Jeremiah

Jeremiah 34 ©

1 Jeremiah prophesieth the destruction of Jerusalem, and the fate of Zedekiah. 8 The princes and people having according to covenant let their bondservants go free, afterward reassume them: 12 Jeremiah proclaimeth liberty to the sword, the pestilence, and the famine, and prophesieth the return of the Babylonians to execute vengeance upon them.

1

THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, awhen Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and ball the kingdoms of the earth of 1his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all cthe cities thereof, saying,

a 2Ki. 25.1,9. ch. 39.1-3; 52.4.
b ch. 1.15.
c v.7. ch. 49.2; 51.43; 19.15.
2

Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; dBehold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:

d ch. 32.3,4,28,29; 19.3,12; 21.4-10; 22.5; 37.8,10,17; 38.23; 39.8; 52.13.
3

And ethou 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 2he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.

e ch. 32.3,4. v.21; 37.17; 38.23. Eze. 12.13; 17.18,20; 21.25. ch. 39.5-7; 52.9-11.
4

Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, fThou shalt not die by the sword:

f ch. 39.7; 52.11. Eze. 12.13; 17.20; 21.25. 2Ki. 25.7.
5

But thou shalt die in peace: and gwith the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and hthey will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD.

g 2Ch. 16.14; 21.19. La. 4.20.
h ch. 22.18.
6

Then Jeremiah the prophet ispake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

i 2Sa. 12.7. 1Ki. 21.19. Eze. 2.7. Mat. 14.4.
7

When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerusalem, and jagainst all the cities of Judah that were left, against kLachish, and against Azekah: for lthese defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

j Le. 26.25. De. 28.25,52. ch. 4.5,7,20; 5.6,17; 6.5,12; 10.18,20; 11.12; 12.11; 16.16; 25.11; 8.14.
k Jos. 10.3,11; 15.35,39. 2Ch. 11.5,9; 32.9.
l 2Ki. 18.13,14; 19.8.
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 mliberty unto them;

m Ex. 21.2-4. De. 15.12. Ne. 5.11. Le. 25.10. v.15,17.
9

That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should nserve himself of them, *to wit, of a Jew ohis brother.

n ch. 27.7; 30.8. Ne. 5.8-12.
o Le. 25.39-46. 1Co. 6.8.
10

Now when all the pprinces, 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.

p ch. 26.10; 36.12; 38.4.
11

But qafterward 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.

q ch. 37.5. Ex. 9.34. Ho. 6.4. 2Ch. 28.10. Ne. 5.5. Ps. 78.36. 2Pe. 2.22.
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 rin the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,

r De. 9.7. Ju. 19.30. Is. 11.16. Mi. 7.15. ch. 7.22; 11.4,7. Ex. 20.2.
14

At sthe end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which 3hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but tyour fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.

s Ex. 21.2-4; 23.10. De. 14.28; 15.12; 26.12.
t 2Ch. 36.16,21. Ne. 9.30. Zec. 7.11,12.
15

And uye were 4now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and vye had made a covenant before me in the house 5which is called by my name:

u Ps. 78.34. Mat. 15.8. Is. 58.2.
v 2Ki. 23.2,3. Ps. 76.11; 119.106. Ne. 10.29.
16

But ye turned and wpolluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty xat their pleasure, to return, and brought them into ysubjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.

w Ex. 20.7. Le. 19.12. Mal. 2.7-11.
x ch. 2.24.
y Mat. 18.28-34.
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, zI proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you 6to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

z Ju. 1.7. Mat. 7.2. 1Th. 4.6. Ga. 6.7. Ep. 5.6. Ja. 2.13. ch. 32.24,36. Le. 26.34,35. Eze. 14.17.
18

And aI 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 bcut the calf in *twain, and passed between the parts thereof,

a Is. 3.11. Eze. 13.4. Ro. 2.8,9.
b Ge. 15.10,17,18. Ne. 10.29. Ps. 50.5. Mat. 24.51.
19

The cprinces of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the deunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;

c v.10. Zep. 3.3,4. Mi. 7.1-5. ch. 32.32. Da. 9.6,8,12.
d ch. 29.2.
20

I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and etheir dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.

e ch. 7.33; 16.4; 19.7; 8.1,2; 9.22. Is. 18.6. Re. 19.17,18,21.
21

And fZedekiah 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 ggone up from you.

f v.3. ch. 39.6; 52.10,24-27. 2Ki. 25.18-21. La. 4.20.
g ch. 37.5,11.
22

Behold, hI will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and ithey shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation jwithout an inhabitant.

h 2Sa. 16.10. 2Ki. 24.2,3. Is. 45.7. Am. 3.6. 2Ch. 36.17. ch. 49.14; 37.8-10.
i ch. 21.4-10; 24.2,8-10; 29.16-18; 32.29; 33.10; 6.8; 9.11; 39; 52.7,13; 40.2,3. 2Ki. 25.9.
j ch. 44.2,6. La. 1.1.