The Lord satisfies ¹  the appetite ²  of the righteous, but he thwarts ³  the craving ⁴  of the wicked.

He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us ¹  so that we may live ²  and not die.” ³ 

The fool folds his hands and does no work, ¹  so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh. ² 

Therefore my ¹  people will be deported ²  because of their lack of understanding. Their ³  leaders will have nothing to eat, ⁴  their ⁵  masses will have nothing to drink. ⁶ 

The mighty lion ¹  perishes ²  for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness ³  are scattered.

If his children increase – it is for the sword! ¹  His offspring never have enough to eat. ² 

Better is a person of humble standing ¹  who nevertheless has a servant, ²  than one who pretends to be somebody important ³  yet has no food.

Then ¹  after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need.

The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died ¹  by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by ²  the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full, ³  for you have brought us out into this desert to kill ⁴  this whole assembly with hunger!”

There is no reason why you and your people should die in war ¹  or from starvation or disease! ²  That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation ³  that will not be subject to the king of Babylon.

So now be very sure of this: You will die from war, starvation, or disease in the place where you want to go and live.”

ט (Tet) Those who died by the sword ¹  are better off than those who die of hunger, ²  those who ³  waste away, ⁴  struck down ⁵  from lack of ⁶  food. ⁷ 

You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep!

If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation, ¹  and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect ²  to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, ³  we’ll live; if they kill us – well, we were going to die anyway.” ⁴ 

If they ask you, ‘Where should we go?’ tell them the Lord says this: “Those who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease. Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war. Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation. Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile.” ¹ 

So let their children die of starvation. Let them be cut down by the sword. ¹  Let their wives lose their husbands and children. Let the older men die of disease ²  and the younger men die by the sword in battle.

“Your royal Majesty, those men have been very wicked in all that they have done to the prophet Jeremiah. They have thrown him into a cistern and he is sure to die of starvation there because there is no food left in the city. ¹ 

When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, ¹  “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. ¹  Then we will live ²  and not die – we and you and our little ones.

The poor will graze in my pastures; ¹  the needy will rest securely. But I will kill your root by famine; it will put to death all your survivors. ²