The wordwhichcameuntoJeremiahfrom the LORD, whenNebuchadnezzarking of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, foughtagainstJerusalem, and against all the citiesthereof, saying,
Thussaith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiahking of Judah, and tell him, Thussaith the LORD; Behold, I willgivethiscityinto the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shallburn it withfire:
And thoushalt not escape out of his hand, but shaltsurely be taken, and deliveredinto his hand; and thineeyesshallbehold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shallspeakwiththeemouth to mouth, and thoushalt go to Babylon.
But thoushalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the formerkingswhichwerebeforethee, so shalltheyburnodours for thee; and theywilllamentthee, saying, Ah lord! for I havepronounced the word, saith the LORD.
When the king of Babylon’sarmyfoughtagainstJerusalem, and against all the cities of Judahthatwereleft, againstLachish, and againstAzekah: for thesedefencedcitiesremained of the cities of Judah.
This is the wordthatcameuntoJeremiahfrom the LORD, afterthat the kingZedekiah had made a covenantwith all the peoplewhichwere at Jerusalem, to proclaimlibertyuntothem;
Thatevery man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; thatnoneshouldservehimself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had enteredinto the covenant, heardthatevery one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, thatnoneshouldservethemselves of them any more, thentheyobeyed, and let them go.
But afterwardtheyturned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whomthey had let go free, to return, and broughtthemintosubjection for servants and for handmaids.
Thussaith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenantwithyourfathers in the day that I broughtthemforth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,
At the end of sevenyears let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, whichhathbeensolduntothee; and when he hathservedthee six years, thoushalt let him go freefromthee: but yourfathershearkened not unto me, neitherinclinedtheir ear.
And ye were now turned, and had doneright in my sight, in proclaiminglibertyevery man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenantbefore me in the housewhich is called by my name:
But ye turned and polluted my name, and causedevery man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at theirpleasure, to return, and broughtthemintosubjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
Thereforethussaith the LORD; Ye have not hearkenedunto me, in proclaimingliberty, 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 willmake you to be removedinto all the kingdoms of the earth.
And I willgive the men thathavetransgressed my covenant, whichhave not performed the words of the covenantwhichthey had madebefore me, whenthey cut the calf in twain, and passedbetween the partsthereof.
The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, whichpassedbetween the parts of the calf;
I willevengivetheminto the hand of theirenemies, and into the hand of themthatseektheirlife: and theirdeadbodiesshall be for meatunto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
And Zedekiahking of Judah and his princeswill I giveinto the hand of theirenemies, and into the hand of themthatseektheirlife, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’sarmy, which are gone up from you.
Behold, I willcommand, saith the LORD, and causethem to return to thiscity; and theyshallfightagainst it, and take it, and burn it withfire: and I willmake the cities of Judah a desolationwithout an inhabitant.