Jeremiah 34
International Children’s Bible
A Warning to Zedekiah
34 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. It came when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the towns around it. Nebuchadnezzar had with him all his army. And he had the armies of all the kingdoms and peoples he ruled. 2 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said: “Jeremiah, go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord says: I will hand the city of Jerusalem over to the king of Babylon very soon. And he will burn it down! 3 You will not escape from the king of Babylon. You will surely be caught and given to him. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes. He will talk to you face to face. And you will go to Babylon. 4 But, Zedekiah king of Judah, listen to the promise of the Lord. This is what the Lord says about you: You will not be killed with a sword. 5 You will die in a peaceful way. People made funeral fires to honor your ancestors, who ruled before you. In the same way, people will make a funeral fire to honor you. They will cry for you. They will sadly say, “Ah, master!” I myself make this promise to you, says the Lord.’”
6 So Jeremiah the prophet gave the message from the Lord to Zedekiah in Jerusalem. 7 This was while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem. It was also fighting against the cities of Judah that had not been taken prisoners—Lachish and Azekah. These were the only strong, walled cities left in the land of Judah.
Slaves Are Free
8 King Zedekiah had made an agreement with all the people in Jerusalem. He agreed to give freedom to all the Hebrew slaves. After Zedekiah made that agreement, the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. 9 Everyone was supposed to free his Hebrew slaves. This included all male and female Hebrew slaves. No one was to keep a fellow Jew as a slave. 10 So the officers and all the people accepted this agreement. Everyone would free their male and female slaves. They would no longer keep them as slaves. So all the slaves were set free. 11 But after that, the people who had slaves changed their minds. So they took back the people they had set free. And they made them slaves again.
12 Then the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah: 13 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought your ancestors out of Egypt where they were slaves. When I did that, I made an agreement with them. 14 I said to your ancestors: ‘At the end of every seven years, each one of you must set his Hebrew slaves free. You might have a fellow Hebrew who has sold himself to you. You must let him go free after he has served you for six years.’ But your ancestors did not listen or pay attention to me. 15 A short time ago you changed your hearts and did what is right. Each of you gave freedom to his fellow Hebrews who were slaves. And you even made an agreement before me. You made it in the place where I have chosen to be worshiped. 16 But now you have changed your minds. You have shown you do not honor me. Each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free. You have forced them to become slaves again.
17 “So this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me. You have not given freedom to your fellow Hebrews. Because you have not kept the agreement, I will give freedom, says the Lord. I will give freedom to war. And I will give freedom to terrible diseases and to hunger to kill you. I will make you hated by all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 I will hand over the men who broke my agreement. They have not kept the promises they made before me. These men cut a calf into two pieces before me. And they walked between the two pieces.[a] 19 These people made the agreement before me: the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem; the officers of the court; the priests and all the people of the land. 20 So I will hand those people over to their enemies. I will hand them over to everyone who wants to kill them. Their bodies will become food for the birds of the air. And they will become food for the wild animals of the earth. 21 I will hand Zedekiah king of Judah and his officers over to their enemies. I will hand them over to everyone who wants to kill them. I will hand Zedekiah and his people over to the army of the king of Babylon. I will do this even though that army has left Jerusalem. 22 I will give the order, says the Lord, to bring the Babylonian army back to Jerusalem. That army will fight against Jerusalem. They will capture it, set it on fire and burn it down. I will destroy the towns in the land of Judah. And they will become empty ruins. No one will live there!”
Footnotes
- 34:18 they walked . . . pieces This showed that the men were willing to be killed, like this animal, if they did not keep their agreement.
Jeremiah 34
Legacy Standard Bible
A Prophecy Against Zedekiah
34 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when (A)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his military force, with (B)all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his [a]dominion and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem and against all its cities, saying, 2 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘(C)Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him: “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Behold, (D)I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and (E)he will burn it with fire. 3 (F)And you will not escape from his hand, for you will surely be seized and given into his hand; and you will (G)see the king of Babylon eye to eye, and he will speak with you [b]face to face, and you will go to Babylon.’”’ 4 Yet hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says Yahweh concerning you, ‘You will not die by the sword. 5 You will die in peace; and as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will (H)burn spices for you; and (I)they will lament for you, “Alas, lord!”’ For I have spoken the word,” declares Yahweh.
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke (J)all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem 7 when the military force of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, that is, (K)Lachish and (L)Azekah, for they alone remained as (M)fortified cities among the cities of Judah.
8 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after King Zedekiah had (N)cut a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to (O)proclaim [c]release to them: 9 that each man should let his male slave go free and each man his female slave, a (P)Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, so that (Q)no one should enslave them, each being a Jew, his brother. 10 And all the (R)officials and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant that each man should let his male slave go free and each man his female slave, so that no one should enslave them any longer; they obeyed and let them go free. 11 But afterwards they turned around and returned to themselves the male slaves and the female slaves, whom they had let go as free, and subdued them to be male slaves and female slaves.
12 Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 13 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘I (S)cut a covenant with your fathers in the day that I (T)brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery, saying, 14 “(U)At the end of seven years each of you shall let his Hebrew brother go who [d]has been sold to you and has served you six years, and you shall let him go to be free from you; but your fathers (V)did not obey Me or incline their ear to Me. 15 Although recently you had turned and (W)done what is right in My sight, each man proclaiming [e]release to his neighbor, and you had (X)cut a covenant before Me (Y)in the house which is called by My name. 16 Yet you (Z)turned and (AA)profaned My name, and each man [f]returned to themselves his male slave and each man his female slave whom you had let go as free according to their desire, and you subdued them to be your male slaves and female slaves.”’
17 “Therefore thus says Yahweh, ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming [g]release each man to his brother and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am (AB)proclaiming a [h]release to you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘to the (AC)sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you a (AD)terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will give the men who have (AE)trespassed against My covenant, who have not established the words of the covenant which they cut before Me, when they (AF)cut the calf in two and passed between its parts— 19 the (AG)officials of Judah and the officials of Jerusalem, the court officers and the priests and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— 20 And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who (AH)seek their life. And their (AI)dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. 21 (AJ)And as for Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials, I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life and into the hand of the military force of the king of Babylon which has (AK)gone away from you. 22 Behold, I am going to command,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will cause them to return to this city; and they will fight against it and (AL)capture it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a (AM)desolation (AN)without inhabitant.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 34:1 Lit dominion of his hand
- Jeremiah 34:3 Lit mouth to mouth
- Jeremiah 34:8 Or liberty
- Jeremiah 34:14 Or has sold himself
- Jeremiah 34:15 Or liberty
- Jeremiah 34:16 Lit caused them to return
- Jeremiah 34:17 Or liberty
- Jeremiah 34:17 Or liberty
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