Jeremiah 34
International Standard Version
A Message to Zedekiah
34 This is[a] the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord while king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, all his army, all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his authority, along with all the people were fighting against Jerusalem and all its towns: 2 “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Go and speak to king Zedekiah of Judah. Say to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Look, I’m giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will set it on fire. 3 You won’t escape from him. You will certainly be captured and given into his control.[b] You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye, he will speak to you face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’”’ 4 Yet, hear this message from the Lord, king Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the Lord says to you, ‘You won’t die by the sword. 5 You will die peacefully, and as they burned fires[c] for your ancestors,[d] the former kings who were before you, so they’ll burn fires[e] for you, wailing, “Oh how terrible, your majesty!”’ For I’ve spoken the message,” declares the Lord.
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all of this in Jerusalem to king Zedekiah of Judah, 7 while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah that were left, namely Lachish and Azekah. (They were the only fortified cities that remained among the cities of Judah.)
A Broken Agreement with Hebrew Servants
8 This is[f] this message from the Lord that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem proclaiming release for them. 9 Each person was to set free his male and female slaves who were Hebrews, so that no Jewish person would enslave his brother.[g] 10 All the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant agreed[h] that each would set his male and female slaves free so that they[i] would not enslave them any longer. They obeyed and they released them. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves that they had set free, and they forced them to become male and female slaves.
12 Then this message from the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 13 “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I made a covenant with your ancestors on the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. I told them: 14 “At the end of seven years, each of you is to set free your fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you and has served you for six years. You are to send him out from you with no further obligation.” But your ancestors didn’t obey me or pay attention.[j] 15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming release for one another, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name. 16 But then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves whom you had set free according to their desire, and you forced them to become male and female slaves.”’
17 “Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You haven’t obeyed me by each of you proclaiming a release for your brothers and neighbors. Now I’m going to proclaim a release for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘a release[k] to the sword, to plague, and to famine, and I’ll make you a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 I’ll give over the men who transgressed my covenant, who haven’t fulfilled the terms of the covenant that they made before me when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs,[l] the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 I’ll give them to their enemies who are seeking to kill them, and their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the animals of the land. 21 I’ll give Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his officials into the domination of their enemies, to those[m] who are seeking to kill them, and to[n] the army of the king of Babylon that is coming against them. 22 Look, I’m in command of them,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I’ll bring them back to this city. They’ll capture it and burn it with fire, and I’ll turn the towns of Judah into desolate places without inhabitants.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 34:1 The Heb. lacks This is
- Jeremiah 34:3 Lit. hand
- Jeremiah 34:5 I.e. a memorial fire
- Jeremiah 34:5 Lit. like the burning for your ancestors
- Jeremiah 34:5 The Heb. lacks fires
- Jeremiah 34:8 The Heb. lacks This is
- Jeremiah 34:9 I.e. another Jewish person
- Jeremiah 34:10 Or obeyed
- Jeremiah 34:10 Lit. he
- Jeremiah 34:14 Lit. incline their ears
- Jeremiah 34:17 The Heb. lacks a release
- Jeremiah 34:19 Or palace officials
- Jeremiah 34:21 Lit. to the hands of those
- Jeremiah 34:21 Lit. to the hands of the
Jeremiah 34
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 34
Fate of Zedekiah. 1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord while Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his army and all the earth’s kingdoms under his rule, and all the peoples were attacking Jerusalem and all her cities:(A) 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 burn it with fire.(B) 3 You yourself shall not escape his hand; rather you will be captured and fall into his hand. You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak to him face to face. Then you shall go to Babylon.(C)
4 Just hear the word of the Lord, Zedekiah, king of Judah! Then, says the Lord concerning you, you shall not die by the sword. 5 You shall die in peace, and they will burn spices for you as they did for your ancestors, the earlier kings who preceded you, and they shall make lament over you, “Alas, Lord.” I myself make this promise—oracle of the Lord.
6 Jeremiah the prophet told all these things to Zedekiah, king of Judah, in Jerusalem, 7 while the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and the remaining cities of Judah, Lachish, and Azekah.[a] Only these fortified cities were left standing out of all the cities of Judah!
The Pact Broken.[b] 8 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom: 9 Everyone must free their Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should hold another Judahite in servitude.(D) 10 All the princes and the people who entered this covenant agreed to set free their slaves, their male and female servants, so that they should no longer be in servitude. But even though they agreed and freed them, 11 afterward they took back their male and female servants whom they had set free and again forced them into servitude.
12 Then this word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your ancestors the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery: 14 Every seventh year each of you must set free all Hebrews who have sold themselves to you; six years they shall serve you, but then you shall let them go free. Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or obey me. 15 As for you, today you repented and did what is right in my eyes by proclaiming freedom for your neighbor and making a covenant before me in the house which bears my name. 16 But then you again profaned my name by taking back your male and female slaves whom you had just set free for life; you forced them to become your slaves again.(E) 17 Therefore, thus says the Lord: You for your part did not obey me by proclaiming freedom for your families and neighbors. So I now proclaim freedom for you—oracle of the Lord—for the sword, starvation, and disease. I will make you an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 [c]Those who violated my covenant and did not observe the terms of the covenant they made in my presence—I will make them like the calf which they cut in two so they could pass between its parts— 19 the princes of Judah and of Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 These I will hand over to their enemies, to those who seek their lives: their corpses shall become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.(F)
21 Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his princes, I will hand also over to their enemies, to those who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon which is now withdrawing from you.(G) 22 I am giving the command—oracle of the Lord—to bring them back to this city. They shall attack and capture it, and burn it with fire; the cities of Judah I will turn into a waste, where no one dwells.(H)
Footnotes
- 34:7 Lachish, and Azekah: fortress towns southwest of Jerusalem which Nebuchadnezzar besieged to prevent any help coming to Jerusalem from Egypt. At Lachish, archaeologists found several letters written on ostraca (pottery fragments) dated to 598 or 588 B.C., which mention both Lachish and Azekah.
- 34:8–22 During the siege of Jerusalem, its citizens made a covenant at Zedekiah’s instigation to free Judahites they held in servitude, thus providing additional defenders for the city, leaving slave owners with fewer mouths to feed, and making reparation for past violations of the law, which dictated that Hebrew slaves should serve no longer than six years (Dt 15:12–15). But when the siege was temporarily lifted, when the assistance promised by Pharaoh Hophra arrived (cf. Jer 37:5), the inhabitants of Jerusalem broke the covenant and once more pressed their fellow citizens into slavery (v. 11).
- 34:18–19 Both the Old Testament (Gn 15:10–17) and the eighth century B.C. Sefire inscription indicate that sometimes contracting parties ratified an agreement by walking between dismembered animals, invoking upon themselves the animals’ fate if they failed to keep their word. The covenant: that mentioned in vv. 10, 15.
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