Jeremiah 34 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

A Warning for Zedekiah

Jer 34:1King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with all the armies from the kingdoms he ruled, and he fought against Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. At that time this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

Jer 34:2

Jer 34:2“Go to King Zedekiah of Judah, and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.

Jer 34:3

Jer 34:3You will not escape his grasp but will be captured and taken to meet the king of Babylon face to face. Then you will be exiled to Babylon.

Jer 34:4

Jer 34:4“‘But listen to this promise from the LORD, O Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the LORD says: You will not be killed in war

Jer 34:5

Jer 34:5but will die peacefully. People will burn incense in your memory, just as they did for your ancestors, the kings who preceded you. They will mourn for you, crying, “Alas, our master is dead!” This I have decreed, says the LORD.’”

Jer 34:6

Jer 34:6So Jeremiah the prophet delivered the message to King Zedekiah of Judah.

Jer 34:7

Jer 34:7At this time the Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem, Lachish, and Azekah—the only fortified cities of Judah not yet captured.

Freedom for Hebrew Slaves

Jer 34:8

Jer 34:8This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves.

Jer 34:9

Jer 34:9He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves—both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage.

Jer 34:10

Jer 34:10The officials and all the people had obeyed the king’s command,

Jer 34:11

Jer 34:11but later they changed their minds. They took back the men and women they had freed, forcing them to be slaves again.

Jer 34:12

Jer 34:12So the LORD gave them this message through Jeremiah:

Jer 34:13

Jer 34:13“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors long ago when I rescued them from their slavery in Egypt.

Jer 34:14

Jer 34:14I told them that every Hebrew slave must be freed after serving six years. But your ancestors paid no attention to me.

Jer 34:15

Jer 34:15Recently you repented and did what was right, following my command. You freed your slaves and made a solemn covenant with me in the Temple that bears my name.

Jer 34:16

Jer 34:16But now you have shrugged off your oath and defiled my name by taking back the men and women you had freed, forcing them to be slaves once again.

Jer 34:17

Jer 34:17“Therefore, this is what the LORD says: Since you have not obeyed me by setting your countrymen free, I will set you free to be destroyed by war, disease, and famine. You will be an object of horror to all the nations of the earth.

Jer 34:18

Jer 34:18Because you have broken the terms of our covenant, I will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked between its halves to solemnize your vows.

Jer 34:19

Jer 34:19Yes, I will cut you apart, whether you are officials of Judah or Jerusalem, court officials, priests, or common people—for you have broken your oath.

Jer 34:20

Jer 34:20I will give you to your enemies, and they will kill you. Your bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.

Jer 34:21

Jer 34:21“I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to the army of the king of Babylon. And although Babylon’s king has left Jerusalem for a while,

Jer 34:22

Jer 34:22I will call the Babylonian armies back again. They will fight against this city and will capture it and burn it down. I will see to it that all the towns of Judah are destroyed, with no one living there.”

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Jeremiah Chapter 34 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New International Version English Standard Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

Jeremiah 34 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Jeremiah Chapter 34 — Additional Translations:

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