1Dengang kong Nebukadnezar af Babylon ankom med den mægtige hær, han havde samlet fra de erobrede lande, og belejrede både Jerusalem og de øvrige byer i Judas land, gav Herren mig følgende budskab:2„Gå hen til kong Zidkija med denne besked: Hør, hvad Herren siger: Jeg overgiver denne by til den babyloniske konge, og han vil brænde den ned til grunden.3Det vil ikke lykkes dig at undslippe. Du bliver taget til fange og ført frem for kongen, og han vil dømme dig til eksil i Babylon.4Men hør nu kong Zidkija af Juda: Herren lover dig, at du ikke skal dø i krigen.5Når du engang dør en naturlig død blandt dit eget folk i eksilet, vil de brænde røgelse for at ære dit minde på samme måde, som man gjorde for de konger, der gik forud for dig. Man vil sørge over dig og sige: ‚Ak, vores konge er død.’ Det er et løfte, siger Herren.”6Den besked overbragte jeg så til kong Zidkija,7mens babylonierne belejrede Jerusalem, Lakish og Azeka, de eneste befæstede byer i Juda, der endnu var tilbage.
Endnu et eksempel på folkets ulydighed
8Herren gav mig et nyt budskab i forbindelse med, at kong Zidkija havde lavet en aftale med Jerusalems indbyggere om at frigive alle slaver i byen.9Aftalen var, at alle skulle frigive både deres mandlige og kvindelige slaver med den begrundelse, at ingen judæere burde være slaver for deres eget folk.10Både lederne og folk i almindelighed havde accepteret begrundelsen og frigivet deres slaver.11Men senere ændrede de mening og tog deres slaver tilbage.12Derfor gav Herren mig følgende budskab til dem:13„Herren, Israels Gud, siger: Jeg indgik en pagt med jeres forfædre, dengang jeg befriede dem fra fangenskabet i Egypten.14En af pagtens bestemmelser var, at enhver hebræer, der havde solgt sig selv som slave, skulle frigives efter seks års tjeneste. Men jeres forfædre overholdt ikke den bestemmelse.15For nylig kom I på bedre tanker og frigav jeres slaver, som I burde have gjort for længe siden. I indgik højt og helligt en pagt med hinanden om det her foran mit tempel.16Men derefter overtrådte I aftalen og vanærede mit navn ved at tage de mænd og kvinder tilbage, som I havde frigivet, og gøre dem til slaver igen.17Derfor, siger Herren, siden I ikke adlød mig og frigav jeres landsmænd, vil jeg ‚frigive’ jer til at blive udryddet ved krig, hungersnød og epidemier. Jeg gør jer til et afskrækkende eksempel for resten af verden.18Fordi I overtrådte den pagt, som I højtideligt indgik i mit nærvær, vil jeg straffe jer. I vil lide samme skæbne som den kalv, I skar i to stykker, så I kunne gå mellem stykkerne, da I bekræftede pagtens ordlyd.19Jeg vil skære jer i stykker, hvad enten I er ledere i Jerusalem og Juda, embedsmænd, præster eller jævne folk, for I har brudt en højtidelig pagt.20Jeg vil overgive jer til jeres fjender, og de vil slå jer ihjel. Jeres lig vil blive til føde for gribbe og vilde dyr.21Jeg vil også udlevere kong Zidkija af Juda og hans embedsmænd til den babyloniske konge. Skønt kongen af Babylon har trukket sig tilbage for en tid,22vil jeg atter tilkalde de babyloniske hære, og de vil angribe og erobre denne by og brænde den ned til grunden. Jeg vil også sørge for, at alle Judas byer bliver jævnet med jorden, så de alle bliver folketomme.”
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: (2.Kong 25,1; Jer 1,15; Jer 39,1; Jer 51,28; Jer 52,4)2“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. (2.Kong 25,2; Jer 21,10)3You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.’ (Jer 32,4)4Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: ‘You shall not die by the sword. (Jer 38,17; Jer 38,20; Jer 39,4; Jer 39,7)5You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!”’ For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord.” (1.Sam 31,12; 2.Krøn 16,14; 2.Krøn 21,19; Jer 22,18)6Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem,7when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah, for these were the only fortified cities of Judah that remained. (Josva 10,3; Josva 10,10; Josva 15,35; 2.Kong 18,13; Jer 4,5)8The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, (2.Mos 21,2; 3.Mos 25,10; Es 61,1; Jer 34,15; Jer 34,17)9that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. (3.Mos 25,39; Neh 5,8)10And they obeyed, all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant that everyone would set free his slave, male or female, so that they would not be enslaved again. They obeyed and set them free.11But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. (Jer 34,9)12The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord:13“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I myself made a covenant with your fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying, (2.Mos 20,2)14‘At the end of seven years each of you must set free the fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must set him free from your service.’ But your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. (2.Mos 21,2; 5.Mos 15,12; Jer 7,24; Jer 7,26; Jer 11,8; Jer 17,23; Jer 25,4; Jer 34,9; Jer 35,15; Jer 44,5)15You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name, (2.Kong 23,3; Jer 7,10; Jer 34,8)16but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves. (3.Mos 18,21; 3.Mos 19,12; Jer 34,11)17“Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (Jer 14,12; Jer 15,4; Jer 34,8; Matt 7,2; Gal 6,7; Jak 2,13)18And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like[1] the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts— (1.Mos 15,10; Jer 34,15)19the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. (Jer 29,2)20And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. (Jer 7,33; Jer 22,25)21And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon which has withdrawn from you. (Jer 34,2; Jer 34,4; Jer 34,8; Jer 37,5; Jer 37,11)22Behold, I will command, declares the Lord, and will bring them back to this city. And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.” (Es 10,6; Jer 4,7; Jer 9,11; Jer 37,8; Jer 38,3)