1 The word which came to Yirmeyahu from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, when Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar sovereign of Baḇel and all his army, and all the reigns of the earth under his rule, and all the people, fought against Yerushalayim and all its cities, saying,
2 “Thus said 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Go and speak to Tsiḏqiyahu sovereign of Yahuḏah and say to him, “Thus said 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, ‘See, I am giving this city into the hand of the sovereign of Baḇel. And he shall burn it with fire,
3 and you shall not escape out of his hand, but certainly be taken and given into his hand. And your eyes shall see the eyes of the sovereign of Baḇel, and his mouth shall speak with your mouth, and you shall go to Baḇel.’ ” ’
4 “But hear the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, O Tsiḏqiyahu sovereign of Yahuḏah! Thus 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said concerning you, ‘You shall not die by the sword.
5 ‘In peace you are to die, and as in the burnings of spices for your fathers, the former sovereigns who were before you, so they shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, “Alas, master!” ’ For I have spoken the word,” declares 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.
6 And Yirmeyahu the naḇi spoke all these words to Tsiḏqiyahu the sovereign of Yahuḏah in Yerushalayim,
7 while the sovereign of Baḇel’s army was fighting against Yerushalayim and all the cities of Yahuḏah that were left, against Laḵish and Azĕqah. For only these walled cities remained of the cities of Yahuḏah.
8 The word which came to Yirmeyahu from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, after Sovereign Tsiḏqiyahu had made a covenant with all the people who were at Yerushalayim to proclaim release to them:
9 that everyone was to let his male and female slave go free, the Iḇri man and the Iḇri woman, no one was to keep a Yahuḏi, his brother, enslaved.
10 And when all the heads and all the people who had come into the covenant heard that each one was to let his male and female slaves go free, and not keep them enslaved any longer, they obeyed and released them.
11 But afterward they changed their minds and made the male and female slaves return, whom they had let go free, and brought them into subjection as male and female slaves.
12 Therefore the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came to Yirmeyahu from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, saying,
13 “Thus said 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I Myself made a Covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage, saying,
14 “At the end of seven years each one should let his Iḇri brother go free, who has been sold to him. And when he has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you.” But your fathers did not obey Me nor incline their ear.
15 ‘And you recently turned and did what was right in My eyes, each man proclaiming release to his neighbour. And you made a covenant before Me in the House which is called by My Name.
16 ‘But you turned back and profaned My Name, and each one of you took back his male and female slaves, whom he had let go free, at their pleasure, and brought them into subjection, to be your male and female slaves.’
17 “Therefore thus said 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, ‘You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release, each one to his brother and each one to his neighbour. See, I am proclaiming release to you,’ declares 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, ‘to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the scarcity of food! And I shall make you a horror to all reigns of the earth.
18 ‘And I shall give the men who are transgressing My Covenant, who have not established the words of the covenant which they made before Me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between the parts of it:
19 the heads of Yahuḏah, and the heads of Yerushalayim, the eunuchs, and the kohenim, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf.
20 ‘And I shall give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. And their corpses shall be for food to the birds of the shamayim and the beasts of the earth.
21 ‘And I shall give Tsiḏqiyahu sovereign of Yahuḏah and his heads into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the sovereign of Baḇel’s army that has withdrawn from you.
22 ‘See, I am commanding,’ declares 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, ‘and shall bring them back to this city, and they shall fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. And I shall make the cities of Yahuḏah a ruin without inhabitant.’ ”