³ But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, ⁴ ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn^(A) against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians^[a] who are outside the wall besieging^(B) you. And I will gather them inside this city. ⁵ I myself will fight^(C) against you with an outstretched hand^(D) and a mighty arm^(E) in furious anger and in great wrath. ⁶ I will strike^(F) down those who live in this city—both man and beast—and they will die of a terrible plague.^{(G) 7} After that, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah^(H) king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague,^(I) sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon^(J) and to their enemies^(K) who want to kill them.^(L) He will put them to the sword;^(M) he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’^(N)

²² ‘They will be taken^(A) to Babylon and there they will remain until the day^(B) I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring^(C) them back and restore them to this place.’”

² “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah^(A) king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.^{(B) 3} You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.^(C) You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.

¹¹ After the Babylonian army had withdrawn^(A) from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, ¹² Jeremiah started to leave the city to go to the territory of Benjamin to get his share of the property^(B) among the people there. ¹³ But when he reached the Benjamin Gate,^(C) the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, arrested him and said, “You are deserting to the Babylonians!”^(D)

¹⁴ “That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested^(E) Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.