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For I am with you,' declares Yahweh, ‘to save you;For I will make a complete destruction of all the nations where I have scattered you,Only I will not make a complete destruction of you.But I will chasten you justlyAnd will by no means leave you unpunished.'

Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,Among them the blind and the lame,The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;A great assembly, they will return here.

With weeping they will come,And by supplication I will lead them;I will make them walk by streams of waters,On a straight path in which they will not stumble;For I am a father to Israel,And Ephraim is My firstborn."

because Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, "Why do you prophesy, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, "Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it;

"Behold, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"

Therefore thus says Yahweh, "Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will capture it.

For thus says Yahweh, ‘Just as I brought all this great evil on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them.

"Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him: "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.

"Therefore thus says Yahweh, ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,' declares Yahweh, ‘to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

Behold, I am going to command,' declares Yahweh, ‘and I will cause them to return to this city; and they will fight against it and capture it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.'"

Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the harmful evil that I have spoken against them because I spoke to them but they did not listen, and I have called them but they did not answer.'"

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, "I am confined; I cannot go into the house of Yahweh.

But Jeremiah said, "A lie! I am not going over to the Chaldeans"; yet he would not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials.

Then King Zedekiah sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house of Yahweh; and the king said to Jeremiah, "I am going to ask you something; do not hide anything from me."

Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am anxious because of the Jews who have gone over to the Chaldeans, lest they give me over into their hand and they deal severely with me."

But Jeremiah said, "They will not give you over. Please listen to the voice of Yahweh in what I am saying to you, that it may go well with you and you may live.

"Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, "Behold, I am about to bring My words on this city for calamity and not for prosperity; and they will take place before you on that day.

So now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will set my eyes to look after you; but if it is displeasing in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, never mind. Look, the whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right in your eyes to go."

Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, gather in wine and summer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels and stay in your cities that you have seized."

Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, "I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to Yahweh your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which Yahweh will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you."