Jeremiah

Warnings about Jerusalem's destruction due to unfaithfulness, with promises of a new covenant.

Chapter 34

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

*The message given to Jeremiah by God during the time when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, along with his army, controlled the world, and everyone fought against Jerusalem and its cities.

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

*So says the Lord, God of Israel: Go talk to King Zedekiah of Judah and say, The Lord says: I will give this city to the king of Babylon, who will burn it with fire.

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

*You will not get away from him, but will be captured and given to him. You will see the king of Babylon's eyes, and he will talk to you face-to-face. Then you must go to Babylon.

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

*Listen to the Lord's message, King Zedekiah of Judah. The Lord says, you will not be killed by a sword.

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

*But you will die peacefully, just like your ancestors, the previous kings. They will honor you by burning offerings for you, and they will mourn you, saying, Oh great leader! For I have spoken the word, says the Lord.

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

*Then, Jeremiah, a prophet, told 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 cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

*When the Babylon army fought against Jerusalem and other remaining Judah cities like Lachish and Azekah, because these fortified cities still stood among the cities of Judah.

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 liberty unto them;

*The LORD spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah agreed with everyone in Jerusalem to set them free.

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

*Every person should set their male and female servants free if they are Hebrews or related, so no one can make them work, especially not fellow Jews.

10 Now when all the princes, 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.

*Now when everyone - including the leaders and the people - who agreed to the covenant heard that all servants and maidservants were to be set free, meaning they wouldn't have to work for anyone anymore, they followed the rule and allowed them to leave.

11 But afterward 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.

*But later, they changed their minds and made the freed servants and maids come back. They forced them to be servants and maids again.

12 Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

*So, God spoke to Jeremiah through a message, saying,

13 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,

*So says the Lord, God of Israel: I made a promise with your ancestors when I took them out of Egypt, from the land of slavery, saying,

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

*After seven years, release every enslaved Hebrew person to their family; after working for you six years, they should be set free. But my ancestors didn't listen or pay attention.

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

*You all changed and started doing what's right. You declared freedom for everyone around you, and made a promise in the place that bears my name.

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

*But you changed my reputation and made everyone give back their servants and maids they had freed, just to use them as your servants and maids again.

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, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

*So, God says, "You didn't listen to me when you were supposed to tell everyone about freedom. Now, I will declare a freedom for you, but it will be from the sword, disease, and hunger. And I will cause you to be sent away to all the countries around the world."

18 And I 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 cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,

*I will punish those who broke my agreement. They didn't follow the terms they promised when they split the calf in half and walked between its pieces.

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

*The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the eunuchs, priests, and all the people who lived there, were those who went through the parts of the calf.

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

*I will let their enemies capture them, and those who want to kill them. The birds and animals will eat their dead bodies.

21 And Zedekiah 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 gone up from you.

*I will let Zedekiah, king of Judah, and his leaders be captured by their enemies and those who want to kill them. Also, I will give them to the Babylonian army, who have come from there.

22 Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

*Look, the Lord says, I will order people to go back to this city. They will battle for it, capture it, and set it on fire. Then I will turn the cities of Judah into a wasteland with no one living there.

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