1 O rei Nabucodonosor, da Babilônia, e o seu exército estavam atacando Jerusalém e as cidades vizinhas. Ajudavam nesse ataque as tropas de todas as nações e reinos dominados por ele. Nesse tempo, o Senhor Deus falou comigo 2 e mandou que eu levasse a seguinte mensagem ao rei Zedequias, de Judá:

— Eu, o Senhor, o Deus de Israel, vou entregar esta cidade ao rei da Babilônia, e ele a destruirá com fogo. 3 Você não escapará; pelo contrário, será preso e entregue a ele. Você verá Nabucodonosor e falará com ele pessoalmente. Depois, você irá para a Babilônia. 4 Rei Zedequias, escute o que eu, o Senhor, estou dizendo a seu respeito: você vai morrer em paz e não na guerra. 5 E, como queimaram incenso no sepultamento dos seus antepassados que foram reis antes de você, assim queimarão incenso em sua honra. Vão chorar por sua causa, dizendo: "O nosso rei morreu!" Eu, o Senhor, falei.

6 Então eu contei tudo isso ao rei Zedequias, em Jerusalém, 7 quando o exército do rei da Babilônia estava atacando a cidade. Esse exército também estava atacando Laquis e Azeca, as duas únicas cidades cercadas de muralhas, em Judá, que ainda resistiam.

8 O Senhor Deus falou de novo comigo depois que Zedequias fez um acordo com os moradores de Jerusalém para darem liberdade aos seus escravos. 9 Cada um devia pôr em liberdade os seus escravos hebreus, tanto homens como mulheres, para que assim nenhum hebreu tivesse como escravo uma pessoa da sua raça. 10 E todo o povo e as autoridades concordaram em libertar os seus escravos, prometendo nunca mais escravizá-los. Eles libertaram os escravos, 11 mas depois mudaram de ideia, e os fizeram voltar, e os obrigaram a se tornarem escravos de novo.

12,13 Então o Senhor, o Deus de Israel, me mandou dizer ao povo:

— Quando tirei do Egito os antepassados de vocês e os livrei da escravidão, fiz uma aliança com eles. Eu disse que 14 de sete em sete anos deviam libertar qualquer patrício hebreu que eles tivessem comprado e que tivesse sido escravo deles durante seis anos. Mas os seus antepassados não me deram atenção, nem me obedeceram. 15 Porém alguns dias atrás vocês mudaram de ideia e fizeram o que me agrada. Todos concordaram em libertar os seus patrícios hebreus e fizeram um acordo na minha presença, no Templo construído em honra do meu nome. 16 Mas depois vocês novamente mudaram de ideia e profanaram o meu nome. Todos vocês fizeram voltar os escravos que haviam sido libertados e os obrigaram a ser escravos de novo. 17 Por isso, eu, o Senhor, digo que vocês me desobedeceram e não deram a liberdade aos seus patrícios hebreus. Pois bem! Eu vou dar liberdade a vocês: liberdade de morrer na guerra e de morrer de doença e fome. Farei com que sejam um espetáculo horrível para todas as nações da terra. Sou eu, o Senhor, quem está falando. 18,19 As autoridades de Judá e de Jerusalém, os oficiais do palácio, os sacerdotes e todo o povo fizeram uma aliança comigo, passando entre as duas metades de um boi cortado ao meio. Mas eles quebraram a aliança que fizeram na minha presença e não cumpriram o que prometeram. 20 Por isso, eu os entregarei aos seus inimigos que os querem matar, e os corpos deles serão comidos pelas aves e pelos animais selvagens. 21 Entregarei o rei Zedequias, de Judá, e os seus oficiais aos inimigos que os querem matar. Eu os entregarei ao exército do rei da Babilônia, que parou de atacar vocês. 22 Darei ordem aos inimigos, e eles voltarão. Eles atacarão, e tomarão a cidade, e a destruirão com fogo. Farei com que as cidades de Judá virem um deserto onde ninguém mora. Eu, o Senhor, falei.

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all its cities, saying:

2 This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus says Yahweh, Look, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire:

3 and you will not escape out of his hand, but will surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and your eyes will look at the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with you mouth to mouth, and you will go to Babylon.

4 Yet hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah king of Judah: thus says Yahweh concerning you, You will not die by the sword;

5 you will die in peace; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will make a burning for you; and they will lament you, [saying], Ah Lord! For I have spoken the word, says Yahweh.

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,

7 when the king of Babylon's army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these [alone] remained of the cities of Judah [as] fortified cities.

8 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, after the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them;

9 that every man should let his male slave, and every man his female slave, who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should make slaves of them, [to wit], of a Jew his brother.

10 And all the princes and all the people obeyed, that had entered into the covenant, that every one should let his male slave, and every one his female slave, go free, that none should make slaves of them anymore; they obeyed, and let them go:

11 but afterward they turned, and caused the male slaves and the female slaves, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for male slaves and for female slaves.

12 Therefore the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

13 This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your{+} fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slaves, saying,

14 At the end of the seven year period you{+} will let go every man his brother who is a Hebrew, that has been sold to you, and has served you six years, you will let him go free from you: but your{+} fathers did not listen to me, neither inclined their ear.

15 And you{+} had now turned, and had done that which is right in my eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his fellow man; and you{+} had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:

16 but you{+} turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his male slave, and every man his female slave, whom you{+} had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and you{+} brought them into subjection, to be to you{+} for male slaves and for female slaves.

17 Therefore thus says Yahweh: you{+} haven't listened to me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his fellow man: look, I proclaim to you{+} a liberty, says Yahweh, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you{+} to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth.

18 And I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant, who haven't performed the words of the covenant which they made 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 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and their dead bodies will be for food to the birds 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 life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, that have gone away from you{+}.

22 Look, I will command, says Yahweh, and cause them to return to this city; and they will fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.