Jeremiah 21:8
New International Version
“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.

New Living Translation
“Tell all the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Take your choice of life or death!

English Standard Version
“And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the LORD: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Berean Standard Bible
Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
“Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

New American Standard Bible
“You shall also say to this people, ‘This is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.

NASB 1995
“You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

NASB 1977
“You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Legacy Standard Bible
“You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Amplified Bible
“And to this people you (Jeremiah) shall also say, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Christian Standard Bible
“But tell this people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“But you must say to this people, ‘This is what the LORD says: Look, I am presenting to you the way of life and the way of death.

American Standard Version
And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And to this people say: “Thus says LORD JEHOVAH, ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And thou shalt say to this people, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I have set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

Contemporary English Version
Then I told them that the LORD had said: People of Jerusalem, I, the LORD, give you the choice of life or death.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And to this people thou shalt say: Thus saith the Lord: Behold I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Say to these people, 'This is what the LORD says: I am going to give you the choice of life or death.

Good News Translation
Then the LORD told me to say to the people, "Listen! I, the LORD, am giving you a choice between the way that leads to life and the way that leads to death.

International Standard Version
"You are to say to this people, 'This is what the LORD says: "I'm about to set before you the way of life and the way of death.

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.

Literal Standard Version
“And you say to this people, Thus said YHWH: Behold, I am setting before you the way of life, | And the way of death!

Majority Standard Bible
Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

New American Bible
And to this people you shall say: Thus says the LORD: See, I am giving you a choice between the way to life and the way to death.

NET Bible
"But tell the people of Jerusalem that the LORD says, 'I will give you a choice between two courses of action. One will result in life; the other will result in death.

New Revised Standard Version
And to this people you shall say: Thus says the LORD: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death.

New Heart English Bible
To this people you shall say, "Thus says the LORD: 'Look, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Webster's Bible Translation
And to this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

World English Bible
“You shall say to this people, ‘Yahweh says: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

Young's Literal Translation
And unto this people thou dost say, Thus said Jehovah: Lo, I am setting before you the way of life, And the way of death!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jerusalem will Fall to Babylon
7‘After that,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officers, and the people in this city who survive the plague and sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will not spare them or show pity or compassion.’ 8Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 30:15
See, I have set before you today life and goodness, as well as death and disaster.

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live,

Proverbs 12:28
There is life in the path of righteousness, but another path leads to death.

Isaiah 1:19
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land.

Isaiah 1:20
But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Jeremiah 38:17
Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'If you indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned down, and you and your household will survive.


Treasury of Scripture

And to this people you shall say, Thus said the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

I set.

Deuteronomy 11:26
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

Deuteronomy 30:15,19
See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; …

Isaiah 1:19,20
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: …

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Death Furthermore Life Setting Way
Jeremiah 21
1. Zedikiah sends to Jeremiah to enquire the event of Nebuchadnezzar's war.
3. Jeremiah foretells a hard siege and miserable captivity.
8. He counsels the people to fall to the Chaldeans;
11. and upbraids the King's house.














(8) The way of life, and the way of death.--The words are not unlike those of Deuteronomy 11:26-27; Deuteronomy 30:15; Deuteronomy 30:19, but there is something like a solemn irony in their application here. They obviously present themselves, not with the wide spiritual application with which they meet us there, but are to be taken in their lowest and most literal sense. The "way of life" is no longer that way of righteousness which the men of Judah had forsaken, leading to the life of eternal blessedness, but simply submission to the Chaldaeans, and the life so gained was one of exile and poverty, if not of bondage also.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You are also to say
תֹּאמַ֔ר (tō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
וְאֶל־ (wə·’el-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

this
הַזֶּה֙ (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

people,
הָעָ֤ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

‘This is what
כֹּ֖ה (kōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3069: YHWH

says:
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

Behold,
הִנְנִ֤י (hin·nî)
Interjection | first person common singular
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

I set
נֹתֵן֙ (nō·ṯên)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

before
לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם (lip̄·nê·ḵem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

you
אֶת־ (’eṯ-)
Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the way
דֶּ֥רֶךְ (de·reḵ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

of life
הַחַיִּ֖ים (ha·ḥay·yîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

and the way
דֶּ֥רֶךְ (de·reḵ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

of death.
הַמָּֽוֶת׃ (ham·mā·weṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 21:8 To this people you shall say Thus (Jer.)
Jeremiah 21:7
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