Jeremiah, 34

1. 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,

1. This was the word of Yahweh addressed to Jeremiah when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his army as well as all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah:

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:

2. This is the word of Yahweh, God of Israel, "Go and say this to Zedekiah king of Judah: 'See, I am giving this city to the king of Babylon and he will set it on 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.

3. You will not escape from his hands but will surely be captured and given over to him. You will see him face to face and speak directly to him and you will 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:

4. Just listen, Zedekiah, king of Judah, to the word of Yahweh! This is what Yahweh says about you, 'You will not be slain 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.

5. no, you will die in peace. As they made funeral pyres in honor of your fathers, former kings, so will they make a fire in your honor and lament 'Alas, my master! - word of Yahweh."

6. Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

6. Then Jeremiah the prophet gave this message to 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.

7. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem and the cities of Judah which were still resisting - Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities remaining in 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;

8. The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a treaty with all the people of Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves.

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.

9. Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no fellow Jew would be kept in bondage.

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.

10. The princes and all the citizens agreed to this. They made a treaty and so set them free.

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.

11. Yet they changed their mind afterwards and brought back the slaves they had freed and used them as slaves again.

12. Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

12. Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah,

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,

13. "Yahweh the God of Israel says this: I made a covenant with your fathers the day I brought them out of Egypt from the house of slavery and I said:

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.

14. At the end of every seven years you will free your brother Hebrew who sold himself to you. When he has served you for six years, you are to send him away a free man. But your fathers did not listen and paid no attention.

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:

15. Recently you repented and did what was right in my sight when each one proclaimed the freedom of his slave and you made a covenant with me in the House where my Name rests.

16. But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

16. But now you have gone back on your word and profaned my Name. You have brought back your slaves, male and female, to whom you had given complete freedom and you have again reduced them to slavery.

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.

17. That is why Yahweh says: Since you have not obeyed me in proclaiming freedom for your brothers and neighbors I now proclaim 'freedom' for you, freedom to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you detestable to every kingdom on 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,

18. The men who have sinned against my covenant, who have not observed the terms of the alliance they made before me, I will liken them to the calf they cut in two and then walked between its halves.

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;

19. The princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the free men who walked between the pieces 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.

20. I will hand them over to their enemies. Their corpses will serve as food for the birds of the air and 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.

21. Zedekiah and his officials I will give over to the hands of their enemies. You saw the army of the king of Babylon withdrawing 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.

22. But now I am issuing an order to bring them back to this city. They will attack and capture the city and set it on fire. As for the towns of Judah I will reduce them to a wasteland without inhabitants."