1 Eis a palavra que pelo Senhor foi dirigida a Jeremias, quando Nabucodonosor, rei de Babilônia, com seu exército, com todos os reinos da terra que lhe eram vassalos e com todos os povos, combatia contra Jerusalém e as cidades que a cercavam.2 Eis o que disse o Senhor Deus de Israel: vai procurar Sedecias, rei de Judá, e dize-lhe: Eis o que diz o Senhor: vou entregar esta cidade ao rei de Babilônia, que a incendiará.3 Nem tu lhe poderás escapar. Serás capturado e entregue às suas mãos. Verás o rei de Babilônia, face a face, que de viva voz te falará, e irás para Babilônia.4 Escuta, contudo, Sedecias, rei de Judá, a palavra do, Senhor! Eis o que ele profere a teu respeito. Não morrerás pela espada.5 Será em paz que haverás de morrer e, assim como perfumes foram queimados em honra de teus pais, os reis antigos que te precederam, assim também por ti serão queimados. Lágrimas serão derramadas por tua causa: eu, o Senhor, sou eu quem o prediz - oráculo do Senhor.6 Tudo isso transmitiu Jeremias ao rei Sedecias de Judá, em Jerusalém,7 enquanto o exército do rei de Babilônia sitiava a cidade, assim como Laquis e Azeca, últimas cidades de Judá que ainda resistiam.8 Eis a palavra que foi dirigida a Jeremias pelo Senhor, depois que o rei Sedecias fez um pacto com o povo de Jerusalém, a fim de proclamar um decreto de alforria,9 segundo o qual cada um deveria libertar seu escravo hebreu, homem ou mulher, não conservando na escravidão seus irmãos judeus.10 Aceitaram todos esse acordo, chefes e povo, consentindo em emancipar seus escravos e em não mais conservá-los em servidão.11 Mais tarde, porém, voltando atrás em tal decisão, retomaram os escravos e mulheres, que haviam libertado, reduzindo-os novamente ao estado de escravidão.12 Foi então que a palavra do Senhor assim se dirigiu a Jeremias:13 Eis o que disse o Senhor, Deus de Israel: no dia em que tirei vossos pais da terra do Egito, desse período de escravidão, com eles concluí uma aliança, assim concebida:14 ao fim de sete anos, cada um de vós emancipará seu irmão hebreu que lhe houver sido vendido. Servir-te-á durante seis anos; no sétimo, porém, o libertarás. - Não me escutaram, entretanto, vossos pais, nem prestaram atenção.15 Agora, fizestes o que é grato a meus olhos, cada um proclamando a liberdade ao próximo pela conclusão de um acordo em minha presença, na casa em que meu nome é invocado.16 Mudastes, porém, de parecer e profanastes meu nome, retomando cada qual vosso escravo e vossa serva que se haviam tornado livres, para de novo os reduzirdes à escravidão.17 Eis por que diz o Senhor: assim como não me haveis obedecido no que tange à proclamação da liberdade de vossos irmãos, vou, por minha vez, proclamar a vossa volta à espada, à peste e à fome, transformando-vos em objeto de espanto para todos os reinos da terra.18 Os homens que violaram minha aliança, e não observaram as cláusulas do acordo celebrado em minha presença, vou tratá-los como o touro, que cortaram em dois para passar entre as duas metades.19 Os chefes de Judá e de Jerusalém, os eunucos, os sacerdotes, e toda a gente da terra, que passaram entre as duas partes do touro,20 entregá-los-ei aos seus inimigos e àqueles que lhes procuram tirar a vida e os seus cadáveres servirão de pasto às aves do céu e aos animais da terra.21 Quanto a Sedecias, rei de Judá, entregá-lo-ei, juntamente com seus príncipes, aos inimigos e àqueles que lhe querem tirar a vida, ao exército do rei de Babilônia que de vós se apartou.22 Vou dar ordens, - oráculo do Senhor - para que voltem a esta cidade. Eles a sitiarão tomando-a de assalto, e haverão de lhe pôr fogo. E transformarei as cidades de Judá em solidão, sem habitantes!

1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the country ruled by his power, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all its cities, saying,2 Thus hath said the Lord, the God of Israel, Go and speak to Zedekiah the king of Judah, and say to him, Thus hath said the Lord, Behold, I will give up this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, that he may burn it with fire:3 And thou thyself shalt not escape out of his hand; but thou shalt surely be caught, and be delivered into his hand; and thy eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak with thy mouth, and to Babylon shalt thou go.4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah, Thus hath said the Lord respecting thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:5 In peace shalt thou die; and as burnings were made for thy fathers, the former kings who were before thee, so shall they make burnings for thee; and "Ah lord" shall they lament for thee; for I have spoken the word, saith the Lord.6 And Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto Zedekiah the king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem,7 When the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against ‘Azekah; for these had been left of the cities of Judah as fortified cities.8 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim among themselves freedom;9 That every man should dismiss his man–servant, and every man his maid–servant, being a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, free; so that no man among them should exact labor of a Jew, his brother.10 And all the princes had hearkened, with all the people, who had entered into the covenant, that every one should dismiss his man–servant, and every one his maid–servant, free, that no one should exact labor of them any more: and they had obeyed, and dismissed them.11 But they had turned afterward, and they had brought back the men–servants and the maid–servants whom they had dismissed as free, and had subjected them to become men–servants and maid–servants.12 And the word of the Lord then came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,13 Thus hath said the Lord, the God of Israel,––I myself made a covenant with your fathers on the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,14 At the end of seven years shall ye dismiss every man his brother the Hebrew, who may have been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, then shalt thou dismiss him from thee; but your fathers hearkened not unto me, and inclined not their ear.15 And ye had turned this day, and done what is right in my eyes, to proclaim freedom every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house over which my name is called;16 But ye have turned again, and profaned my name, and ye have brought back every man his man–servant, and every man his woman–servant, whom ye had dismissed as free at their pleasure, and have subjected them to be unto you for men–servants and for women–servants.17 Therefore thus hath said the Lord, Ye indeed have not hearkened unto me, to proclaim freedom, every one to his brother, and every one to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim a freedom over you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you a horror unto all the kingdoms of the earth.18 And I will give up the men that have transgressed my covenant, who have not fulfilled the words of the covenant which they had made before me, at the calf which they cut in twain, and between the parts whereof they passed,19 The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the court–servants, and the priests, and all the people of the land, who have passed between the parts of the calf;20 Yea I will give them up into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life; and their dead bodies shall become food unto the fowls of the heavens, and to the beasts of the earth.21 And Zedekiah the king of Judah and his princes will I give up into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, that are now gone away from you.22 Behold, I will command, speaketh the Lord, and I will bring them back to this city; and they shall fight against it, and capture it, and burn it with fire: and the cities of Judah will I make a desert without an inhabitant.