Jeremiah 34:1-12

1 The word which came to Yirmeyahu from the LORD, when Nevukhadnetztzar king of Bavel, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the eretz that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Yerushalayim, and against all the cities of it, saying:

2 Thus says the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, Go, and speak to Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah, and tell him, Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Bavel, and he shall burn it with fire:

3 and you shall not escape out of his hand, but shall surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Bavel, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth, and you shall go to Bavel.

4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah: thus says the LORD concerning you, You shall not die by the sword;

5 you shall die in shalom; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so shall they make a burning for you; and they shall lament you, [saying], Ah Lord! for I have spoken the word, says the LORD.

6 Then Yirmeyahu the prophet spoke all these words to Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah in Yerushalayim,

7 when the king of Bavel's army was fighting against Yerushalayim, and against all the cities of Yehudah that were left, against Lakhish and against `Azeka; for these [alone] remained of the cities of Yehudah [as] fortified cities.

8 The word that came to Yirmeyahu from the LORD, after that the king Tzidkiyahu had made a covenant with all the people who were at Yerushalayim, to proclaim liberty to them;

9 that every man should let his man-servant, and every man his maid-servant, who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should make bondservants of them, [to wit], of a Yehudi his brother.

10 All the princes and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant, that everyone should let his man-servant, and everyone his maid-servant, go free, that none should make bondservants of them any more; they obeyed, and let them go:

11 but afterwards 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 Yirmeyahu from the LORD, saying,

Jeremiah 34:1-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 34

In this chapter is a prophecy of the taking and burning of Jerusalem; of the captivity of Zedekiah king of Judah; and of the destruction of the whole land, because of their breach of covenant to let servants go free. The time of this prophecy is observed, Jer 34:1,6,7; the taking and burning of the city, Jer 34:2; the carrying captive the king, who yet should not die a violent death, but in peace, and should have an honourable funeral, Jer 34:3-5; the covenant the king, princes, and people entered into, to let their servants go free, according to the law of God, which was at first observed, and afterwards retracted, Jer 34:8-11; which conduct is taken notice of and resented, Jer 34:13-16; and they are threatened with the sore judgments of God, sword, famine, pestilence, and captivity, the king, princes, priests, and people; and with the destruction, not on of Jerusalem, but of the rest of the cities of Judah, Jer 34:17-22.