A Prophecy against Zedekiah

1The word that came to Jeremias from the Lord (now Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the country of his dominion, were warring against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Juda,) saying, 2Thus has the Lord said; Go to Sedekias king of Juda, and thou shalt say to him, Thus has the Lord said, This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it, and shall burn it with fire: 3and thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt certainly be taken, and shalt be given into his hands; and thine eyes shall see his eyes, and thou shalt enter into Babylon. 4But hear the word of the Lord, O Sedekias king of Juda; Thus saith the Lord, 5Thou shalt die in peace: and as they wept for thy fathers that reigned before thee, they shall weep also for thee, saying, Ah lord! and they shall lament for thee down to the grave: for I have spoken the word, said the Lord.

6And Jeremias spoke to king Sedekias all these words in Jerusalem. 7And the host of the king of Babylon warred against Jerusalem, and against the cities of Juda, and against Lachis, and against Azeca: for these strong cities were left among the cities of Juda.

Freedom for Hebrew Slaves

8The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, after king Sedekias had concluded a covenant with the people, to proclaim a release; 9That every one should set at liberty his servant, and every one has handmaid, the Hebrew man and Hebrew woman, that no man of Juda should be a bondman. 10Then all the nobles, and all the people who had entered into the covenant, engaging to set free every one his man-servant, and every one his maid, turned, 11and gave them over to be men-servants and maid-servants.

12And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying, 13Thus saith the Lord; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day wherein I took them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying, 14When six years are accomplished, thou shalt set free thy brother the Hebrew, who shall be sold to thee: for he shall serve thee six years, and then thou shalt let him go free: but they hearkened not to me, and inclined not their ear. 15And this day they turned to do that which was right in my sight, to proclaim every one the release of his neighbour; and they had concluded a covenant before me, in the house whereon my name is called. 16But ye turned and profaned my name, to bring back every one his servant, and every one his handmaid, whom ye had sent forth free and at their own disposal, to be to you men-servants and maid-servants.

17Therefore thus said the Lord; Ye have not hearkened to me, to proclaim a release every one to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a release to you, to the sword, and to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will give you up to dispersion among all the kingdoms of the earth. 18And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, who have not kept my covenant, which they made before me, the calf which they prepared to sacrifice with it, 19the princes of Juda, and the men in power, and the priests, and the people; 20I will even give them to their enemies, and their carcases shall be food for the birds of the sky and for the wild beasts of the earth. 21And I will give Sedekias king of Judea, and their princes, into the hands of their enemies, and the host of the king of Babylon shall come upon them that run away from them. 22Behold, I will give command, saith the Lord, and will bring them back to this land; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire, and the cities of Juda; and I will make them desolate without inhabitants.