Jeremiah

The word that came to Jeremiah from GOD, when King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth and all the peoples under his sway, were waging war against Jerusalem and all its towns:

Thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: Go speak to King Zedekiah of Judah, and say to him: “Thus said GOD: I am going to deliver this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it by fire.

And you will not escape from him; you will be captured and handed over to him. And you will see the king of Babylon face to face and speak to him in person;aAnd you will see the king of Babylon face to face and speak to him in person For the idiom see note at 32.4. and you will be brought to Babylon.

But hear the word of GOD, O King Zedekiah of Judah! Thus said GOD concerning you: You will not die by the sword.

You will die a peaceful death; and as incensebincense Lit. “burnings.” was burned for your ancestors, the earlier kings who preceded you, so they will burn incensecincense See preceding note. for you, and they will lament for you ‘Ah, lord!’ For I Myself have made the promise—declares GOD.”

The prophet Jeremiah spoke all these words to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem,

when the army of the king of Babylon was waging war against Jerusalem and against the remaining towns of Judah—against Lachish and Azekah, for they were the only fortified towns of Judah that were left.

The word that came to Jeremiah from GOD after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim a releasedrelease In contrast to others “liberty.” among them—

that everyone should set free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and that no one should keep their fellow Judean enslaved.

Everyone, officials and people, who had entered into the covenant agreed to set their male and female slaves free and not keep them enslaved any longer; they complied and let them go.

But afterward they turned about and brought back the men and women they had set free, and forced them into slavery again.

Then it was that the word of GOD came to Jeremiah from GOD:

Thus said the ETERNAL, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage, saying:

“In the seventh yeareIn the seventh year Of servitude. Lit. “After a period of seven years”; cf. Deut. 14.28; 15.1. each of you must let go any fellow Hebrew who may be soldfwho may be sold Or “who sell themselves.” to you; when they have served you six years, you must set them free.” But your ancestors would not obey Me or give ear.

Lately you turned about and did what is proper in My sight, and all of you proclaimed a release to your compatriots; and you made a covenant accordingly before Me in the House that bears My name.

But now you have turned back and have profaned My name; each of you has brought back the men and women whom you had given their freedom, and forced them to be your slaves again.

Assuredly, thus said GOD: You would not obey Me and proclaim a release, each to your kin and neighbor. Lo! I proclaim your release—declares GOD—to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine; and I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

I will make the parties who violated My covenant, who did not fulfill the terms of the covenant that they made before Me, [like] the calf that they cut in two so as to pass between the halves:gthe calf … the halves Cf. Gen. 15.9–10, 17–21.

The officers of Judah and Jerusalem, the officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the halves of the calf

shall be handed over to their enemies, to those who seek to kill them. Their carcasses shall become food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth.

I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officers to their enemies, who seek to kill them—to the army of the king of Babylon that has withdrawn from you.

I hereby give the command—declares GOD—by which I will bring them back against this city. They shall attack it and capture it, and burn it down. I will make the towns of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.