34:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his ①control and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and all its cities, saying,
▷ ①Lit dominion
34:2 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I am handing this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.
34:3 And as for you, you will not escape from his hand, for you will assuredly be caught and handed over to him; and you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak with you ①face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’ ” ’
▷ ①Lit his mouth with your mouth
34:4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, Zedekiah king of Judah! This is what the LORD says concerning you: ‘You will not die by the sword.
34:5 You will die in peace; and as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will burn spices for you; and they will mourn for you, crying, “Oh, my lord!” ’ For I have spoken the word,” declares the LORD.
34:6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem
34:7 when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the remaining cities of Judah, that is, Lachish and Azekah, for they alone remained as fortified cities among the cities of Judah.
34:8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to proclaim ①release to them:
▷ ①Or liberty
34:9 that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, so that no one would keep them, his Jewish brother or sister, in bondage.
34:10 And all the officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each person was to set his male servant free and each his female servant, so that no one would keep them in bondage any longer; they obeyed, and set them free.
34:11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male servants and the female servants whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male servants and as female servants.
34:12 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
34:13 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘I made a covenant with your forefathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying,
34:14 “At the end of seven years each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who ①has been sold to you and has served you for six years, and you shall send him out free from you.” But your forefathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear to Me.
▷ ①Or has sold himself
34:15 Although recently you had turned and done what is right in My sight, each one proclaiming ①release to his neighbor, and you had made a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name.
▷ ①Or liberty
34:16 Yet you turned and profaned My name, and each person ①took back his male servant and each his female servant whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your male and female servants.’
▷ ①Lit made his male servant return and
34:17 “Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming ①release, each one to his brother and each to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a ②release to you,’ declares the LORD, ‘to the sword, to the plague, and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
▷ ①Or liberty ②Or liberty
34:18 I will give the people who have violated My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts—
34:19 the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the high officials and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf—
34:20 I will hand them over to their enemies and to those who seek their lives. And their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the earth.
34:21 Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will also hand over to their enemies and to those who seek their lives, and to the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you.
34:22 Behold, I am going to give a command,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.’ ”