1   The word that was made to Ieremie from our Lord, when Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon, and al his armie, and al the kingdoms of the earth that were vnder the power of his hand, & al the peoples made warre against Ierusalem & against al the cities thereof, saying:

2   Thus saith our Lord the God of Israel: Goe, & speake to Sedecias the king of Iuda: & thou shalt say to him: Thus saith our Lord: Behold I wil deliuer this citie into the handes of the king of Babylon, & he shal burne it with fire.

3   And thou shalt not escape out of his hand: but by taking thou shalt be taken, & thou shalt be deliuered into his hand: and ^note thine eies shal see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shal speake with thy mouth, and thou shalt enter into Babylon.

4   But yet heare the word of our Lord ô Sedecias king of Iuda: Thus saith our Lord to thee: Thou shalt not dye by the sword,

5   but thou shalt dye in peace, and according to the burninges of thy fathers the former kinges that haue bene before thee, so shal they burne thee: and, Alas Lord, shal they mourne for thee: because I haue spoken the word, saith our Lord.

6   And Ieremie the prophet spake al these wordes to Sedecias the king of Iuda in Ierusalem.

7   And the armie of the king of Babylon fought against Ierusalem, and against al the cities of Iuda, that were remayning, against Lachis, and against Azecha: for these remained of the cities of Iuda, fensed cities.

8   The word that was made to Ieremie from our Lord, after that king Sedecias made a couenant with al the people in Ierusalem, proclayming:

9   That euerie one should dismisse his seruant, & euerie one his handmayd; the Hebrew man and the Hebrew woman

free: and that they should not haue dominion ouer them, that is, on a Iewe and his brother.

10   Al the princes therefore heard, and al the people which, had made the couenant, that euerie man should dismisse his seruant, and euerie man his handmaide free, and should no more haue dominion ouer them: they heard therefore, and dismissed them.

11   And ^note they turned afterwards: and drew their seruants and their handmaids back againe, whom they had dismist free, and brought them into subiection as men seruants, and wemen seruantes.

12   And the word of our Lord was made to Ieremie from our Lord, saying:

13   Thus saith our Lord the God of Israel: I made a couenant with your fathers in the day, that I brought them out of the Land of Ægypt, from the house of bondage, saying:

14   When seuen yeares shal be accomplished, let euerie man dismisse his brother an Hebrew, that was sold to him, and he shal serue thee six yeares: and thou shalt dismisse him free from thee: and your fathers haue not heard me, nor inclined their eare.

15   And you were conuerted this day, & did that which is right in myne eies, that you proclaymed libertie euerie one to his freind: and you made a couenant in my sight, in the house, wherein my name is inuocated vpon it.

16   And you are returned, and haue defiled my name: and you haue brought backe againe euerie man his seruant, and euerie man his handmayde, whom you had dismist to be free, and of their owne iurisdiction: and you haue brought them into subiection to be your seruants and handmaydes.

17   Therefore thus saith our Lord: You haue not heard me, to proclaime libertie euerie man to his brother, and euerie one to his freind: behold I proclaime vnto you libertie, saith our Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to famine: and I wil geue you into commotion to al the kingdoms of the earth.

18   And I wil geue the men, that transgresse my couenant, and haue not obserued the wordes of the couenant, wherevnto they consented in my sight, the calfe which they did cut into two partes, and passed betwen the diuisions thereof.

19   The princes of Iuda and the princes of Ierusalem, the eunuches, and the priestes, and al the people of the land that passed betwene the diuisions of the calfe.

20   And I wil geue them into the handes of their enemies, and into the handes of them that seeke their life: & their carcasse shal be for meate to the foules of the ayre, and to the beastes of the earth.

21   And Sedecias the king of Iuda, and his princes

I wil geue into the handes of their enemies, & into the handes of them that seeke their liues, and into the handes of the armies of the king of Babylon, which are retired from you.

22   Behold I ^note command, saith our Lord, and I wil bring them againe into this citie, and they shal fight against it, and take it, and burne it with fire: and the cities of Iuda I wil geue into desolation, because there is not an inhabiter.

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