1 THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
3 And 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.
4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:
5 But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
7 When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.
8 This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;
9 That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
10 Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.
11 But afterward 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 the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
13 Thus saith the Lord, 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 bondmen, saying,
14 At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
15 And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
17 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, 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 will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
18 And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,
19 The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;
20 I 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 meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
21 And 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, which are gone up from you.
22 Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, 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 an inhabitant.

1The word which came vnto Ieremiah frō the Lord (when Nebuchad-nezzar king of Babylon and all his armie, and all the kingdomes of the earth of his dominion, and all the people fought against Ierusalem and against all the cities thereof) saying,

2Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Go, and speake to Zedekiah king of Iudah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will giue this citie into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shal burne it with fire.

3And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and deliuered into his hand, and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speake with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt goe to Babylon.

4Yet heare the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Iudah: Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:

5But thou shalt die in peace, and with the burnings of thy fathers the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burne odours for thee, and they will lament thee, saying, Ah Lord; for I haue pronounced the word, saith the Lord.

6Then Ieremiah the Prophet spake all these words vnto Zedekiah king of Iudah in Ierusalem;

7When the king of Babylons armie fought against Ierusalem, and against all the cities of Iudah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Iudah.

8 This is the word that came vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a couenant with all the people which were at Ierusalem to proclaime liberty vnto them,

9That euery man should let his man seruant, and euery man his maide seruant, being an Hebrewe, or an Hebrewesse, goe free, that none should serue himselfe of them, to wit, of a Iew his brother.

10Now when all the princes and all the people which had entred into the couenant, heard that euery one should let his man seruant, and euery one his maid seruant goe free, that none should serue themselues of them any more, then they obeyed and let them goe.

11But afterwards they turned, and caused the seruants and the handmaids whom they had let goe free, to returne, and brought them into subiection for seruants and for handmaids.

12 Therefore the worde of the Lord came to Ieremiah, from the Lord, saying,

13Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, I made a couenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,

14At the end of seuen yeeres, let ye go euery man his brother an Hebrew which hath bene sold vnto thee: and when he hath serued thee sixe yeeres, thou shalt let him goe free from thee, but your fathers hearkened not vnto me, neither inclined their eare.

15And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming libertie euery man to his neighbour, and ye had made a couenant before me in the house, which is called by my Name.

16But yee turned and polluted my Name, and caused euery man his seruant, and euery man his handmaide, whome yee had set at libertie at their pleasure, to returne; and brought them into subiection, to bee vnto you for seruants and for handmaids.

17Therfore thus saith the Lord, Ye haue not hearkened vnto me, in proclaiming libertie euery one to his brother, and euery man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaime a libertie for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine, and I wil make you to be remoued into all the kingdomes of the earth.

18And I wil giue the men that haue transgressed my couenant, which haue not performed the wordes of the couenant which they had made before mee, when they cut the calfe in twaine, and passed betweene the parts thereof,

19The princes of Iudah and the princes of Ierusalem, the eunuches, and the priests, and all the people of the land which passed betweene the parts of the calfe,

20I will euen giue them into the hande of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seeke their life, and their dead bodies shall bee for meate vnto the foules of the heauen, and to the beasts of the earth.

21And Zedekiah king of Iudah, and his Princes will I giue into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seeke their life and into the hand of the king of Babylons armie, which are gone vp from you.

22Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to returne to this citie, and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burne it with fire, and I will make the cities of Iudah a desolation without an inhabitant.

II == Jer 21:10 ; 32:3 , 28-29 ; 34:22

III == Jer 32:4

V == 2nd Chr 16:14 ; 21:19 ; Jer 22:18 ; Dan 2:46

VII == 2nd Kings 18:13 ; 19:8 ; 2nd Chr 11:5 , 9

VIII == Ex 21:2 ; Lev 25:10 ; Jer 34:14

IX == Lev 25:39-46 ; Neh 5:11

XI == Jer 34:21 ; 37:5

XIV == Ex 21:2 ; 23:10 ; Deut 15:12

XV == 2nd Kings 23:3 ; Neh 10:29

XVI == Ex 20:7 ; Lev 19:12

XVII == Deut 28:25 , 64 ; Jer 29:18 ; 32:24 , 36 ; Matt 7:2 ; Gal 6:7 ; James 2:13

XVIII == Gen 15:10 , 17

XX == Jer 7:33 ; 16:4 ; 19:7

XXI == Jer 37:5 , 11

XXII == 1st Kings 6:5 ; 2nd Kings 10:15 ; 1st Chr 2:55 ; Jer 9:11 ; 37:8 , 10 ; 38:3 ; 39:1-2 , 8 ; 44:2 , 6 ; 52:7 , 13

1 This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD while Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his armies and the earth's kingdoms subject to him, as well as the other peoples, were all attacking Jerusalem and all her cities:

2 Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Go to Zedekiah, king of Judah, and tell him: Thus says the LORD: I am handing this city over to the king of Babylon; he will destroy it with fire.

3 Neither shall you escape his hand; rather you will be captured and fall into his hands. You shall see the king of Babylon and speak to him face to face. Then you shall be taken to Babylon.

4 But if you obey the word of the LORD, Zedekiah, king of Judah, then, says the LORD to you, you shall not die by the sword.

5 You shall die in peace, and they will lament you as their lord, and burn spices for your burial as they did for your fathers, the kings who preceded you from the first; it is I who make this promise, says the LORD.

6 The prophet Jeremiah told all these things to Zedekiah, king of Judah, in Jerusalem,

7 while the armies of the king of Babylon were attacking Jerusalem and the remaining cities of Judah, Lachish, and Azekah, since these alone were left of the fortified cities of Judah.

8 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made an agreement with all the people in Jerusalem to issue an edict of emancipation.

9 Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should hold a man of Judah, his brother, in slavery.

10 All the princes and the others who entered the agreement consented to set free their male and female servants, so that they should be slaves no longer. But though they agreed and freed them,

11 afterward they took back their male and female slaves whom they had set free and again forced them into service.

12 Then this word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:

13 Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: The day I brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the place where they were slaves, I made this covenant with them:

14 Every seventh year each of you shall set free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you; six years he shall serve you, but then you shall let him go free. Your fathers, however, did not heed me or obey me.

15 Today you indeed repented and did what is right in my eyes by proclaiming the emancipation of your brethren and making an agreement before me in the house that is named after me.

16 But then you changed your mind and profaned my name by taking back your male and female slaves to whom you had given their freedom; you forced them once more into slavery.

17 Therefore, thus says the LORD: You did not obey me by proclaiming your neighbors and kinsmen free. I now proclaim you free, says the LORD, for the sword, famine, and pestilence. I will make you an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

18 The men who violated my covenant and did not observe the terms of the agreement which they made before me, I will make like the calf which they cut in two, between whose two parts they passed.

19 The princes of Judah and of Jerusalem, the courtiers, the priests, and the common people, who passed between the parts of the calf,

20 I will hand over, all of them, to their enemies, to those who seek their lives: their corpses shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.

21 Zedekiah, too, king of Judah, and his princes, I will hand over to their enemies, to those who seek their lives, to the soldiers of the king of Babylon who have at present withdrawn from you.

22 I will give the command, says the LORD, and bring them back to this city. They shall attack and capture it, and destroy it with fire; the cities of Judah I will turn into a desert where no man dwells.

v 1-7. The Lord had Jeremiah tell King Zedekiah at the time of siege of remaining cities that the city would fall, and after appearing before Nebuchadnezzar, he would be sent to Babylon.  Instead of being killed for rebellion, after his eyes were put out, 52:10, he was imprisoned to die in peace. He would also be given an honorable burial with a bon fire and odors for memorial like other prominent Jewish kings.

8-11. Perhaps to win God’s favor by complying with the Law, Zedekiah had all people free their slaves. Egypt attacked so Babylon broke off the siege, and thinking they would need slaves for rebuilding if Egypt won, people took them back again.

v 12-16. The Lord said the people had done right in freeing the slaves according to Ex. 21:2-11; Lev. 25:39-55; Deut. 15:12-18. But when they took them back, breaking there covenant with the Lord in the temple, v 15, it profaned His name.

v 17-20. The people had passed between the parts of a calf in the manner of a covenant, but since they had broken it in reclaiming slaves, they would be given the liberty of pestilence, famine, sword and captivity and their dead bodies left to vultures.

v 21,22. Zedekiah and other leaders had been a poor example, so God would  bring the Babylonian army back to take the city, burn it, and make the land desolate.