Jeremiah 34:12

The NET Bible®

That was when the Lord spoke to Jeremiah,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Yirmeyahu from the LORD, saying,

King James Version
Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord , saying,

English Standard Version
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord :

New American Standard Bible
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

New Century Version
Then the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah:

Amplified Bible
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

World English Bible
Therefore the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore the worde of the Lorde came vnto Ieremiah from the Lord, saying,

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

Berean Standard Bible
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Contemporary English Version
That's when the Lord told me to say to the people:

Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore this word of Adonai came to Yirmeyahu from Adonai :

Darby Translation
And the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

Easy-to-Read Version
Then this message from the Lord came to Jeremiah:

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,

Good News Translation
Then the Lord ,

Lexham English Bible
And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

Literal Translation
For this reason the Word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For the which cause the worde of the LORDE came vnto Ieremy from the LORDE him self, sayenge:

American Standard Version
Therefore the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,

Bible in Basic English
For this reason the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying:

King James Version (1611)
Therefore the worde of the Lord came to Ieremiah, from the Lord, saying,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For whiche cause, the worde of the Lorde came vnto Ieremie from the Lorde hym selfe, saying:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I spoke also to Sedekias king of Juda according to all these words, saying, Put your neck into the yoke, and serve the king of Babylon.

English Revised Version
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the word of the Lord was maad of the Lord to Jeremye, and seide,

Update Bible Version
Therefore the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

New King James Version
Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

New Living Translation
So the Lord gave them this message through Jeremiah:

New Life Bible
Then the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

New Revised Standard
The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord :

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then the word of Yahweh came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias from the Lord, saying:

Revised Standard Version
The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD:

Young's Literal Translation
And there is a word of Jehovah unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying:

THE MESSAGE
Then Jeremiah received this Message from God : " God , the God of Israel, says, ‘I made a covenant with your ancestors when I delivered them out of their slavery in Egypt. At the time I made it clear: "At the end of seven years, each of you must free any fellow Hebrew who has had to sell himself to you. After he has served six years, set him free." But your ancestors totally ignored me.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

Contextual Overview

⁸ The Lord spoke to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to grant their slaves their freedom. ⁹ Everyone was supposed to free their male and female Hebrew slaves. No one was supposed to keep a fellow Judean enslaved. ¹⁰ All the people and their leaders had agreed to this. They had agreed to free their male and female slaves and not keep them enslaved any longer. They originally complied with the covenant and freed them. ¹¹ But later they had changed their minds. They had taken back their male and female slaves that they had freed and forced them to be slaves again. ¹² That was when the Lord spoke to Jeremiah, ¹³ "The Lord God of Israel has a message for you. ‘I made a covenant with your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt where they had been slaves. It stipulated, ¹⁴ "Every seven years each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you for six years, you shall set them free." But your ancestors did not obey me or pay any attention to me. ¹⁵ Recently, however, you yourselves showed a change of heart and did what is pleasing to me. You granted your fellow countrymen their freedom and you made a covenant to that effect in my presence in the house that I have claimed for my own. ¹⁶ But then you turned right around and showed that you did not honor me. Each of you took back your male and female slaves whom you had freed as they desired, and you forced them to be your slaves again. ¹⁷ So I, the Lord , say: "You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to your neighbor and fellow countryman. Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the freedom to die in war, or by starvation or disease. I, the Lord , affirm it! I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 24:53
Then he brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother.

Genesis 29:18
Since Jacob had fallen in love with Rachel, he said, "I'll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel."

Genesis 31:41
This was my lot for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave for you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times!

Genesis 34:16
Then we will give you our daughters to marry, and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.

Genesis 34:17
But if you do not agree to our terms by being circumcised, then we will take our sister and depart."

Genesis 34:25
In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and went to the unsuspecting city and slaughtered every male.

Genesis 34:27
Jacob's sons killed them and looted the city because their sister had been violated.

Genesis 34:28
They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields.

Genesis 34:29
They captured as plunder all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.

2 Samuel 3:14
David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth son of Saul with this demand: "Give me my wife Michal whom I acquired for a hundred Philistine foreskins."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord,.... The word of Jehovah the Son, from Jehovah the Father, because of this transgression of the princes and people, and as soon as it was committed by them; for it is plain, from Jeremiah 34:21, that it was before the Chaldean army returned to Jerusalem, after its departure from it:

saying; as follows:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

It is usual with commentators to say that, the laws dealing with the emancipation of the Hebrew slaves, as also that of the land resting during the sabbatical year, were not observed. The narrative teaches us the exact contrary. The manumission of the slaves on the present occasion was the spontaneous act of Zedekiah and the people. They knew of the law, and acknowledged its obligation. The observance of it was, no doubt, lax: the majority let their own selfish interests prevail; but the minority made might give way to right, and Zedekiah supported their efforts though only in a weak way.

Early in January, in the ninth year of Zedekiah, the Chaldaean army approached Jerusalem. The people made a covenant with the king, who appears as the abettor of the measure, to let their slaves go free. Possibly patriotism had its share in this: and as Jerusalem was strongly fortified, all classes possibly hoped that if the slaves were manumitted, they too would labor with a more hearty good-will in resisting the enemy. In the summer of the same year the Egyptians advanced to the rescue, and Nebuchadnezzar withdrew to meet their attack. The Jews with a strange levity, which sets them before us in a most despicable light, at once forced the manumitted slaves back into bondage. With noble indignation Jeremiah rebukes them for their treachery, assures them that the Chaldaean army will return, and warns them of the certainty of the punishment which they so richly merited.

Jeremiah 34:8

As the Chaldaean army swept over the country the wealthier classes would all flee to Jerusalem, taking with them their households. And as the Mosaic Law was probably more carefully kept there than in the country, the presence in these families of slaves who had grown grey in service may have given offence to the stricter classes at the capital.

To proclaim liberty unto them - The words are those of the proclamation of the year of jubile to the people, whereupon it became their duty to set their slaves free.

Jeremiah 34:9

Should serve himself of them - Should make them serve him (see Jeremiah 25:14).

Jeremiah 34:11

They turned, and caused ... to return - But afterward they again made the slaves return.

Jeremiah 34:13

The house of bondmen - The miserable prison in which, after being worked in the fields all day in gangs, the slaves were shut up at night.

Jeremiah 34:16

At their pleasure - literally, for themselves.

Jeremiah 34:17

I will make you to be removed into - “I will cause you to be a terror unto.” Men would shudder at them.

Jeremiah 34:18

The words ... - The Jews spoke of “cutting” a covenant, because the contracting parties cut a calf in twain and passed between the pieces. Thus cutting a covenant and cutting a calf in twain, meant the same thing.

Jeremiah 34:21

Which are gone up from you - i. e., which have departed for the present, and have raised the siege.