Jeremiah 34
34
Warning to Zedekiah
1The word which came to Jeremiah from Adonai, when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion and all the peoples were warring against Jerusalem and its towns, saying,
2thus says Adonai, the God of Israel: “Go, speak to King Zedekiah of Judah and tell him, thus says Adonai: ‘I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire,
3and you will not escape out of his hand, but will surely be captured and given into his hand. Your eyes will behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with you mouth to mouth, and you will go to Babylon.”
4Yet hear the word of Adonai, O Zedekiah king of Judah, thus says Adonai concerning you: “You will not die by the sword;
5you will die in peace. As there were burning ceremonies for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will burn spices for you, and they will lament for you: ‘Oy , lord!’ For it is a word I have spoken,” declares Adonai.
Covenant Breaking With Slaves
6Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke all these words to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem,
7when the army of the king of Babylon was warring 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.
8The word that came to Jeremiah from Adonai, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people that were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them,
9so that everyone should let his manservant and his maidservant—Hebrew man or Hebrew woman—go free, so that no one should make a slave of a Jew, his brother.
10So all the princes and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant, that everyone would free his manservant and his maidservant and not make them slaves any more—they obeyed, and freed them.
11But afterward they turned around and made the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, return, and brought them back into subjection as servants and as handmaids.”
12So the word of Adonai came to Jeremiah from Adonai, saying,
13thus says Adonai, the God of Israel: “I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying:
14‘At the end of seven years you are to set free every man his brother that is a Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you are let him go free from you.’ But your fathers did not obey Me, nor inclined their ear.
15Now you had repented, and had done that which is right in My eyes, by proclaiming liberty everyone to his neighbor. You even had made a covenant before Me in the House where My Name is called.
16But you turned around and profaned My Name, and made everyone his servant and his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their will, return, and you brought them back into subjection, to be your servants and handmaids.”
17Therefore thus says Adonai: “You have not obeyed Me, to proclaim liberty, everyone to his brother and everyone to his neighbor. Behold, I proclaim for you a liberty,” declares Adonai, “to the sword, to plague and to famine! So I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
18I will give the men who have transgressed My covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts
19—the princes of Judah and the princes of Jerusalem, the officers, the kohanim, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf—
20I will even give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of them who seek their life, and their dead bodies will be for food to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth.
21King Zedekiah of Judah and his princes I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of them who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, who were withdrawing from you.
22Indeed, I will command,” declares Adonai, “and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a wasteland, with no one living.”
Currently Selected:
Jeremiah 34: TLV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Jeremiah 34
34
Jeremiah’s Word to King Zedekiah
1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, # 2Kg 25:1; Jr 39:1; 52:4 all his army, all the earthly kingdoms under his control, # Jr 1:15 and all other nations were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding cities: 2“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go, speak to Zedekiah, king of Judah, and tell him: This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, # Jr 32:3,28 and he will burn it down. 3As for you, you will not escape # Jr 32:4; 38:18,23; Ezk 17:18; 1Th 5:3 from his hand but are certain to be captured and handed over to him. You will meet the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak face to face; # Lit and his mouth will speak to your mouth # Jr 32:4 you will go to Babylon.
4“Yet hear the Lord’s word, Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword; 5you will die peacefully. There will be a burning ceremony for you just like the burning ceremonies for your fathers, the former kings who preceded you. # 2Ch 16:14; 21:19 ‘Our king is dead! ’ # Lit Alas, lord will be the lament for you, for I have spoken this word.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
6So Jeremiah the prophet related all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem 7while the king of Babylon’s army was attacking Jerusalem and all of Judah’s remaining cities — against Lachish and Azekah, # Jos 10:3-35 for they were the only ones left of Judah’s fortified cities.
The People and Their Slaves
8This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom # Lv 25:10; Is 61:1; Ezk 46:17 to them, 9so each man would free his male and female Hebrew slaves and no one would enslave his Judean brother. # Lv 25:39 10All the officials and people who entered into covenant to free their male and female slaves — in order not to enslave them any longer — obeyed and freed them. 11Afterward, however, they changed their minds and took back their male and female slaves they had freed and forced them to become slaves again.
12Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 13“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant # Jr 31:32 with your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, saying: 14At the end of seven years, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who sold himself # Or who was sold to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must send him out free from you. # Ex 21:2-6; Dt 15:12-17 But your ancestors did not obey Me or pay any attention. 15Today you repented and did what pleased Me, each of you proclaiming freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me # 2Kg 23:3 at the temple called by My name. # Jr 7:10-11 16But you have changed your minds # Jr 34:11 and profaned My name. # Lv 19:12; 22:32; Pr 30:9; Ezk 20:9,14,22; 36:20-23; 39:7; Am 2:7; Mal 1:11-12 Each has taken back his male and female slaves who had been freed to go wherever they wanted, and you have again subjugated them to be your slaves.
17“Therefore, this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed Me by proclaiming freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. # Is 9:19; Jr 31:34; Zch 7:9-10; Mal 2:10 I hereby proclaim freedom for you” # Mt 7:2 — this is the Lord’s declaration — “to the sword, to plague, and to famine! I will make you a horror to all the earth’s kingdoms. # 2Ch 29:8; Jr 15:4; 24:9; 29:18 18As for those who disobeyed My covenant, # Jos 7:11; 2Kg 18:12 not keeping the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat them like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces. # Gn 15:10,17-18 19The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf 20will be handed over to their enemies, to those who want to take their life. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land. # Dt 28:26; Is 18:6; Jr 7:33 21I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials over to their enemies, to those who want to take their lives, to the king of Babylon’s army that is withdrawing. 22I am about to give the command” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. # Jr 21:10; 34:2; 37:8; 38:18 I will make Judah’s cities a desolation, without inhabitant.” # Jr 4:7; 9:11; 33:10; 44:22; 46:19; 48:9; 51:37
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.