ULT JER Chapter 34

◄ JER 34 ► ║ ═ ©

34 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth, the dominion of his hand, and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and against all her cities, saying: 2 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says Yahweh: Behold me giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire. 3 And you, you will not escape from his hand, but capturing you will be captured, and into his hand you will be given. And your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth will speak with your mouth, and to Babylon you will go.’ 4 Yet hear the word of Yahweh, Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says Yahweh concerning you: ‘You will not die by the sword. 5 In peace you will die, and like the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will burn for you, “Alas, master!” they will mourn for you, for I myself have spoken a word— the declaration of Yahweh.’ ”

6 And Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem, 7 while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the remaining cities of Judah, against Lachish and against Azekah, for these remained among the cities of Judah as cities of fortification.

8 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after King Zedekiah cut a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, to proclaim freedom to them, 9 to send away, a man his male servant and a man his female servant, the Hebrew man and the Hebrew woman, free, to not serve by them— on a Jew, his brother man. 10 And all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant obeyed— to send away, a man his male servant and a man his female servant, free, to not serve by them any longer— and they obeyed and sent them away. 11 But afterward they turned back and brought back the male servants and the female servants whom they had sent away free, and they subjected them as male servants and as female servants.

12 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying: 13 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: I myself cut a covenant with your fathers in the day of my bringing them out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, saying, 14 ‘At the end of seven years you shall send away a man his brother, the Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years, then you shall send him away free from you.’ But your fathers did not listen to me, and they did not incline their ear. 15 And you yourselves turned today and did what is right in my eyes, to proclaim freedom, a man to his neighbor, and you cut a covenant to my face, in the house over which my name is called. 16 But you turned and profaned my name, and you brought back, a man his male servant and a man his female servant whom you had sent away free for themselves, and you subjected them to be for you for male servants and for female servants.

17 Therefore thus says Yahweh: You, yourselves have not listened to me to proclaim freedom, a man to his brother and a man to his neighbor. Behold me proclaiming freedom to you”—the declaration of Yahweh—“to the sword, to the plague, and to the famine, and I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will give the men transgressing my covenant, who did not establish the words of the covenant that they cut before my face—the calf that they cut in two and passed between its pieces—19 the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land, the ones passing between the pieces of the calf—20 and I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of the ones seeking their life, and their corpse will be as food for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth. 21 And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of the ones seeking their life, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, the ones withdrawing from against you. 22 Behold me, commanding,”—the declaration of Yahweh—“and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and capture it and burn it with fire. And the cities of Judah I will make a desolation, without inhabitant.”