Jeremiah 34:1-35:19

Leeser^{(i) 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. ^{35 1} The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, in the days of Jehoyakim the son of Josiah the king of Judah, saying, ² Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak with them, and bring them into the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers, and offer them wine to drink. ³ Then I took Yaazanyah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Chabazzinyah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites; ⁴ And I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the chamber of the sons of Chanan, the son of Yigdalyahu, the man of God, which was alongside of the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Ma’aseyahu the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door: ⁵ And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites goblets full of wine, and cups; and I said unto them, Drink wine. ⁶ But they said, We will not drink wine; for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father hath laid a charge on us, saying, Ye shall not drink wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever; ⁷ Nor shall ye build any house, nor sow seed, nor plant a vineyard, nor have any such; but in tents shall ye dwell all your days, in order that ye may live many days on the face of the land where ye may sojourn. ⁸ And we have hearkened unto the voice of Jehonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, not to drink any wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters; ⁹ And not to build houses for our dwelling: and we never had any vineyard, or field, or seed; ¹⁰ But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done in accordance with all that Jonadab our father commanded us. ¹¹ But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go into Jerusalem because of the army of the Chaldeans, and because of the army of the Syrians; and so we dwell at Jerusalem. ¹² Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, ¹³ Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Go and say to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the Lord. ¹⁴ Fulfilled are the words of Jehonadab the son of Rechab, that he hath commanded his sons not to drink wine: and they have not drunk any even unto this day; because they have obeyed the commandment of their father; but I, I have spoken unto you, early in the day and speaking; but ye have not hearkened unto me. ¹⁵ And I have sent unto you all my servants the prophets, making them rise up early and sending them, saying, Do but return every man from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and go not after other gods to serve them: and so shall ye remain in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers; but ye have not inclined your ear, and have not hearkened unto me. ¹⁶ Because the sons of Jehonadab the son of Rechab have fulfilled the commandment of their father, which he hath commanded them; but as this people have not hearkened unto me: ¹⁷ Therefore thus hath said the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have spoken concerning them; because I spoke unto them, but they would not hear; and I called unto them, but they would not answer. ¹⁸ And unto the house of the Rechabites said Jeremiah, Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Whereas ye have hearkened to the charge of Jonadab your father, and have kept all his commandments, and have done in accordance with all that he hath commanded you: ¹⁹ Therefore thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, There shall not be wanting unto Jehonadab the son of Rechab a man to stand before me at all times.