1 GLT The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all of his army, together with all the kingdoms of the earth, the domains under his power, and all their people were waging war against Jerusalem and all of her cities, saying: BSB BSB: This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, all his army, all the earthly kingdoms under his control, and all the other nations were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding cities.
2 GLT “Yahweh, God of Israel, says this: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him,‘Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon. He will burn it. BSB BSB: The LORD, the God of Israel, told Jeremiah to go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.
3 GLT You will not escape from his hand, for you will certainly be seized and given into his hand. Your eyes will look at the eyes of the king of Babylon; he will speak directly to you as you go to Babylon.’ BSB BSB: And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.
4 GLT Listen to the word of Yahweh, Zedekiah king of Judah! Yahweh says this concerning you,‘You will not die by the sword. BSB BSB: Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the LORD says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;
5 GLT You will die in peace. As in the funeral burning of your ancestors, the kings who were before you, they will burn your body. They will say,“Woe, master!” They will lament for you. Now I have spoken— this is Yahweh’ s declaration.’” BSB BSB: you will die in peace. As spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who preceded you, so people will burn spices for you and lament, ‘Alas, O master!’ For I Myself have spoken this word, declares the LORD.”
6 GLT So Jeremiah the prophet proclaimed to Zedekiah king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: In Jerusalem, then, Jeremiah the prophet relayed all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah
8 GLT The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem, to proclaim freedom to them, BSB BSB: After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD
9 GLT that each man must free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, so one was to make a slave of a Jew, who was his brother. BSB BSB: that each man should free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and no one should hold his fellow Jew in bondage.
10 GLT So all the leaders and people entered into the covenant that each person would free his male and female slaves so that they would not be enslaved any longer. They obeyed and set them free. BSB BSB: So all the officials and all the people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their menservants and maidservants and no longer hold them in bondage. They obeyed and released them,
11 GLT But after this they changed their minds. They brought back the slaves whom they had freed. They forced them to become slaves again. BSB BSB: but later they changed their minds and took back the menservants and maidservants they had freed, and they forced them to become slaves again.
12 GLT So the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, BSB BSB: Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
13 GLT “Yahweh, God of Israel, says this,‘I myself made a covenant with your ancestors on the day that I brought them out from the land of Egypt, out from the house of slavery. That was when I said, BSB BSB: “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your forefathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying:
14 GLT “At the end of every seven years, each man must send away his brother, his fellow Hebrew who had sold himself to you and served you for six years. Send him away in freedom.” But your ancestors did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. BSB BSB: Every seventh year, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen or incline their ear.
15 GLT Now you yourselves repented and began to do what is right in my eyes. You proclaimed freedom, each man to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name. BSB BSB: Recently you repented and did what pleased Me; each of you proclaimed freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me in the house that bears My Name.
16 GLT But then you turned and polluted my name; you caused each man to bring back his male and female slaves, the ones whom you had sent out to go where they wished. You forced them to become your slaves again.’ BSB BSB: But now you have changed your minds and profaned My name. Each of you has taken back the menservants and maidservants whom you had set at liberty to go wherever they wanted, and you have again forced them to be your slaves.
17 GLT Therefore Yahweh says this,‘You yourselves have not listened to me. You should have proclaimed freedom, every one of you, to your brothers and fellow Israelites. So look! I am about to proclaim freedom to you— this is Yahweh’ s declaration— freedom for the sword, the plague, and famine, for I am going to make you a horrible thing in the sight of every kingdom on earth. BSB BSB: Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. So now I proclaim freedom for you, declares the LORD—freedom to fall by sword, by plague, and by famine! I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
18 GLT Then I will deal with the people who have broken my covenant, who did not keep the words of the covenant that they established before me when they cut a bull in two and walked between its parts, BSB BSB: And those who have transgressed My covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces.
19 GLT and then the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land walked between the parts of the bull. BSB BSB: The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf,
20 GLT I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who are seeking their lives. Their bodies will be food for the birds of the skies and the beasts on the earth. BSB BSB: I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
21 GLT So I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his leaders into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who are seeking their life, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon that has risen up against you. BSB BSB: And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.
22 GLT Look, I am about to give a command— this is Yahweh’ s declaration— and will bring them back to this city to wage war against it and take it, and to burn it. For I will turn the cities of Judah into ruined places in which there will be no inhabitants.’” BSB BSB: Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.