D)sword, famine, and pestilence.”

² And it will be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says Yahweh:

³ I will ^(B)appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares Yahweh: “the sword to kill, the ^(C)dogs to drag off, and the ^(D)birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and bring to ruin. ⁴ I will ^(E)give them over to be an example of terror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of ^(F)Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

Jeremiah Pleads for Vengeance

Yahweh’s Answer

¹⁹ Therefore thus says Yahweh,

¹⁰ I will send the ^(A)sword, the famine, and the pestilence upon them until they come to an end from being upon the land which I gave to them and their fathers.’”

¹⁷ thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the ^(A)sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like ^(B)split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. ¹⁸ I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will ^(C)give them over to be a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a ^(D)curse and an object of horror and of ^(E)hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have banished them, ¹⁹ because they have ^(F)not listened to My words,’ declares Yahweh, ‘which I sent to them by ^(G)My slaves the prophets, rising up early and sending; but you did not listen,’ declares Yahweh. ²⁰ You, therefore, hear the word of Yahweh, all you exiles, whom I have ^(H)sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

²¹ “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are ^(I)prophesying to you falsely in My name, ‘Behold, I will give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes. ²² And because of them a ^(J)curse will be ^[a]used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon ^(K)roasted in the fire ²³ because they have ^(L)acted with wicked foolishness in Israel and ^(M)have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have ^(N)spoken words in My name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who ^(O)knows and am a witness,” declares Yahweh.’”

²⁴ And to ^(P)Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying, ²⁵ “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have sent ^(Q)letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem and to ^(R)Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, ²⁶ “Yahweh has given you to be a priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the ^[b](S)overseer in the house of Yahweh over every ^(T)madman who ^(U)prophesies, to ^(V)put him in the stocks and in the iron collar, ²⁷ so now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of ^(W)Anathoth who prophesies to you? ²⁸ For he has ^(X)sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘The exile will be ^(Y)long; ^(Z)build houses and live in them and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’”’”

^29 (AA)So Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰ Then came the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah, saying, ³¹ “Send to ^(AB)all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh concerning ^(AC)Shemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has ^(AD)prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has ^(AE)made you trust in a lie,” ³² therefore thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to ^(AF)punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his seed; he will ^(AG)not have anyone living among this people, ^(AH)and he will not see the good that I am about to do to My people,” declares Yahweh, “because he has ^(AI)spoken rebellion against Yahweh.”’”

¹² One-third of you will die by the ^(A)plague or be consumed by the famine among you, one-third will fall by the sword around you, and one-third I will ^(B)scatter to every wind, and I will ^(C)unsheathe a sword behind them.

¹⁷ Moreover, ^(A)I will send on you famine and wild beasts, and they will bereave you of children; ^(B)plague and bloodshed also will pass through you, and I will bring the sword on you. I, Yahweh, have spoken.’”

²¹ For thus says Lord Yahweh, “How much more when ^(A)I send My four calamitous judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague to cut off man and beast from it!