¹ The word that was to^▵ Jeremiah^◦ from Jehovah (while Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his forces, and all the kingdoms of the land which he rules with his hand, and all the people, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all her cities), saying,

² Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: Go^◦ and say to^▵ Zedekiah^◦ king of Judah, and say to^▵ him, Thus says Jehovah: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn· her ·up with fire.

³ And thou^◦ shalt not escape out·​·of his hand, but^◦ being caught thou shalt be caught, and given into his hand; and thine eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go·​·in to Babylon.

⁴ Surely hear the word of Jehovah, O Zedekiah^◦ king of Judah; Thus says Jehovah concerning thee, Thou shalt· not ·die by the sword,

⁵ but thou shalt·​·die in peace; and with the burnings on account of thy fathers, the first kings who were before thee, so shall they burn· it^* ·up for thee^*, O Jerusalem, and they will wail for thee, saying, Woe, lord! For I^◦ have spoken the word, says^◦ Jehovah.

⁶ And Jeremiah^◦ the prophet spoke all these words to^▵ Zedekiah^◦ king of Judah in Jerusalem,

⁷ and the host of the king of Babylon fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that remained, against^▵ Lachish, and against^▵ Azekah; for these^◦ fortified cities were left of the cities of Judah.

⁸ This is the word that was to^▵ Jeremiah^◦ from Jehovah, after the king Zedekiah^◦ had cut a covenant with^◦ all the people who were in Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them^◦,

⁹ that each·​·man^◦ should send free his manservant, and each·​·man^◦ his handmaid, a Hebrew or^◦ a Hebrew·​·woman; that none^▫ should serve among^◦ them, a Jew his brother.

¹⁰ And when all the princes, and all the people, who had come into the covenant, heard that each·​·man^◦ should send free his manservant and each·​·man^◦ his handmaid, that none^▫ should serve themselves by them any·​·more, then they hearkened, and sent· them ·out.

¹¹ But afterwards they turned·​·back, and made the servants and the handmaids return, whom they had sent·​·out free, and subdued them for servants and for handmaids.

¹² And the word of Jehovah was to^▵ Jeremiah^◦ from^◦ Jehovah, saying,

¹³ Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: I^▵ cut a covenant with^◦ your fathers in the day that I brought· them ·out from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude^*, saying,

¹⁴ At the end of seven years send· ye ·out every man^◦ his brother a Hebrew, who has been sold unto thee; and when he has served thee six years, thou shalt let· him ·go^◦ free from thee; but your fathers hearkened not to^▵ Me, neither inclined their ear.

¹⁵ And you^◦ had returned today, and had done what is upright in My eyes, in proclaiming liberty, a man^◦ to his companion; and you had cut a covenant before Me in the house which is called by My name.

¹⁶ But you returned and profaned My name, and caused to return, each·​·man^◦ his servant, and each·​·man^◦ his handmaid, whom you had sent·​·away free as to their soul, and subdued them, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.

¹⁷ Therefore thus says Jehovah, You^◦ have not hearkened to^▵ Me, to proclaim liberty, a man^◦ to his brother, and a man^◦ to his companion; behold, I am proclaiming liberty for you, says^◦ Jehovah, to^▵ the sword, to^▵ the pestilence, and to^▵ the famine; and I will put^◦ you in turmoil before all the kingdoms of the earth.

¹⁸ And I will give the men^◦ who have passed·​·by My covenant, who have not raised·​·up the words of the covenant which they had cut before Me, when they cut the calf in two, and passed between its parts^◦,

¹⁹ the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs^*, and the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts^◦ of the calf;

²⁰ and I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their soul; and their carcasses shall be for food to the fowl of the heavens, and to the beasts of the earth.

²¹ And Zedekiah^◦ king of Judah and his princes I will give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their soul, and into the hand of the host of the king of Babylon, who have gone·​·up from upon you.

²² Behold, I will command, says^◦ Jehovah, and cause them to return to^▵ this city; and they shall fight against her, and capture her, and burn· her ·up with fire; and I will put^◦ the cities of Judah as a desolation with no·​·one dwelling there.

¹ And king Zedekiah^◦ the son of Josiah^◦ was·​·king instead of Coniah^◦ the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made·​·king in the land of Judah.

² And neither he^◦, nor^◦ his servants, nor^◦ the people of the land, did hearken to^▵ the words of Jehovah, which He spoke by the hand of Jeremiah^◦ the prophet.

³ And Zedekiah^◦ the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah^◦, saying, Pray now^◦ to^▵ Jehovah our God for us.

⁴ And Jeremiah^◦ came·​·in and went·​·out in the midst of the people; and they had not put^◦ him into the prison house.

⁵ And the host of Pharaoh came·​·out from Egypt; and the Chaldeans who besieged Jerusalem heard a rumor of them, and they went·​·up from against Jerusalem.

⁶ And the word of Jehovah was unto^▵ the prophet Jeremiah^◦, saying,

⁷ Thus says Jehovah, the God of Israel: Thus shall you say to^▵ the king of Judah, who sent you to^▵ Me to inquire of Me: Behold, the host of Pharaoh, which has come·​·out to help you, shall return to their own land Egypt.

⁸ And the Chaldeans shall return, and fight against this city, and take^◦ it, and burn· it ·up with fire.

⁹ Thus says Jehovah, Beguile not your souls, saying, The Chaldeans going^◦ shall go from upon us; for they shall not go.

¹⁰ For though you had smitten all the host of the Chaldeans that fight with^◦ you, and there were left among^◦ them men^▵ thrust·​·through, yet should they rise·​·up each·​·man^◦ in his tent, and burn·​·up this city with fire.

¹¹ And it was, when the host of the Chaldeans was made to go·​·up from Jerusalem, from the faces of the host of Pharaoh,

¹² that Jeremiah^◦ went·​·out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin^*, to part from thence in the midst of the people.

¹³ And he^◦ was in the gate of Benjamin, and a master of overseeing was there, and his name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid·​·hold of Jeremiah^◦ the prophet, saying, Thou^◦ fallest away to^▵ the Chaldeans.

¹⁴ And Jeremiah^◦ said, It is false; I fall not^◦ away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to^▵ him; and Irijah caught hold of Jeremiah^◦, and brought him to^▵ the princes.

¹⁵ And the princes were·​·enraged against Jeremiah^◦, and smote him, and put^◦ him into the house of bondage, the house of Jonathan^◦ the scribe; for they had made it into^◦ the prison house.

¹⁶ For Jeremiah^◦ came to^▵ the house of the pit, and to^▵ the camps^◦, and Jeremiah^◦ dwelt there many days;

¹⁷ and the king Zedekiah^◦ sent, and fetched him; and the king asked him in a hidden way in his house, and said, Is·​·there any word from Jehovah? And Jeremiah^◦ said, There·​·is. And he said, Into the hand of the king of Babylon thou shalt be given.

¹⁸ And Jeremiah^◦ said to^▵ king Zedekiah^◦, What have I sinned against^▵ thee, or^◦ against^▵ thy servants, or^◦ against^▵ this people, that you have put^◦ me into^▵ the prison house?

¹⁹ Where^◦ are your prophets who prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor^◦ against this land?

²⁰ And hear now, I pray^◦ thee, O my lord the king; let my supplication^◦, I pray^◦ thee, fall before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan^◦ the scribe, that I die not there.

²¹ And Zedekiah^◦ the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah^◦ into the court of the prison^◦, and give to him for the day a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers, until all the bread from the city was finished. And Jeremiah^◦ dwelt in the court of the prison^◦.