³ But Jeremiah answered, “This is what you are to say to Zedekiah: ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I will repel the weapons of war in your hands,^(A) those you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans^[a] who are besieging you outside the wall, and I will bring them into the center of this city.^{(B) 5} I will fight against you^(C) with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm,^(D) with anger, rage, and great wrath. ⁶ I will strike the residents of this city, both man and beast. They will die in a great plague. ⁷ Afterward’”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“‘King Zedekiah of Judah, his officers, and the people—those in this city who survive the plague, the sword, and the famine—I will hand over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,^(E) to their enemies, yes, to those who want to take their lives. He will put them to the sword; he won’t spare them or show pity or compassion.’^(F)