 1 The Word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth because his hand rules and all the people, fought against Jerusalem and against all its cities. Saying, 2 Thus says the Lord the God of Israel: Speak to King Zedekiah of Judah and tell him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 3 You shall not escape out of his hand, but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. And your eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth, and you shall go to Babylon. 4 Hear the Word of the Lord King Zedekiah of Judah: Thus says the Lord of you, You shall not die by the sword. 5 You will die in peace. As the burnings of spices for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will burn spices for you. They will mourn you saying, Ah, lord. I have spoken the Word, says the Lord. 6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem. 7 When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem and against all the remaining cities of Judah. Against Lachish and against Azekah. For these fortified cities remained of the cities of Judah. 8 The Word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people at Jerusalem to proclaim liberty to them. 9 Each man should let his male slave and each man his female slave, if a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, to go free so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother among them. 10 All the rulers obeyed and all the people who had entered into the covenant allowed them to go free. Each man his male slave and each man his female slave so that not any should enslave among them any more. So they obeyed and let them go. 11 But afterward they turned and caused the slaves and slave women whom they had let go free, to return. They subjected them for slaves and slave women. 12 So the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, 13 Thus says the Lord: the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery saying, 14 At the end of seven years, each man should let his brother Hebrew who has been sold to him go. When he has served you six years, you shall let him go free. But your fathers did not listen to me nor bow down their ears. 15 You had turned today and had done right in my sight to call for liberty, each man to his neighbor and you made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name. 16 But you turned and defiled my name, and each man caused his slave, and each man caused his slave woman, whom you had set free to do as they pleased, to return. And you brought them into service to be slaves and slave women to you. 17 So the Lord says this: You have not listened to me to proclaim liberty each man to his brother, and each man to his neighbor. Behold, I call for freedom for you, says the Lord, to the sword, to the plague, and to the famine. And I will cause you to be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 I will give those who have sinned against my covenant, who have not done the words of the covenant that they made before me when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts, 19 the rulers of Judah and the rulers of Jerusalem, the eunuchs and priests and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf, 20 I will give them to their enemies and to those who seek their life. Their dead bodies will be for food to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the earth. 21 I will give King Zedekiah of Judah and his rulers to their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, who have withdrawn from you. 22 Behold, I will command says the Lord and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it and capture it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desert without a soul to live in it.
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