A Prophecy against Zedekiah

1These are the wordes which the LORDE spake vnto Ieremy, what tyme as Nabuchodonosor the kinge of Babilon, & all his hoostes (out of all the kingdomes yt were vnder his power) and all his people, fought agaynst Ierusalem and all the cities therof. 2Thus saieth the LORDE God of Israel: Go, & speake to Sedechias the kinge of Iuda, & tell him: The LORDE sendeth the this worde: Beholde, I will delyuer this cite in to the hode of the kinge of Babilon, he shal burne it, 3and thou shalt not escape his hondes, but shalt be led awaye presoner, and delyuered into his power. Thou shalt loke the kinge of Babilon in the face, and he shal speake with the mouth to mouth, and then shalt thou go to Babilon. 4Yet heare the worde of the LORDE, o Sedechias thou kinge of Iuda: Thus saieth the LORDE vnto the: Thou shalt not be slayne with the swearde, 5but shalt die in peace. Like as yi fore fathers, the kinges, thy progenitours were brente: so shalt thou be brente also, & in the mournynge they shal saye: oh lorde. For thus haue I determed, saieth the LORDE.

6Then spake Ieremy the prophet all these wordes vnto Sedechias kinge of Iuda in Ierusalem: 7what tyme as the kinge of Babilons hooste beseged Ierusalem, and the remnaunt of the cities: Namely, Lachis & Azecha, which yet remayned of the stronge defensed cities of Iuda.

Freedom for Hebrew Slaves

8These are the wordes that the LORDE spake vnto Ieremy the prophet, when Sedechias was agreed with all the people at Ierusalem, that there shulde be proclamed a liberte: 9so that euery man shulde let fre go his seruaunt and handemayde, Hebrue & Hebruesse & no Iewe to holde his brother as a bonde man. 10Now as they had consented, euen so they were obedient, & let them go fre. 11But afterwarde they repented, & toke agayne the seruauntes and handemaydens, whom they had letten go fre, and so made them bonde agayne.

12For the which cause the worde of the LORDE came vnto Ieremy from the LORDE him self, sayenge: 13Thus saieth the LORDE God of Israel: I made a couenaunt with youre fathers, when I brought them out of Egipte, (that they shulde no more be bondmen,) sayenge: 14When seuen yeares are out, euery man shal let go fre his bought seruaunte an Hebrue, yf he haue serued him sixe yeares. But yor fathers obeied me not & herkened not vnto me 15As for you, ye were now turned, & dyd right before me, in yt ye proclamed, euery ma to let his neghboure go fre, & in yt ye made a couenaunt before me, in the temple that beareth my name: 16But yet ye haue turned youre selues agayne, and blasphemed my name: In this, yt euery man hath requyred his seruaunt and handemayden agayne, whom ye had letten go quyte and fre, and compelled them to serue you agayne, and to be youre bonde men.

17And therfore thus saieth the LORDE: Ye haue not obeyed me, euery man to proclame fredome vnto his brother and neghbor: wherfore, I will call you vnto a fredome, saieth the LORDE: euen vnto the swearde, to the pestilence, and to honger, and will make you to be plaged in all the kyngdomes of the earth. 18Yee those men that haue broke my couenaunt, and not kepte the wordes of the apoyntmet, which they made before me: when they hewed the calfe in two, & when there wente thorow the two halfes therof: 19The prynces of Iuda, the prynces of Ierusalem, the gelded men, the prestes and all the people of the londe (which wete thorow the two sydes of the calfe.) 20Those men wil I geue in to the power of their enemies, and in to the hondes of them that folowe vpon their lyues. And their deed bodies shall be meate for the foules of the ayre, and beestes of the felde. 21As for Sedechias the kinge of Iuda & his prynces, I will delyuer them in to the power of their enemies, and of them that desyre to slaye them, and in to the honde of the kynge of Babilons hooste, which now is departed from you: 22But thorow my commaundement (saieth the LORDE) they shal come agayne before this cite, they shall fight agaynst it, wynne it, and burne it. Morouer I will laye the cities of Iuda so waist, that no man shall dwell therin.