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Jeremiah 34
Common English Bible
Jeremiah 34
Common English Bible
Lessons on obedience and disobedience
34 Jeremiah received the Lord’s word when Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and his army, and all the countries and people he ruled, were attacking Jerusalem and all its towns. 2 The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims, Go and speak to Judah’s King Zedekiah and say to him: The Lord proclaims, I’m handing this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. 3 You won’t escape but will be captured and handed over to him. You will see the king of Babylon with your very own eyes and speak to him personally, and you will be taken to Babylon. 4 Even so, hear the Lord’s word, King Zedekiah of Judah: This is what the Lord proclaims about you: You won’t die in battle; 5 you will die a peaceful death. As burial incense was burned to honor your ancestors, the kings who came before you, so it will be burned to honor you as people mourn, “Oh, master!” I myself promise this, declares the Lord.
6 The prophet Jeremiah delivered this message to Judah’s King Zedekiah in Jerusalem 7 when the army of the king of Babylon was attacking Jerusalem and all the remaining Judean towns, Lachish and Azekah—the only fortified towns still standing in Judah.
8 Jeremiah received the Lord’s word after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty for their slaves: 9 everyone was to free their male and female Hebrew slaves and no longer hold a Judean brother or sister in bondage. 10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed to free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage; they obeyed the king’s command[a] and let them go. 11 But afterward they broke their promise, took back the men and women they had freed, and enslaved them again.
12 Then the Lord’s word came to Jeremiah: 13 The Lord, the God of Israel, proclaims: I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 14 I said that every seventh year each of you must free any Hebrews who have been sold to you. After they have served you for six years, you must set them free. But your ancestors didn’t obey or pay any attention to me. 15 Recently you turned about and did what was right in my sight; each of you proclaimed liberty for the other and made a covenant before me in the temple that bears my name. 16 But then you went back on your word and made my name impure; each of you reclaimed the men and women you had set free and forced them to be your slaves again.
17 Therefore, the Lord proclaims: Since you have defied me by not setting your fellow citizens free, I’m setting you free, declares the Lord, free to die by the sword, disease, and famine! And I will make you an object of horror for all nations on earth. 18 I will make those who disregarded my covenant, violating its terms that they agreed to in my presence, like the calf they cut in two and then walked between the halves of its carcass. 19 The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the eunuchs and priests, and all the people who passed through the pieces of the calf 20 I will hand over to their enemies who seek to kill them. And their corpses will become food for birds and wild animals. 21 I will hand over Judah’s King Zedekiah and his officials to their enemies who seek to kill them: namely, the army of Babylon’s king, which has just withdrawn from you. 22 I’m about to issue orders, declares the Lord, that the army of Babylon return to this city. They will wage war against it, capture it, and burn it down along with other Judean cities. I will make Judah a wasteland, without inhabitants.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 34:10 Heb lacks the king’s command.
Jeremías 34
Reina-Valera Antigua
Jeremías 34
Reina-Valera Antigua
34 PALABRA que fué á Jeremías de Jehová, (cuando Nabucodonosor rey de Babilonia, y todo su ejército, y todos los reinos de la tierra del señorío de su mano, y todos los pueblos, peleaban contra Jerusalem, y contra todas sus ciudades,) diciendo:
2 Así ha dicho Jehová Dios de Israel: Ve, y habla á Sedechîas rey de Judá, y dile: Así ha dicho Jehová: He aquí entregaré yo esta ciudad en mano del rey de Babilonia, y la abrasaré con fuego:
3 Y no escaparás tú de su mano, sino que de cierto serás preso, y en su mano serás entregado; y tus ojos verán los ojos del rey de Babilonia, y te hablará boca á boca, y en Babilonia entrarás.
4 Con todo eso, oye palabra de Jehová, Sedechîas rey de Judá: Así ha dicho Jehová de ti: No morirás á cuchillo;
5 En paz morirás, y conforme á las quemas de tus padres, los reyes primeros que fueron antes de ti, así quemarán por ti, y te endecharán diciendo, Ay, señor!; porque yo he hablado la palabra, dice Jehová.
6 Y habló Jeremías profeta á Sedechîas rey de Judá todas estas palabras en Jerusalem.
7 Y el ejército del rey de Babilonia peleaba contra Jerusalem, y contra todas las ciudades de Judá que habían quedado, contra Lachîs, y contra Azeca; porque de las ciudades fuertes de Judá éstas habían quedado.
8 Palabra que fué á Jeremías de Jehová, después que Sedechîas hizo concierto con todo el pueblo en Jerusalem, para promulgarles libertad:
9 Que cada uno dejase su siervo, y cada uno su sierva, hebreo y hebrea, libres; que ninguno usase de los Judíos su hermanos como de siervos.
10 Y como oyeron todos los príncipes, y todo el pueblo que habían venido en el concierto de dejar cada uno su siervo y cada uno su sierva libres, que ninguno usase más de ellos como de siervos, obedecieron, y dejáronlos.
11 Mas después se arrepintieron, é hicieron tornar los siervos y las siervas que habían dejado libres, y sujetáronlos por siervos y por siervas.
12 Y fué palabra de Jehová á Jeremías, de parte de Jehová, diciendo:
13 Así dice Jehová Dios de Israel: Yo hice pacto con vuestros padres el día que los saqué de tierra de Egipto, de casa de siervos, diciendo:
14 Al cabo de siete años dejaréis cada uno á su hermano hebreo que te fuere vendido; te servirá pues seis años, y lo enviarás libre de ti: mas vuestros padres no me oyeron, ni inclinaron su oído.
15 Y vosotros os habíais hoy convertido, y hecho lo recto delante de mis ojos, anunciando cada uno libertad á su prójimo; y habíais hecho concierto en mi presencia, en la casa sobre la cual es invocado mi nombre:
16 Pero os habéis vuelto y profanado mi nombre, y habéis tornado á tomar cada uno su siervo y cada uno su sierva, que habíais dejado libres á su voluntad; y los habéis sujetado á seros siervos y siervas.
17 Por tanto, así ha dicho Jehová: Vosotros no me habéis oído en promulgar cada uno libertad á su hermano, y cada uno á su compañero: he aquí que yo os promulgo libertad, dice Jehová, á cuchillo y á pestilencia, y á hambre; y os pondré en remoción á todos los reinos de la tierra.
18 Y entregaré á los hombres que traspasaron mi pacto, que no han llevado á efecto las palabras del pacto que celebraron en mi presencia dividiendo en dos partes el becerro y pasando por medio de ellas:
19 A los príncipes de Judá y á los príncipes de Jerusalem, á los eunucos y á los sacerdotes, y á todo el pueblo de la tierra, que pasaron entre las partes del becerro,
20 Entregarélos en mano de sus enemigos y en mano de los que buscan su alma; y sus cuerpos muertos serán para comida de las aves del cielo, y de las bestias de la tierra.
21 Y á Sedechîas rey de Judá, y á sus príncipes, entregaré en mano de sus enemigos, y en mano de los que buscan su alma, y en mano del ejército del rey de Babilonia, que se fueron de vosotros.
22 He aquí, mandaré yo, dice Jehová, y harélos volver á esta ciudad, y pelearán contra ella, y la tomarán, y la abrasarán á fuego; y reduciré á soledad las ciudades de Judá, hasta no quedar morador.
Jeremiah 34
New International Version
Jeremiah 34
New International Version
Warning to Zedekiah
34 While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples(A) in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem(B) and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah(C) king of Judah and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.(D) 3 You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and given into his hands.(E) You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon.
4 “‘Yet hear the Lord’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;(F) 5 you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire(G) in honor of your predecessors, the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, “Alas,(H) master!” I myself make this promise, declares the Lord.’”
6 Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, 7 while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out—Lachish(I) and Azekah.(J) These were the only fortified cities left in Judah.
Freedom for Slaves
8 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people(K) in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom(L) for the slaves. 9 Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.(M) 10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they changed their minds(N) and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.
12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors(O) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.(P) I said, 14 ‘Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.’[a](Q) Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention(R) to me. 15 Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people.(S) You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name.(T) 16 But now you have turned around(U) and profaned(V) my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again.
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you,(W) declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague(X) and famine.(Y) I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.(Z) 18 Those who have violated my covenant(AA) and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces.(AB) 19 The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials,(AC) the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces of the calf, 20 I will deliver(AD) into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them.(AE) Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.(AF)
21 “I will deliver Zedekiah(AG) king of Judah and his officials(AH) into the hands of their enemies(AI) who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon,(AJ) which has withdrawn(AK) from you. 22 I am going to give the order, declares the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, take(AL) it and burn(AM) it down. And I will lay waste(AN) the towns of Judah so no one can live there.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 34:14 Deut. 15:12
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Reina-Valera Antigua (RVA)
New International Version (NIV) 
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