1
The wordwhichcame to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion and all the peoples, were fightingagainstJerusalem and againstall its cities, saying,
2
"Thussays the LORDGod of Israel, 'Go and speak to Zedekiahking of Judah and say to him: "Thussays the LORD, 'Behold, I am givingthiscity into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.
3
'You will not escape from his hand, for you will surely be captured and delivered into his hand; and you will see the king of Babyloneye to eye, and he will speak with you face to face, and you will go to Babylon.' "'
5
'You will die in peace; and as spices were burned for your fathers, the formerkingswho were before you, so they will burn spices for you; and they will lament for you, "Alas, lord!"' For I have spoken the word," declares the LORD.
7
when the army of the king of Babylon was fightingagainstJerusalem and againstall the remainingcities of Judah, that is, Lachish and Azekah, for they alone remained as fortifiedcities among the cities of Judah.
8
The wordwhichcame to Jeremiah from the LORDafterKingZedekiah had made a covenant with all the peoplewho were in Jerusalem to proclaimrelease to them:
9
that eachman should setfree his maleservant and eachman his femaleservant, a Hebrewman or a Hebrew woman; so that noone should keep them, a Jew his brother, in bondage.
10
And all the officials and all the peopleobeyedwho had entered into the covenant that eachman should setfree his maleservant and eachman his femaleservant, so that noone should keep them anylonger in bondage; they obeyed, and set them free.
11
But afterward* they turnedaround and tookback the maleservants and the femaleservantswhom they had setfree, and brought them into subjection for maleservants and for femaleservants.
13
"Thussays the LORDGod of Israel, 'I made a covenant with your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, saying,
14
"At the end of sevenyearseach of you shall setfree his Hebrewbrotherwho has been sold to you and has served you sixyears, you shall send him out free from you; but your forefathers did not obey Me or incline their ear to Me.
15
"Although recently you had turned and donewhat is right in My sight, eachmanproclaimingrelease to his neighbor, and you had made a covenantbefore Me in the housewhich is called by My name.
16
"Yet you turned and profaned My name, and eachmantookback his maleservant and eachman his femaleservantwhom you had setfree according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your maleservants and femaleservants."'
17
"Thereforethussays the LORD, 'You have not obeyed Me in proclaimingreleaseeachman to his brother and eachman to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you,' declares the LORD, 'to the sword, to the pestilence and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
18
'I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenantwhich they madebefore Me, when they cut the calf in two and passedbetween its parts -
19
the officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the courtofficers and the priests and all the people of the land who passedbetween the parts of the calf -