Jeremiah 34:1-35:19

Geneva^{(i) 1} The worde which came vnto Ieremiah from the Lord (when Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel, and all his hoste, and all the kingdomes of the earth, that were vnder the power of his hand, and all people fought against Ierusalem, and against all the cites thereof) saying, ² Thus sayth the Lord God of Israel, Goe, and speake to Zedekiah King of Iudah, and tell him, Thus sayth the Lord, Beholde, I will giue this citie into the hand of the King of Babel, and he shall burne it with fire, ³ And thou shall not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and deliuered into his hand, and thine eyes shall beholde the face of the King of Babel, and he shall speake with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babel. ⁴ Yet heare the worde of the Lord, O Zedekiah, King of Iudah: thus sayth the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not dye by the sword, ⁵ But thou shalt die in peace: and according to the burning for thy fathers the former Kings which were before thee, so shall they burne odours for thee, and they shall lament thee, saying, Oh lorde: for I haue pronounced the worde, sayth the Lord. ⁶ Then Ieremiah the Prophet spake all these words vnto Zedekiah King of Iudah in Ierusalem, ⁷ (When the King of Babels hoste fought against Ierusalem, and against all the cities of Iudah, that were left, euen against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these strong cities remained of the cities of Iudah) ⁸ This is the worde that came vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, after that the King Zedekiah had made a couenant with all the people, which were at Ierusalem, to proclaime libertie vnto them, ⁹ That euery man should let his seruant go free, and euery man his handmayde, which was an Ebrue or an Ebruesse, and that none should serue himselfe of them, to wit, of a Iewe his brother. ¹⁰ Now when all the princes, and all the people which had agreed to the couenant, heard that euery one should let his seruant go free, and euery one his handmaide, and that none should serue them selues of them any more, they obeyed and let them go. ¹¹ But afterwarde they repented and caused the seruants and the handmayds, whom they had let go free, to returne, and helde them in subiection as seruants and handmayds. ¹² Therefore the worde of the Lord came vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, saying, ¹³ Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I made a couenant with your fathers, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of seruants, saying, ¹⁴ At the terme of seuen yeres let ye go, euery man his brother an Ebrewe which hath bene solde vnto thee: and when he hath serued the sixe yeres, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers obeyed me not, neither inclined their eares. ¹⁵ And ye were nowe turned, and had done right in my sight in proclayming libertie, euery man to his neighbour, and ye had made a couenant before mee in the house, whereupon my Name is called. ¹⁶ But ye repented, and polluted my Name: for ye haue caused euery man his seruant, and euery man his handmayde, whom ye had set at libertie at their pleasure, to returne, and holde them in subiection to bee vnto you as seruantes and as handmaydes. ¹⁷ Therefore thus saith the Lord, Ye haue not obeyed mee, in proclayming freedome euery man to his brother, and euery man to his neighbour: beholde, I proclaime a libertie for you, saith the Lord, to the sworde, to the pestilence, and to the famine, and I will make you a terrour to all the kingdomes of the earth. ¹⁸ And I will giue those men that haue broken my couenant, and haue not kept the wordes of the couenant, which they had made before me, when they cut the calfe in twaine, and passed betweene the partes thereof: ¹⁹ The princes of Iudah, and the princes of Ierusalem, the Eunuches, and the Priestes, and all the people of the lande, which passed betweene the partes of the calfe, ²⁰ I wil euen giue them into the hand of their enemies, and into the handes of them that seeke their life: and their dead bodies shalbe for meate vnto the foules of the heauen, and to the beastes of the earth. ²¹ And Zedekiah King of Iudah, and his princes will I giue into the hand of their enemies, and into the hande of them that seeke their life, and into the hande of the King of Babels hoste, which are gone vp from you. ²² Beholde, I will commande, saith the Lord, and cause them to returne to this citie, and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burne it with fire: and I will make the cities of Iudah desolate without an inhabitant. ^{35 1} The worde which came vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, in the dayes of Iehoiakim the sonne of Iosiah King of Iudah, saying, ² Go vnto the house of the Rechabites, and speake vnto them, and bring them into the house of the Lord into one of the chambers, and giue them wine to drinke. ³ Then tooke I Iaazaniah, the sonne of Ieremiah the sonne of Habazziniah, and his brethren, and all his sonnes, and the whole house of the Rechabites, ⁴ And I brought them into the House of the Lord, into the chamber of the sonnes of Hanan, the sonne of Igdaliah a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was aboue the chamber of Maaseiah the sonne of Shallum, the keeper of the treasure. ⁵ And I set before the sonnes of the house of the Rechabites, pots full of wine, and cuppes, and said vnto them, Drinke wine. ⁶ But they said, We will drinke no wine: for Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our father commanded vs, saying, Ye shall drinke no wine, neither you nor your sonnes for euer. ⁷ Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seede, nor plant vineyarde, nor haue any, but all your dayes ye shall dwell in tentes, that ye may liue a long time in the land where ye be strangers. ⁸ Thus haue wee obeyed the voyce of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our father, in all that he hath charged vs, and wee drinke no wine all our dayes, neither wee, our wiues, our sonnes, nor our daughters. ⁹ Neither builde wee houses for vs to dwell in, neither haue we vineyard, nor fielde, nor seede, ¹⁰ But we haue remained in tentes, and haue obeyed, and done according to all that Ionadab our father commanded vs. ¹¹ But when Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel came vp into the land, we said, Come, and let vs go to Ierusalem, from the hoste of the Caldeans, and from the host of Aram: so we dwel at Ierusalem. ¹² Then came the word of the Lord vnto Ieremiah, saying, ¹³ Thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Goe, and tell the men of Iudah, and the inhabitants of Ierusalem, Will ye not receiue doctrine to obey my wordes, saith the Lord? ¹⁴ The commandement of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab that hee commanded his sonnes, that they should drinke no wine, is surely kept: for vnto this day they drinke none, but obey their fathers commandement: notwithstanding I haue spoken vnto you, rising earely, and speaking, but ye would not obey me. ¹⁵ I haue sent also vnto you all my seruants the Prophetes, rising vp earely, and sending, them, saying, Returne nowe euery man from his euill way, and amende your workes, and goe not after other gods to serue them, and ye shall dwel in the lande which I haue giuen vnto you, and to your fathers, but ye would not encline your eare, nor obey mee. ¹⁶ Surely the sonnes of Ionadab the sonne of Rechab, haue kept the commandement of their father, which he gaue them, but this people hath not obeyed me. ¹⁷ Therefore thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Beholde, I will bring vpon Iudah, and vpon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem, all the euill that I haue pronounced against them, because I haue spoke vnto them, but they would not heare, and I haue called vnto them, but they would not answere. ¹⁸ And Ieremiah said to the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hostes the God of Israel, Because ye haue obeyed the commandement of Ionadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according vnto all that hee hath commanded you, ¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the Lord of hostes, the God of Israel, Ionadab the sonne of Rechab shall not want a man, to stand before me for euer.