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"Enquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us." (Ver. 2.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>The answer of the Lord was peremptory in the extreme. How could it be otherwise to a king who thus hypocritically honoured Jehovah with his lips when his heart was far from Him? All was hopeless for the king of Judah, who showed less value for the oath he had taken than the Gentile who had imposed it on him. "Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. And afterward, saith the Lord, 1 will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he will smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy." (Ver. 4-7.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span>Yet even then God has a word for the people (ver. 8-10), and sets before them the way of life, no less than that of death. "He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire." (Ver. 9, 10.) Nor is the house of the king forgotten. "Hear ye the word of the Lord; O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the Lord; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it." (Ver. 11-14.)<span class="p"><br /><br /></span> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-2.htm">Jeremiah 21:2</a></div><div class="verse">Inquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-3.htm">Jeremiah 21:3</a></div><div class="verse">Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-4.htm">Jeremiah 21:4</a></div><div class="verse">Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that <i>are</i> in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and <i>against</i> the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-5.htm">Jeremiah 21:5</a></div><div class="verse">And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-6.htm">Jeremiah 21:6</a></div><div class="verse">And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-7.htm">Jeremiah 21:7</a></div><div class="verse">And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-8.htm">Jeremiah 21:8</a></div><div class="verse">And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-9.htm">Jeremiah 21:9</a></div><div class="verse">He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-10.htm">Jeremiah 21:10</a></div><div class="verse">For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-11.htm">Jeremiah 21:11</a></div><div class="verse">And touching the house of the king of Judah, <i>say</i>, Hear ye the word of the LORD;</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-12.htm">Jeremiah 21:12</a></div><div class="verse">O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver <i>him that is</i> spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench <i>it</i>, because of the evil of your doings.</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-13.htm">Jeremiah 21:13</a></div><div class="verse">Behold, I <i>am</i> against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, <i>and</i> rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?</div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/jeremiah/21-14.htm">Jeremiah 21:14</a></div><div class="verse">But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.</div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Kelly Commentary on Books of the Bible<br /><br />Text Courtesy of <a href="//biblesupport.com" target="_top">BibleSupport.com</a>. 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