¹The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD , when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with all his army , all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion , and all the peoples , were fighting against Jerusalem and against all its cities , saying :

²“The LORD , the God of Israel , says , ‘Go , and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah , and tell him , the LORD says , “Behold , I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.

³You won’t escape out of his hand , but will surely be taken and delivered into his hand . Your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with you mouth to mouth . You will go to Babylon.”’

⁴“Yet hear the LORD ’s word , O Zedekiah king of Judah . The LORD says concerning you , ‘You won’t die by the sword .

⁵You will die in peace ; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you , so they will make a burning for you . They will lament you , saying , “Ah Lord !” for I have spoken the word ,’ says the LORD .”

⁶Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem ,

⁷when the king of Babylon’s army was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left , against Lachish and against Azekah ; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities .

⁸The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD , after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem , to proclaim liberty to them ,

⁹that every man should let his male servant , and every man his female servant , who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess , go free , that no one should make bondservants of them , of a Jew his brother.

¹⁰All the princes and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant , that everyone should let his male servant and everyone his female servant go free , that no one should make bondservants of them any more . They obeyed and let them go ,

¹¹but afterwards 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 .

¹²Therefore the LORD ’s word came to Jeremiah from the LORD , saying ,

¹³“The LORD , the God of Israel , says : ‘I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt , out of the house of bondage , saying:

¹⁴At the end of seven years , every man of you shall release his brother who is a Hebrew , who has been sold to you , and has served you six years . You shall let him go free from you . But your fathers didn’t listen to me , and didn’t incline their ear .

¹⁵You had now turned , and had done that which is right in my eyes , in every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbour . You had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name ;

¹⁶but you turned and profaned my name , and every man caused his servant and every man his handmaid , whom you had let go free at their pleasure , to return . You brought them into subjection , to be to you for servants and for handmaids .’”

¹⁷Therefore the LORD says : “You have not listened to me , to proclaim liberty , every man to his brother , and every man to his neighbour . Behold , I proclaim to you a liberty ,” says the LORD , “to the sword , to the pestilence , and to the famine . I will make you be tossed back and forth amongst all the kingdoms of the earth.

¹⁸I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant , who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts :

¹⁹the princes of Judah , the princes of Jerusalem , the eunuchs , the priests , and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf .

²⁰I will even give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life . Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth .

²¹“I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hands of their enemies , into the hands of those who seek their life and into the hands of the king of Babylon’s army , who has gone away from you .

²²Behold , I will command ,” says the LORD , “and cause them to return to this city . They will fight against it , take it , and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation , without inhabitant .”