JEREMIAH’S WORD TO KING ZEDEKIAH

34 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,b his whole army, all the kingdoms of the lands under his control,c and all other peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding cities: 2 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go, speak to King Zedekiah of Judah, and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon,d and he will burn it. 3 As for you, you will not escapee from him but are certain to be captured and handed over to him. You will meet the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak face to face;B,f you will go to Babylon.

4 “ ‘Yet hear the Lord’s word, King Zedekiah of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword; 5 you will die peacefully. There will be a burning ceremony for you just like the burning ceremonies for your ancestors, the kings of old who came before you.g “Oh, master!” will be the lament for you, for I have spoken this word. This is the Lord’s declaration.’ ”

6 So the prophet Jeremiah related all these words to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem 7 while the king of Babylon’s army was attacking Jerusalem and all of Judah’s remaining cities—that is, Lachish and Azekah,h for they were the only ones left of Judah’s fortified cities.

THE PEOPLE AND THEIR SLAVES

8 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah made a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim freedomi to them. 9 As a result, each was to let his male and female Hebrew slaves go free, and no one was to enslave his fellow Judean.j 10 All the officials and people who entered into covenant to let their male and female slaves go free—in order not to enslave them any longer—obeyed and let them go free. 11 Afterward, however, they changed their minds and took back their male and female slaves they had let go free and forced them to become slaves again.