The word which
came
to Jeremiah
from the LORD
, when aNebuchadnezzar
king
of Babylon
and all
his army
, with ball
the kingdoms
of the earth
that were under his dominion
and all
the peoples
, were fighting
against
Jerusalem
and against
all
its cities
, saying
,
"Thus says
the LORD
God
of Israel
, ` aGo
and speak
to Zedekiah
king
of Judah
and say
to him: "Thus
says
the LORD
, `Behold
, bI am giving
this
city
into the hand
of the king
of Babylon
, and che will burn
it with fire
.
` aYou will not escape from his hand
, for you will surely
be captured
and delivered
into his hand
; and you will bsee
the king
of Babylon
eye
to eye
, and he will speak
with you 1face
to face
, and you will go
to Babylon
.' "'
"Yet hear
the word
of the LORD
, O Zedekiah
king
of Judah
! Thus
says
the LORD
concerning
you, `You will not die
by the sword
.
`You will die in peace
; and as spices were burned
for your fathers
, the former
kings
who
were before
you, so
they will aburn
spices for you; and bthey will lament
for you, "Alas
, lord
!"' For I have spoken
the word
," declares
the LORD
.
Then Jeremiah the prophet
spoke
aall
these
words
to Zedekiah
king
of Judah
in Jerusalem
when the army of the king
of Babylon
was fighting
against
Jerusalem
and against
all
the remaining
cities
of Judah
, that is, aLachish
and bAzekah
, for they alone remained
as cfortified
cities
among the cities
of Judah
.
The word which
came
to Jeremiah
from the LORD
after
King
Zedekiah
had amade
a covenant
with all
the people
who
were in Jerusalem
to bproclaim
1release
to them:
that each man
should set
free
his male
servant
and each
man
his female
servant
, a aHebrew
man
or a Hebrew
woman
; so that bno
one
should keep
them, a Jew
his brother
, in bondage
.
And all the aofficials
and all
the people
obeyed
who
had entered
into the covenant
that each
man
should set
free
his male
servant
and each
man
his female
servant
, so that no
one
should keep
them any
longer
in bondage
; they obeyed
, and set
them free.
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
for male
servants
and for female
servants
.
Then the word of the LORD
came
to Jeremiah
from the LORD
, saying
,
"Thus says
the LORD
God
of Israel
, `I amade
a covenant
with your forefathers
in the day
that I bbrought
them out of the land
of Egypt
, from the house
of bondage
, saying
,
" aAt the end of seven
years
each
of you shall set
free
his Hebrew
brother
who
1has been sold
to you and has served
you six
years
, you shall send
him out free
from you; but your forefathers
bdid not obey
Me or incline
their ear
to Me.
"Although recently you had turned
and adone
what
is right
in My sight
, each
man
proclaiming
1release
to his neighbor
, and you had bmade
a covenant
before
Me cin the house
which
is called
by My name
.
"Yet you aturned and bprofaned
My name
, and each
man
1took
back
his male
servant
and each
man
his female
servant
whom
you had set
free
according to their desire
, and you brought
them into subjection
to be your male
servants
and female
servants
."'
"Therefore thus
says
the LORD
, `You have not obeyed
Me in proclaiming
1release
each
man
to his brother
and each
man
to his neighbor
. Behold
, I am aproclaiming
a 1release
to you,' declares
the LORD
, `to the bsword
, to the pestilence
and to the famine
; and I will make
you a cterror
to all
the kingdoms
of the earth
.
`I will give the men
who have atransgressed
My covenant
, who
have not fulfilled
the words
of the covenant
which
they made
before
Me, when they bcut
the calf
in two
and passed
between
its parts
--
the aofficials of Judah
and the officials
of Jerusalem
, the court
officers
and the priests
and all
the people
of the land
who passed
between
the parts
of the calf
--
I will give them into the hand
of their enemies
and into the hand
of those who aseek
their life
. And their bdead
bodies
will be food
for the birds
of the sky
and the beasts
of the earth
.
` aZedekiah king
of Judah
and his officials
I will give
into the hand
of their enemies
and into the hand
of those who seek
their life
, and into the hand
of the army
of the king
of Babylon
which has bgone
away
from you.
`Behold, I am going to command
,' declares
the LORD
, `and I will bring
them back
to this
city
; and they will fight
against
it and atake
it and burn
it with fire
; and I will make
the cities
of Judah
a bdesolation
cwithout
inhabitant
.' "