A Prophecy against Zedekiah

1The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth under the dominion of his hand, and all the people fought against Jerusalem and against all its cities, saying: 2Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and say to him, thus says YHWH: “Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with the fire. 3And you will not escape from his hand, but you will surely be captured and given into his hand, and your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with you face to face, and you will go to Babylon.

4Yet hear the word of YHWH, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says YHWH concerning you: You will not die by the sword. 5You will die in peace. And with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will burn for you, and will they lament for you: ‘Alas O lord! For I have spoken the word,” a declaration of YHWH.

6And Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Zedekiah the king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem, 7and the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left—against Lachish and against Azekah. For these fortified cities remained among the cities of Judah.

Freedom for Hebrew Slaves

8The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH after King Zedekiah had cut a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim to them liberty, 9that each man should send forth free his manservant and his maidservant, a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, that none of them should lay service on a Jew, his fellow man. 10And they agreed, all the princes and all the people who had come into this covenant, to send forth free each man his manservant and his maidservant, so as not to lay service on them anymore. And they agreed and sent them forth. 11And they turned around after thus, the menservants and the maidservants made return whom they had sent forth free, and they subjected them as menservants and as maidservants.

12And the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying: 13“Thus says YHWH, the God of Israel: I cut a covenant with your⁺ fathers in the day that I brought them from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, saying: 14At the end of seven years you⁺ will send forth each man his brother, the Hebrew who has been sold to him. When he has served you six years, then you will send him forth free from you. Your⁺ fathers did not listen to Me and they did not incline their ear.

15And you⁺ turned this day and did right in My eyes, proclaiming liberty, each man to his neighbor. And you⁺ cut a covenant before Me in the house upon which My name is called. 16And you⁺ turned back and profaned My name, and each man his manservant and his maidservant whom he had sent forth free according to their soul, you⁺ made return and subjected them to become for you⁺ as menservants and maidservants.

17Therefore, thus says YHWH: You⁺ have not listened to Me in proclaiming liberty, each man to his brother, and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming to you⁺ liberty, a declaration of YHWH, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine! And I will give have to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth.

18And I will give the men having transgressed My covenant, who have not made stand the words of the covenant that they cut before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it— 19the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, those passing between the parts of the calf! 20And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those seeking their soul, and their corpses will be as meat for the birds of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth. 21And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes I will give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their soul, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon that has gone up from upon you⁺.

22Behold, I am giving the command, a declaration of YHWH, and I will cause them to return to this city, and they will make war against it and will take it and will burn it with fire. And the cities of Judah I will make a desolation without inhabitant.