34 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 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, 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 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 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
Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah
in Jerusalem, 7 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 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 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 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 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
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 13 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 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 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 But ye turned and polluted my name,
and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he 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 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 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 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 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 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, 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..