2a“Please inquire of the Lord for us, for1 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful works, that theking may go away from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,
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 the1 Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and aI will assemble them in the midst of this city.
5 I aMyself will fight against you with an boutstretched 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, a“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. bHe shall not spare them, or have pity or mercy.” ’
8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, aI set before you the way of life and the way of death.
9 He who aremains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and1 defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall blive, and his life shall be as a prize to him.
10 For I have aset My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says the Lord. b“It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall cburn it with fire.” ’
Message to the House of David
11 “And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord,
12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord: a“Execute1 judgment bin the morning; And deliver himwhois plundered Out of the hand of the oppressor, Lest My fury go forth like fire And burn so that no one can quench it, Because of the evil of your doings.
13 “Behold, aI am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, And rock of the plain,” says the Lord, “Who say, b‘Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter our dwellings?’
14 But I will punish you according to the afruit of your doings,” says the Lord; “I will kindle a fire in its forest, And bit shall devour all things around it.” ’ ”
God of Israel—Those "wondrous works" (Jeremiah 21:2) do not belong to you; God is faithful; it is you who forfeit the privileges of the covenant by unfaithfulness. "God will always remain the God of Israel, though He destroy thee and thy people" [CALVIN].
turn back the weapons—I will turn them to a very different use from what you intend them. With them you now fight against the Chaldees "without the walls" (the Jewish defenders being as yet able to sally forth more freely, and defend the fountains outside the walls in the valley under Mount Zion; see Jeremiah 21:13; Jeremiah 19:6-7); but soon ye shall be driven back within the city [MAURER], and "in the midst" of it, I will cause all your arms to be gathered in one place ("I will assemble them," namely, your arms) by the Chaldean conquerors [GROTIUS], who shall slay you with those very arms [MENOCHIUS].
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Jeremiah 21:4:
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