1 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his host, and all the realms of [the] earth, that were under the power of his hand, and all peoples fought against Jerusalem, and against all cities thereof; and he said,

2 The Lord God of Israel saith these things, Go thou, and speak to Zedekiah, king of Judah; and thou shalt say to him, The Lord saith these things, Lo! I shall betake this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it by fire.

3 And thou shalt not escape from his hand, but thou shalt be taken by taking, and thou shalt be betaken into his hand; and thine eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak with thy mouth, and thou shalt enter into Babylon.

4 Nevertheless Zedekiah, the king of Judah, hear thou the word of the Lord; the Lord saith these things to thee, Thou shalt not die by sword,

5 but thou shalt die in peace; and by the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings that were before thee, so they shall burn thee, and they shall bewail thee, Woe! lord; for I spake a word, saith the Lord.

6 And Jeremy, the prophet, spake to Zedekiah, king of Judah, all these words in Jerusalem.

7 And the host of the king of Babylon fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah, that were left; against Lachish, and against Azekah; for why these strong cities were left of the cities of Judah.

8 The word that was made of the Lord to Jeremy, after that king Zedekiah smote bond of peace with all the people in Jerusalem, and preached,

9 that each man should deliver his servant, and each man his handmaid, an Hebrew man and an Hebrew woman, free, and that they should not be lords of them, that is, in a Jew, and their brother.

10 Therefore all the princes and all the people heard, which made covenant, that they should deliver each man his servant, and each man his handmaid, free, and should no more be lords of them; therefore they heard, and delivered;

11 and they were turned afterward, and drew again their servants, and handmaids, which they had let go free, and they made them subject into servants, and into servantesses.

12 And the word of the Lord was made of the Lord to Jeremy, and said,

13 The Lord God of Israel saith these things, I smote a bond of peace with your fathers, in the day in which I led them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servage; and I said,

14 When seven years be [ful] filled, each man deliver his brother, an Hebrew man, which is sold to him, and he shall serve thee six years, and thou shalt deliver him from thee; and your fathers heard not me, neither bowed [in] their ear.

15 And ye be converted today, and ye did that, that is rightful [or right] before mine eyes, that ye preached each man freedom to his friend, and ye made covenant in my sight, in the house wherein my name is called to help on that freedom.

16 And ye turned again, and defouled my name, and ye brought again each man his servant, and each man his handmaid, which ye delivered, that they should be free, and of their own power; and ye made them subject, that they be servants and handmaids to you.

17 Therefore the Lord saith these things, Ye heard not me, that ye preached freedom, each man to his brother, and each man to his friend; lo! I preach to you freedom, saith the Lord, and to sword, and to hunger, and to pestilence; and I shall give you into stirring to all realms of earth.

18 And I shall give the men, that brake my bond of peace, and kept not the words of [the] bond of peace, to which they assented in my sight, and kept not the calf which they cutted into two parts;

19 and the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, and the honest servants, and priests went between the partings thereof, and all the people of the land, that went between the partings of the calf;

20 and I shall give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life; and the dead carrion of them shall be into meat to the volatiles [or fowls] of the air, and to the beasts of earth.

21 And I shall give Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his princes, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the hosts of the king of Babylon, that went away from you.

22 Lo! I command, saith the Lord, and I shall bring them again into this city; and they shall fight against it, and shall take it, and shall burn it with fire; and I shall give the cities of Judah into wilderness, for there is no dweller.