Jeremiah 34:1–7

JEREMIAH’S WORD TO KING ZEDEKIAH

34This 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. ³As for you, you will not escape^e 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;^Bf 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; ⁵you 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.’ ”

⁶So the prophet Jeremiah related all these words to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem ⁷while 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.