Jeremias 41

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,

2 Thus has the Lord said; Go to Sedekias king of Juda, and you shall 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:

3 and you shall not escape out of his hand, but shall certainly be taken, and shall be given into his hands; and your eyes shall see his eyes, and you shall enter into Babylon.

4 But hear the word of the Lord, O Sedekias king of Juda; Thus says the Lord,

5 You shall die in peace: and as they wept for your fathers that reigned before you, they shall weep also for you, [saying], Ah lord! and they shall lament for you down to the grave: for I have spoken the word, said the Lord.

6 And Jeremias spoke to king Sedekias all these words in Jerusalem.

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.

8 The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, after king Sedekias had concluded a covenant with the people, to proclaim a release;

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.

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,

11 and gave them over to be menservants and maidservants.

12 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying,

13 Thus says 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,

14 When six years are accomplished, you shall set free your brother the Hebrew, who shall be sold to you: for he shall serve you six years, and [then] you shall let him go free: but they listened not to me, and inclined not their ear.

15 And this day they turned to do that which was right in my sight, to proclaim every one the release of his neighbor; and they had concluded a covenant before me, in the house whereon my name is called.

16 But you turned and profaned my name, to bring back every one his servant, and every one his handmaid, whom you had sent forth free [and] at their own disposal, to be to you menservants and maidservants.

17 Therefore thus said the Lord; You have not listened to me, to proclaim a release every one to his neighbor: 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.

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,

19 the princes of Juda, and the men in power, and the priests, and the people;

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.

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.

22 Behold, I [will] give command, says 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.