Zedekiah to Die in Babylon

Jeremiah 34

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when c Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army d and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: 2 "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to e Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord: f Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 3 g You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. g You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.' 4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! h Thus says the Lord concerning you: h 'You shall not die by the sword. 5 You shall die in peace. i And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall j burn spices for you k and lament for you, saying, "Alas, lord!"' For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord."

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah, 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, l Lachish and m Azekah, n for these were the only o fortified cities of Judah that remained.

8 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah p had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem q to make a proclamation of liberty to them, 9 r that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, s so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother. 10 And 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. 11 But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves r they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves. 12 The 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 t I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying, 14 u '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; r you must set him free from your service.' But v your fathers did not listen to me or incline their ears to me. 15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes q by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and w you made a covenant before me in the x house that is called by my name, 16 but then you turned around y and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, z whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves.

17 "Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me q by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; a behold, I proclaim to you liberty b to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, declares the Lord. c I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of w the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like 1 d the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts - 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, e the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf. 20 And I will give them into the hand of their enemies f and into the hand of those who seek their lives. g Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. 21 And h 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 i which has withdrawn from you. 22 Behold, j I will command, declares the Lord, and will k bring them back to this city. k And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. l I will make the cities of Judah a desolation m without inhabitant."

  1. Cross References
    Jeremiah 39:1
    In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it.
    Jeremiah 52:4
    And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.
    2 Kings 25:1
    And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.
  2. Cross References
    Jeremiah 1:15
    For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the Lord, and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah.
    Jeremiah 51:28
    Prepare the nations for war against her, the kings of the Medes, with their governors and deputies, and every land under their dominion.
  3. Cross References
    2 Kings 25:2
    So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
  4. Cross References
    Jeremiah 21:10
    For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord : it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
  5. Cross References
    Jeremiah 32:4
    Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.
  6. Cross References
    Jeremiah 32:4
    Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye.
  7. Cross References
    Jeremiah 38:17
    Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.
    Jeremiah 38:20
    Jeremiah said, "You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared.
    Jeremiah 39:4
    When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah.
    Jeremiah 39:7
    He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon.
  8. Cross References
    Jeremiah 38:17
    Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: If you will surrender to the officials of the king of Babylon, then your life shall be spared, and this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.
    Jeremiah 38:20
    Jeremiah said, "You shall not be given to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared.
    Jeremiah 39:4
    When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah.
    Jeremiah 39:7
    He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon.
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 31:12
    All the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
    2 Chronicles 21:19
    In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers.
  10. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 16:14
    They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor.
  11. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:18
    Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: "They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah, my brother!' or 'Ah, sister!' They shall not lament for him, saying, 'Ah, lord!' or 'Ah, his majesty!
  12. Cross References
    Joshua 10:3
    So Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying.
  13. Cross References
    Joshua 10:10
    And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
    Joshua 15:35
    Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah.
  14. Cross References
    2 Kings 18:13
    In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them.
  15. Cross References
    Jeremiah 4:5
    Declare in Judah, and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, "Blow the trumpet through the land; cry aloud and say, 'Assemble, and let us go into the fortified cities!
  16. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:15
    You 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.
  17. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:15
    You 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.
    Jeremiah 34:17
    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.
    Exodus 21:2
    When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.
    Leviticus 25:10
    And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.
    Isaiah 61:1
    The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.
  18. Cross References
    Leviticus 25:39 - 46
    If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave:
  19. Cross References
    Nehemiah 5:8
    And said to them, "We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!" They were silent and could not find a word to say.
  20. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:9
    That everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother.
  21. Cross References
    Exodus 20:2
    I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
  22. Cross References
    Exodus 21:2
    When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.
    Deuteronomy 15:12
    If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
  23. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:9
    That everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother.
  24. Cross References
    Jeremiah 7:24
    But they did not obey or incline their ear, but...
    Jeremiah 7:26
    Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ...
    Jeremiah 11:8
    Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but...
    Jeremiah 17:23
    Yet they did not listen or incline their ear, b...
    Jeremiah 25:4
    You have neither listened nor inclined your ear...
    Jeremiah 35:15
    I have sent to you all my servants the prophets...
    Jeremiah 44:5
    But they did not listen or incline their ear, t...
  25. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:8
    The 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.
  26. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:8
    The 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 Kings 23:3
    And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.
  27. Cross References
    Jeremiah 7:10
    And then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!' - only to go on doing all these abominations?
  28. Cross References
    Leviticus 18:21
    You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
    Leviticus 19:12
    You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
  29. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:11
    But afterward they turned around and took back the male and female slaves they had set free, and brought them into subjection as slaves.
  30. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:8
    The 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.
  31. Cross References
    Matthew 7:2
    For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
    Galatians 6:7
    Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
    James 2:13
    For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
  32. Cross References
    Jeremiah 14:12
    Though they fast, I will not hear their cry, and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.
  33. Cross References
    Jeremiah 15:4
    And I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.
  34. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:15
    You 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.
  35. Cross References
    Genesis 15:10
    And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
  36. Cross References
    Jeremiah 29:2
    This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem.
  37. Cross References
    Jeremiah 22:25
    And give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
  38. Cross References
    Jeremiah 7:33
    And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away.
  39. Cross References
    Jeremiah 34:2
    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.
    Jeremiah 34:4
    Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: 'You shall not die by the sword.
    Jeremiah 34:8
    The 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.
  40. Cross References
    Jeremiah 37:5
    The army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt. And when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.
    Jeremiah 37:11
    Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem at the approach of Pharaoh's army.
  41. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:6
    Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
  42. Cross References
    Jeremiah 37:8
    And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city. They shall capture it and burn it with fire.
    Jeremiah 38:3
    Thus says the Lord : This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.
  43. Cross References
    Jeremiah 37:8
    And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city. They shall capture it and burn it with fire.
    Jeremiah 38:3
    Thus says the Lord : This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.
  44. Cross References
    Jeremiah 9:11
    I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair of jackals, and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.
  45. Cross References
    Jeremiah 4:7
    A lion has gone up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste; your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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