34:1 The word that came to Jeremias from the
Lord (now Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the
country of his dominion, were warring against Jerusalem, and against all the
cities of Juda,) saying,
34:2 Thus has the Lord said; Go to Sedekias king of Juda, and thou shalt say
to him, Thus has the Lord said, This city shall certainly be delivered into
the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it, and shall burn it
with fire:
34:3 and thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt certainly be
taken, and shalt be given into his hands; and thine eyes shall see his eyes,
and thou shalt enter into Babylon.
34:4 But hear the word of the Lord, O Sedekias king of Juda; Thus saith the
Lord,
34:5 Thou shalt die in peace: and as they wept for thy fathers that reigned
before thee, they shall weep also for thee, [saying], Ah lord! and they
shall lament for thee down to the grave: for I have spoken the word, said
the Lord.
34:6 And Jeremias spoke to king Sedekias all these words in Jerusalem.
34:7 And the host of the king of Babylon warred against Jerusalem, and
against the cities of Juda, and against Lachis, and against Azeca: for these
strong cities were left among the cities of Juda.
34:8 The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, after king Sedekias had
concluded a covenant with the people, to proclaim a release;
34:9 That every one should set at liberty his servant, and every one has
handmaid, the Hebrew man and Hebrew woman, that no man of Juda should be a
bondman.
34:10 Then all the nobles, and all the people who had entered into the
covenant, [engaging] to set free every one his man-servant, and every one
his maid, turned,
34:11 and gave them over to be men-servants and maid-servants.
34:12 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying,
34:13 Thus saith the Lord; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day
wherein I took them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage,
saying,
34:14 When six years are accomplished, thou shalt set free thy brother the
Hebrew, who shall be sold to thee: for he shall serve thee six years, and
[then] thou shalt let him go free: but they hearkened not to me, and
inclined not their ear.
34:15 And this day they turned to do that which was right in my sight, to
proclaim every one the release of his neighbour; and they had concluded a
covenant before me, in the house whereon my name is called.
34:16 But ye turned and profaned my name, to bring back every one his
servant, and every one his handmaid, whom ye had sent forth free [and] at
their own disposal, to be to you men-servants and maid-servants.
34:17 Therefore thus said the Lord; Ye have not hearkened to me, to proclaim
a release every one to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a release to you,
to the sword, and to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will give you
up to dispersion [among] all the kingdoms of the earth.
34:18 And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, who have
not kept my covenant, which they made before me, the calf which they
prepared to sacrifice with it,
34:19 the princes of Juda, and the men in power, and the priests, and the
people;
34:20 I will even give them to their enemies, and their carcases shall be
food for the birds of the sky and for the wild beasts of the earth.
34:21 And I will give Sedekias king of Judea, and their princes, into the
hands of their enemies, and the host of the king of Babylon [shall come
upon] them that run away from them.
34:22 Behold, I [will] give command, saith the Lord, and will bring them
back to this land; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it
with fire, and the cities of Juda; and I will make them desolate without
inhabitants. |
34:1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from
the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the
kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against
Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,
34:2 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king
of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city
into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
34:3 And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken,
and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the
king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt
go to Babylon.
34:4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the
LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:
34:5 But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the
former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and
they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word,
saith the LORD.
34:6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of
Judah in Jerusalem,
34:7 When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem, and against
all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah:
for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.
34:8 This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the
king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at
Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;
34:9 That every man should let his manservant, and every man his
maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should
serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
34:10 Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into
the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one
his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any
more, then they obeyed, and let them go.
34:11 But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids,
whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for
servants and for handmaids.
34:12 Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
34:13 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your
fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out
of the house of bondmen, saying,
34:14 At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew,
which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou
shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me,
neither inclined their ear.
34:15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming
liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in
the house which is called by my name:
34:16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant,
and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to
return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and
for handmaids.
34:17 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in
proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his
neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the
sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be
removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
34:18 And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have
not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when
they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,
34:19 The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and
the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts
of the calf;
34:20 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the
hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat
unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
34:21 And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand
of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into
the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which are gone up from you.
34:22 Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to
this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with
fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an
inhabitant. |