Jeremiah 34

1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, —when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his force 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:

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,

2 Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, Go and speak unto Zedekiah king of Judah, —and say unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me! giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire;

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:

3 And, thou, shalt not escape out of his hand, For thou shalt be, taken, And into his hand, shalt thou be delivered, —And, thine own eyes, into the eyes of the king of Babylon, shall look, And his mouth, with thy mouth, shall speak And Babylon, shalt thou enter.

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.

4 Nevertheless, hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah, king of Judah, —Thus, saith Yahweh Concerning thee, Thou shalt not die, by the sword;

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:

5 In peace, shalt thou die, And with the burnings made for thy fathers the former kings who were before thee, so, shall they make a burning unto thee, And, with an, Alas lord! shall they lament thee, —Because of the word, I, have spoken, Declareth Yahweh.

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.

6 Then spake Jeremiah the prophet, unto Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem;

Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

7 when, the force of the king of Babylon, was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, —against Lachish and against Azekah, for they, remained among the cities of Judah as fortified cities.

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.

8 The word which came unto Jeremiah, from Yahweh, —after that King Zedekiah had solemnised a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem, proclaiming unto them liberty:

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;

9 that every man should let his servant and every man his handmaid, being a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free, —so that no man should use them as slaves, to wit a Jew his brother;

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.

10 so then they hearkened—even all the princes and all the people who had entered into the covenant that every man should let his servant and every man his handmaid, go free, so as not to use them as slaves, any longer, —yea they hearkened, and let them go,

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.

11 howbeit they turned after that, and brought back the servants and the handmaids whom they had let go, free, and brought them into subjection as servants and as handmaids,

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.

12 So then the word of Yahweh came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying:

Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

13 Thus, saith Yahweh God of Israel, —I myself, solemnised a covenant with your fathers, in the day when I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves saying:

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,

14 At the end of seven years, shall ye let go every man his brother, being a Hebrew, who shall sell himself unto thee and serve thee, six years, then shalt thou let him go, free, from thee, Howbeit your fathers hearkened not unto me neither inclined their ear.

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.

15 And, though, ye, just now turned and did that which was right in mine eyes, by proclaiming liberty, every man to his neighbour, —and solemnised a covenant before me, in the house on which my Name hath been called,

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:

16 yet have ye turned and profaned my Name, and brought back, every man his servant and every man his hand-maid, whom ye had let go, free, at their own desire, —and have brought them into subjection, to become your servants and handmaids.

But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

17 Therefore—Thus, saith Yahweh, Ye, have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every man to his brother and every man to his neighbour: Behold me! proclaiming, to you, a liberty: Declareth Yahweh unto the sword, unto the pestilence, and unto the famine, so will I make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth;

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.

18 and will give the men who are transgressing my covenant, in that they have not confirmed the words of the covenant, which they solemnised, before me, when they cut the calf, in twain, and passed between the parts thereof;

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,

19 even the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land, —who passed between the parts of the calf,

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;

20 yea I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them who are seeking their life, —and their dead bodies shall become food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.

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.

21 Zedekiah king of Judah also with his princes, will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them who are seeking their life, —even into the hand of the force of the king of Babylon, who are going up from you.

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.

22 Behold me! giving command, Declareth Yahweh, and I will bring them back unto this city, and they will fight against it and capture it, and consume it with fire, —and, the cities of Judah, will I make too desolate to have an inhabitant.

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.