Jeremiah 34

1The word which came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying:

1This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his entire army, including all the kingdoms and people under his rule, were attacking Jerusalem and the surrounding towns.

2Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

2The LORD, the God of Israel, said: Go and speak to King Zedekiah of Judah. Tell him, 'The LORD says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.'

3and 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 him. You will certainly be captured and handed over to him. You will see the king of Babylon face to face, and he will speak to you personally. Then you will be taken to Babylon.'

4Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O Zedekiah king of Judah: thus saith Jehovah concerning thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword;

4'However, listen to the promise of the LORD, King Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the LORD says about you: You will not die in battle.'

5thou shalt die in peace; and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings that were before thee, so shall they make a burning for thee; and they shall lament thee, saying, Ah Lord! for I have spoken the word, saith Jehovah.

5'You will die peacefully. Just as people burned spices to honor your ancestors, the kings who ruled before you, they will do the same for you and mourn for you, crying out, "Oh, master!" I myself have spoken this promise, says the LORD.'

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

6Then Jeremiah the prophet told all these things to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem.

7when the king of Babylon’s army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities.

7At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the only two fortified cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah.

8The word that came unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people that were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;

8The LORD spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for their slaves.

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

9Everyone was supposed to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female. No one was allowed to keep a fellow Judean in bond-service.

10And all the princes and all the people obeyed, that had entered into the covenant, that every one should let his man-servant, and every one his maid-servant, go free, that none should make bondmen of them any more; they obeyed, and let them go:

10All the officials and the people who entered into this covenant obeyed. They freed their male and female slaves and agreed not to enslave them again. They followed through and let them go.

11but 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.

11But later, they changed their minds. They took back the men and women they had set free and forced them to become slaves again.

12Therefore the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

12Because of this, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:

13Thus saith Jehovah, 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 bondage, saying,

13This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, the land where they were slaves. I told them:

14At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother that is a Hebrew, that hath been sold unto thee, and 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'Every seven years, each of you must free any fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you. After he has served you for six years, you must let him go free.' But your ancestors did not listen to me or pay any attention.

15And ye were now turned, and had done that which is right in mine eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

15Recently, you changed your hearts and did what was right in my eyes. You proclaimed freedom for your neighbors and made a solemn promise before me in the Temple that bears my name.

16but ye turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and ye brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

16But now you have turned back and insulted my name. Each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they liked, and you have forced them into slavery again.

17Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Ye have not hearkened unto me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim unto you a liberty, saith Jehovah, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth.

17Therefore, the LORD says: Since you have not obeyed me by giving freedom to your brothers and neighbors, I will now proclaim 'freedom' for you, says the LORD—freedom to die by the sword, by disease, and by hunger. I will make you a terrifying example to all the kingdoms of the earth.

18And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, that have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in twain and passed between the parts thereof;

18I will punish the men who broke my covenant and did not keep the terms they agreed to in my presence. They cut a calf in two and walked between the pieces to seal the deal.

19the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, that passed between the parts of the calf;

19These include the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf.

20I 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 food unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the earth.

20I will hand them over to their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.

21And 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, that are gone away from you.

21I will hand King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials over to their enemies who want to kill them. I will hand them over to the army of the king of Babylon, even though they have retreated from you for now.

22Behold, I will command, saith Jehovah, 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 inhabitant.

22Look, I am going to give the order, says the LORD, and I will bring the Babylonian army back to this city. They will attack it, capture it, and burn it down. I will turn the towns of Judah into a wasteland where no one lives.