1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with all his army, 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 "The LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, the LORD says, "Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire. 3 You won’t escape out of his hand, but will surely be taken and delivered into his hand. Your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with you mouth to mouth. You will go to Babylon."’

4 "Yet hear the LORD’s word, O Zedekiah king of Judah: The LORD says concerning you, ‘You won’t 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. They will lament you, saying, "Ah Lord!" for I have spoken the word,’ says the LORD."

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 came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after 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 servant, and every man his female servant, who is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that no one should make bondservants of them, of a Jew his brother. 10 All the princes and all the people obeyed who had entered into the covenant, that everyone should let his male servant, and everyone his female servant go free, that no one should make bondservants of them any more. They obeyed and let them go; 11 but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.

12 Therefore the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 13 "The LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying: 14 At the end of seven years, every man of you shall release his brother who is a Hebrew, who has been sold to you, and has served you six years. You shall let him go free from you. But your fathers didn’t listen to me, and didn’t incline their ear. 15 You had now turned, and had done that which is right in my eyes, in every man proclaiming liberty to his neighbor. 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 every man caused his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their pleasure, to return. You brought them into subjection, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.’"

17 Therefore the LORD says: "You have not listened to me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor. Behold, I proclaim to you a liberty," says the LORD, "to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine. I will make you be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant, who have not 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, the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, 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. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.

21 "I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hands of their enemies, into the hands of those who seek their life and into the hands of the king of Babylon’s army, who has gone away from you. 22 Behold, I will command," says the LORD, "and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it, take it, and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant."

1 A mensagem a seguir foi comunicada a Jeremias, da parte do Senhor, quando Nabucodonozor, rei de Babilónia, com todos os seus exércitos, formados por gente de todos os povos que ele dominava, vieram combater Jerusalém e as cidades de Judá.

2 Vai dizer a Zedequias, rei de Judá, que o Senhor lhe comunica o seguinte: Darei esta cidade ao rei de Babilónia e este a queimará. E tu não escaparás; serás capturado, trazido à presença dele, que pronunciará a sua sentença contra ti - a tua deportação para Babilónia. Mas ouve bem isto, ó Zedequias, rei de Judá: Deus te diz que não serás morto na batalha, durante a refrega; morrerás antes sossegadamente, no meio do teu povo, que queimará incenso em memória de ti, tal como fizeram para os teus antepassados. Chorar-te-ão e dirão: Aí de nós, que nos morreu o rei! Foi isto mesmo que eu decretei, diz o Senhor.

6 Jeremias entregou pois esta mensagem ao rei Zedequias. E nessa altura estava justamente o exército babilónico a sitiar Jerusalém, Laquis e Azeca, as únicas povoações muradas de Judá que ainda resistiam.

8 Depois de Zedequias, rei de Judá, ter libertado todos os escravos em Jerusalém, veio esta mensagem da parte do Senhor. (Com efeito, Zedequias tinha dado ordens para que todos os que tivessem escravos hebreus, tanto homens como mulheres, os libertassem; e fez isso alegando que nenhum judeu deveria ser senhor doutro judeu, porque todos eram irmãos.

10 Os grandes senhores, assim como todos os povos, obedeceram à ordem do rei e deram liberdade aos escravos que tinham; mas tratou-se de uma iniciativa temporária. Porque ao fim de algum tempo tomaram coragem e recuperaram novamente os seus escravos

12 Foi por essa razão que o Senhor enviou esta mensagem a Jerusalém.)

13 O Senhor, o Deus de Israel, diz: Fiz uma aliança com os vossos antepassados há muito tempo, quando os resgatei da escravidão do Egipto

14 Disse-lhes então que todo o escravo hebreu deveria ser libertado ao fim de seis anos. Mas isso não foi feito.

15 Recentemente, vocês decidiram actuar com justiça, segundo o meu mandamento, e deram liberdade aos vossos escravos. Fizeram mesmo, solenemente, no meu templo, a promessa de pôr isso em execução.

16 Mas acontece que agora voltaram com a palavra atrás e sujaram o meu nome, tornando-se perjuros, e recuperando os escravos que tinham.

17 Por isso o Senhor vos diz: Sendo que não querem ouvir-me e libertá-los, entregar-vos-ei ao poder da morte, pela guerra, pela fome e pela peste. Espalhar-vos-ei por todo o mundo como exilados.

18 Visto que recusaram os termos do nosso contrato, separar-vos-ei de mim, tal como vocês separam as duas partes em que dividem o bezerro, ao passar por elas, para formalizar solenemente os vossos votos. Sim, degolar-vos-ei, sejam vocês quem forem, grandes senhores, altos magistrados, sacerdotes ou simples povo - pois que quebraram o vosso juramento.-

20 Entregar-vos-ei aos vossos inimigos, que vos liquidarão. Darei os vossos cadáveres às aves de rapina e aos animais selvagens.

21 Farei com que Zedequias, o rei de Judá, assim como os seus chefes militares se rendam ao exército do rei de Babilónia, ainda que este se tenha desviado da cidade por um certo tempo.

22 Chamarei novamente as tropas de babilónia, que tornarão a sitiá-la, a combatê-la, e a tomarão, queimando-a. Velarei para que todas as outras povoações de Judá sejam completamente destruídas, deixadas na mais completa desolação, sem viva alma!