The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Jeremiah 34
1 The word whichcame to Jeremiahfrom
Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon, with all his army, all the
kingdoms of the earth that were under his
dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting
against Jerusalem and against all its cities,
saying:
2 “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go,
and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and
tell him, Yahweh says, “Behold, I will give
this city into the hand of the king of Babylon
and he will burn it with fire.
3 You won’t escape out of his hand, but
will surely be taken and delivered into his
hand. Your eyes will see the eyes of the
king of Babylon, and he will speak with
you mouth to mouth. You will go to Babylon.” ’
4 “Yet hear Yahweh’s word, O Zedekiah
king of Judah. Yahweh says concerning
you, ‘You won’t die by the sword.
5 You will die in peace; and with the
burnings of your fathers, the former kings
who were before you, so they will make
a burning for you. They will lament you,
saying, “Ah Lord!” for I have spoken the
word,’ says Yahweh.”
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all
these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in
Jerusalem,
7 when 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.
8 The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh,
after King Zedekiah had made a
covenant with all the people who were at
Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them,
9 that every man should let his male servant,
and every man his female servant,
who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free,
that no one should make bondservants of
them, of a Jew his brother.
10 All the princes and all the people
obeyed who had entered into the
covenant, that everyone should let his
male servant and everyone his female
servant go free, that no one should make
bondservants of them any more. They
obeyed and let them go,
11 but 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.
12 Therefore Yahweh’s word came to
Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,
13 “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘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, every man
of you shall release his brother who is a
Hebrew, who has been sold to you, and
has served you six years. You shall let him
go free from you. But your fathers didn’t
listen to me, and didn’t incline their ear.
15 You had now turned, and had done
that which is right in my eyes, in every
man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor.
You had made a covenant before me in the
house which is called by my name;
16 but you turned and profaned my
name, and every man caused his servant
and every man his handmaid, whom you
had let go free at their pleasure, to return.
You brought them into subjection, to be to
you for servants and for handmaids.
17 Therefore Yahweh says: “You have not
listened to me, to proclaim liberty, every
man to his brother, and every man to his
neighbor. Behold, I proclaim to you a
liberty,” says Yahweh, “to the sword, to the
pestilence, and to the famine. I will make
you be tossed back and forth among all the
kingdoms of the earth.
18 I 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, the princes of
Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and
all the people of the land, who passed
between the parts of the calf.
20 I will even give them into the hand of
their enemies and into the hand of those
who seek their life. Their dead bodies will
be food for the birds of the sky and for the
animals of the earth.
21 “I will give Zedekiah king ofJudah and
his princes into the hands oftheir enemies,
into the hands of those who seek their life
and into the hands of the king of Babylon’s
army, who has gone away from you.
22 Behold, I will command,” says Yahweh, “and cause them to return to this city.
They will fight against it, take it, and burn
it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a
desolation, without inhabitant.”