Jeremiæ 34
1 Verbum, quod factum est ad Ieremiam a Domino, quando Nabuchodonosor rex Babylonis, et omnis exercitus eius, universaque regna terræ, quæ erant sub potestate manus eius, et omnes populi bellabant contra Ierusalem, et contra omnes urbes eius, dicens:
This is the Lord's message that came to Jeremiah when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, all his army, along with troops from all the countries he ruled and other nations were attacking Jerusalem and all its nearby towns:
2 Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israel: Vade, et loquere ad Sedeciam regem Iuda: et dices ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Ecce ego tradam civitatem hanc in manus regis Babylonis, et succendet eam igni.
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go and talk to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that this is what the Lord says: Listen! I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he is going to burn it down.
3 Et tu non effugies de manu eius: sed comprehensione capieris, et in manu eius traderis: et oculi tui oculos regis Babylonis videbunt, et os eius cum ore tuo loquetur, et Babylonem introibis.
You yourself won't escape being captured by him. You will certainly be taken prisoner and brought before him to speak with him personally and see him face to face. You will be taken to Babylon.
4 Attamen audi verbum Domini Sedecia rex Iuda: Hæc dicit Dominus ad te: Non morieris in gladio,
Listen to what the Lord is telling you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says about you: You won't be killed;
5 sed in pace morieris, et secundum combustiones patrum tuorum regum priorum qui fuerunt ante te, sic comburent te: et Væ domine, plangent te: quia verbum ego locutus sum, dicit Dominus.
you will die in peace. You will have a proper funeral with incense burned for you as they did for your forefathers, the kings who ruled before you. They will weep for you, crying, “The king is dead.” I myself am telling you this, declares the Lord.
6 Et locutus est Ieremias propheta ad Sedeciam regem Iuda universa verba hæc in Ierusalem.
Jeremiah the prophet told Zedekiah king of Judah all this there in Jerusalem.
7 Et exercitus regis Babylonis pugnabat contra Ierusalem, et contra omnes civitates Iuda, quæ reliquæ erant contra Lachis, et contra Azecha: hæ enim supererant de civitatibus Iuda, urbes munitæ.
At this time the king of Babylon's army was attacking the city and the Judean towns of Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities that had not yet been conquered in Judah.
8 Verbum, quod factum est ad Ieremiam a Domino, postquam percussit rex Sedecias fœdus cum omni populo in Ierusalem, prædicans:
A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a agreement with everyone in Jerusalem to announce a proclamation of freedom.
9 Ut dimitteret unusquisque servum suum, et unusquisque ancillam suam, Hebræum et Hebræam liberos: et nequaquam dominarentur eis, id est in Iudæo et fratre suo.
This meant that every slave owner should free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female. No one was to force their fellow citizens to remain slaves any longer.
10 Audierunt ergo omnes principes et universus populus, qui inierant pactum ut dimitteret unusquisque servum suum, et unusquisque ancillam suam liberos, et ultra non dominarentur eis: audierunt igitur, et dimiserunt.
All the officials and all the people who accepted this agreement did what they said. They freed their male and female slaves, not forcing them to remain slaves any longer. They obeyed and let them go free.
11 Et conversi sunt deinceps: et retraxerunt servos et ancillas suas, quos dimiserant liberos, et subiugaverunt in famulos et famulas.
However, later on they changed their minds and took back the male and female slaves they'd freed, forcing them back into slavery.
12 Et factum est verbum Domini ad Ieremiam a Domino, dicens:
A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,
13 Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israel: Ego percussi fœdus cum patribus vestris in die, qua eduxi eos de Terra Ægypti de domo servitutis, dicens:
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a agreement with your forefathers when I led them out of Egypt, out of the prison-house of slavery, saying:
14 Cum completi fuerint septem anni, dimittat unusquisque fratrem suum Hebræum, qui venditus est ei, et serviet tibi sex annis: et dimittes eum a te liberum: et non audierunt patres vestri me, nec inclinaverunt aurem suam.
Every seventh year, each of you are to set free all fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. They can serve you for six years, but then you must set them free. But your forefathers didn't pay attention and didn't obey what I told them.
15 Et conversi estis vos hodie, et fecistis quod rectum est in oculis meis, ut prædicaretis libertatem unusquisque ad amicum suum: et inistis pactum in conspectu meo in domo, in qua invocatum est nomen meum super eam.
A little while ago you decided to do what's right, which made me happy. You all announced that you would free your slaves. You made a agreement before me in my Temple.
16 Et reversi estis, et commaculastis nomen meum: et reduxistis unusquisque servum suum, et unusquisque ancillam suam, quos dimiseratis ut essent liberi et suæ potestatis: et subiugastis eos ut sint vobis servi et ancillæ.
But now you've changed your minds and dishonored me. Each of you took back the male and female slaves you'd set free to do whatever they wanted. You forced them to become your slaves again.
17 Propterea hæc dicit Dominus: Vos non audistis me, ut prædicaretis libertatem unusquisque fratri suo, et unusquisque amico suo: ecce ego prædico vobis libertatem, ait Dominus ad gladium, ad pestem, et ad famem: et dabo vos in commotionem cunctis regnis terræ.
So this is what the Lord says: You haven't obeyed me. You haven't announced freedom for your slaves, your own people. So now I announce “freedom” for you, declares the Lord: Freedom to be killed by war, by disease, and by famine! I will make all the kingdoms of the world horrified by you.
18 Et dabo viros, qui prævaricantur fœdus meum, et non observaverunt verba fœderis, quibus assensi sunt in conspectu meo, vitulum quem conciderunt in duas partes, et transierunt inter divisiones eius:
They have broken my agreement, and have not kept the terms of the agreement they promised before me. So I'm going to cut them up just like the calf they cut in half to pass between its two pieces.
19 Principes Iuda et principes Ierusalem, eunuchi et sacerdotes, et omnis populus terræ, qui transierunt inter divisiones vituli:
I will hand them over to their enemies who are trying to kill them. This includes the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and everyone else who passed between the pieces of the calf.
20 Et dabo eos in manus inimicorum suorum, et in manus quærentium animam eorum: et erit morticinum eorum in escam volatilibus cæli, et bestiis terræ.
Their dead bodies will become food for birds of prey and wild animals.
21 Et Sedeciam regem Iuda, et principes eius dabo in manus inimicorum suorum, et in manus quærentium animas eorum, et in manus exercituum regis Babylonis, qui recesserunt a vobis.
I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials to their enemies who are trying to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon which had paused its attack on you.
22 Ecce ego præcipio, dicit Dominus, et reducam eos in civitatem hanc, et præliabuntur adversus eam, et capient eam, et incendent igni: et civitates Iuda dabo in solitudinem, eo quod non sit habitator.
Listen! I will give the order, declares the Lord, and bring them back to Jerusalem. They will attack it, capture it, and burn it. I'm going to destroy the towns of Judah so nobody will live there.
