Jeremiah 34:1-35:19 The word that has been unto Jeremiah from Yahweh--and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his force, and all kingdoms of the land of the dominion of his hand, and all the peoples are fighting against Jerusalem, and against all its cities--saying:"

CLV⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ The word that has been unto Jeremiah from Yahweh--and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his force, and all kingdoms of the land of the dominion of his hand, and all the peoples are fighting against Jerusalem, and against all its cities--saying:" ² `Thus said Yahweh, Elohim of Israel:Go, and you have spoken unto Zedekiah king of Judah, and have said unto him, Thus said Yahweh:Lo, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he has burned it with fire, ³ and you, you do not escape out of his hand, for you are certainly caught, and into his hand you are given, and your eyes see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth with your mouth speaks, and Babylon you enter." ⁴ `Only, hear a word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah king of Judah, Thus said Yahweh unto you:You do not die by sword, ⁵ in peace you die, and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who have been before you, so they make a burning for you; and Ah, lord, they lament for you, for the word I have spoken--an affirmation of Yahweh.'" ⁶ And Jeremiah the prophet speaks unto Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem, ⁷ and the forces of the king of Babylon are fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that are left--against Lachish, and against Azekah, for these have been left among the cities of Judah, cities of fortresses." ⁸ The word that has been unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, after the making by the king Zedekiah of a covenant with all the people who [are] in Jerusalem, to proclaim to them liberty, ⁹ to send out each his man-servant, and each his maid-servant--the Hebrew and the Hebrewess--free, so as not to lay service on them, any on a Jew his brother;" ¹⁰ and hearken do all the heads, and all the people who have come in to the covenant to send forth each his man-servant and each his maid-servant free, so as not to lay service on them any more, yea, they hearken, and send them away;" ¹¹ and they turn afterwards, and cause the men-servants and the maid-servants to return, whom they had sent forth free, and they subdue them for men-servants and for maid-servants." ¹² And there is a word of Yahweh unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying:" ¹³ `Thus said Yahweh, Elohim of Israel, I--I made a covenant with your fathers in the day of My bringing them forth from the land of Egypt, from a house of servants, saying, ¹⁴ At the end of seven years you do send forth each his brother, the Hebrew, who is sold to you, and has served you six years, yea, you have sent him forth free from you:and your fathers hearkened not unto Me, nor inclined their ear." ¹⁵ `And you turn back, you to-day, and you do that which is right in Mine eyes, to proclaim liberty each to his neighbor, and you make a covenant before Me in the house over which My name is called." ¹⁶ And--you turn back, and pollute My name, and you cause each his man-servant and each his maid-servant, whom he had sent forth free, (at their pleasure,) to return, and you subdue them to be to you for men-servants and for maid-servants." ¹⁷ `Therefore, thus said Yahweh:You have not hearkened unto Me to proclaim freedom, each to his brother, and each to his neighbor; lo, I am proclaiming to you liberty--an affirmation of Yahweh--unto the sword, unto the pestilence, and unto the famine, and I have given you for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth." ¹⁸ `And I have given the men who are transgressing My covenant, who have not established the words of the covenant that they have made before Me, by the calf, that they have cut in two, and pass through between its pieces--" ¹⁹ heads of Judah, and heads of Jerusalem, the officers, and the priests, and all the people of the land those passing through between the pieces of the calf--" ²⁰ yea, I have given them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their soul, and their carcase has been for food to the fowl of the heavens, and to the beast of the earth." ²¹ `And Zedekiah king of Judah, and his heads, I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their soul, and into the hand of the forces of the king of Babylon, that are going up from off you." ²² Lo, I am commanding--an affirmation of Yahweh--and have brought them back unto this city, and they have fought against it, and captured it, and burned it with fire, and the cities of Judah I do make a desolation--without inhabitant.'" ³⁵ ¹ The word that has been unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, in the days of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, saying:" ² `Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and you have spoken with them, and brought them into the house of Yahweh, unto one of the chambers, and caused them to drink wine.'" ³ And I take Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and all the house of the Rechabites, ⁴ and bring them into the house of Yahweh, unto the chamber of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah, a man of Elohim, that [is] near to the chamber of the princes, that [is] above the chamber of Maaseiah son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold;" ⁵ and I put before the sons of the house of the Rechabites goblets full of wine, and cups, and I say unto them, Drink you wine." ⁶ And they say, `We do not drink wine:for Jonadab son of Rechab, our father, charged us, saying, You do not drink wine, you and your sons--unto the eon;" ⁷ and a house you do not build, and seed you do not sow, and a vineyard you do not plant, nor have you any; for in tents do you dwell all your days, that you may live many days on the face of the ground whither you are sojourning." ⁸ `And we hearken to the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab, our father, to all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters;" ⁹ nor to build houses for our dwelling; and vineyard, and field, and seed, we have none;" ¹⁰ and we dwell in tents, and we hearken, and we do according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us;" ¹¹ and it comes to pass, in the coming up of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon unto the land, that we say, Come, and we enter Jerusalem, because of the force of the Chaldeans, and because of the force of Aram--and we dwell in Jerusalem.'" ¹² And there is a word of Yahweh unto Jeremiah, saying:`Thus said Yahweh of Hosts, Elohim of Israel:" ¹³ `Go, and you have said to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:Do you not receive instruction? --to hearken unto My words--an affirmation of Yahweh." ¹⁴ Performed have been the words of Jonadab son of Rechab, when he commanded his sons not to drink wine, and they have not drunk unto this day, for they have obeyed the command of their father; and I--I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking, and you have not hearkened unto Me." ¹⁵ And I send unto you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, saying:Turn back, I pray you, each from his evil way, and amend your doings, yea, you do not walk after other elohims, to serve them, and dwell you on the ground that I have given to you and to your fathers; and you have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto Me." ¹⁶ `Because the sons of Jonadab son of Rechab have performed the command of their father, that he commanded them, and this people have not hearkened unto Me, ¹⁷ therefore thus said Yahweh, Elohim of Hosts, Elohim of Israel:Lo, I am bringing in unto Judah, and unto all inhabitants of Jerusalem, all the evil that I have spoken against them, because I have spoken unto them, and they have not hearkened, yea, I call to them, and they have not answered.'" ¹⁸ And to the house of the Rechabites said Jeremiah:`Thus said Yahweh of Hosts, Elohim of Israel, Because that you have hearkened unto the command of Jonadab your father, and you observe all his commands, and do according to all that he commanded you;" ¹⁹ therefore, thus said Yahweh of Hosts, Elohim of Israel, Of Jonadab son of Rechab one standing before me is not cut off all the days.'"