Jeremiah 34:22

The NET Bible®

For I, the Lord , affirm that I will soon give the order and bring them back to this city. They will fight against it and capture it and burn it down. I will also make the towns of Judah desolate so that there will be no one living in them."'"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I am about to give the command—this is the Lord’s declaration—and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it. I will make Judah’s cities a desolation, without inhabitant.”

Hebrew Names Version
Behold, I will command, says the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Yehudah a desolation, without inhabitant.

King James Version
Behold, I will command, saith the Lord , and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

English Standard Version
Behold, I will command, declares the Lord , and will bring them back to this city. And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant."

New American Standard Bible
'Behold, I am going to give a command,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.'"

New Century Version
I will give the order, says the Lord , to bring the Babylonian army back to Jerusalem. It will fight against Jerusalem, capture it, set it on fire, and burn it down. I will destroy the towns in Judah so that they become ruins where no one lives!"

Amplified Bible
'Behold, I am going to command [the Chaldeans who rule Babylon],' says the LORD, 'and I will bring them back to this city; and they will fight against it and take it and set it on fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.'"

World English Bible
Behold, I will command, says Yahweh, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Beholde, I will commande, saith the Lord, and cause them to returne to this citie, and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burne it with fire: and I will make the cities of Iudah desolate without an inhabitant.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, I am going to command,' declares Yahweh, ‘and I will cause them to return to this city; and they will fight against it and capture it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.'"

Berean Standard Bible
Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant."

Complete Jewish Bible
I will give the order,' says Adonai , ‘and cause them to return to this city. They will attack it, capture it and burn it to the ground; and I will make the cities of Y'hudah desolate and uninhabited.'"

Darby Translation
Behold, I command, saith Jehovah, and I will cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

Easy-to-Read Version
But I will give the order,' says the Lord , ‘to bring the Babylonian army back to Jerusalem. That army will fight against Jerusalem. They will capture it, set it on fire, and burn it down. And I will destroy the towns in the land of Judah. They will become empty deserts. No one will live there.'"

George Lamsa Translation
Behold, I will command, says the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

Good News Translation
I will give the order, and they will return to this city. They will attack it, capture it, and burn it down. I will make the towns of Judah like a desert where no one lives. I, the Lord , have spoken."

Lexham English Bible
Look, I am going to command,' declares Yahweh, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire, and the towns of Judah I will make a desolation without an inhabitant.'"

Literal Translation
Behold, I will command and cause them to return to this city, says Jehovah. And they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire. And I will make the cities of Judah a ruin, without a soul to live in it.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But 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.

American Standard Version
Behold, I will command, saith Jehovah, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

Bible in Basic English
See, I will give orders, says the Lord, and make them come back to this town; and they will make war on it and take it and have it burned with fire: and I will make the towns of Judah waste and unpeopled.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

King James Version (1611)
Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to returne to this citie, and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burne it with fire, and I will make the cities of Iudah a desolation without an inhabitant.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But thorowe my commaundement (saith the Lord) they shall come againe before this citie, they shall fight against it, winne it, and burne it: Moreouer, I wyll lay the cities of Iuda so waste, that no man shall dwell therin.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
they shall go into Babylon, saith the Lord.

English Revised Version
Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lo! Y comaunde, seith the Lord, and Y schal brynge hem ayen in to this citee, and thei schulen fiyte ayens it, and schulen take it, and schulen brenne it with fier; and Y schal yyue the citees of Juda in to wildirnesse, for ther is no dwellere.

Update Bible Version
Look, I will command, says Yahweh, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.

New King James Version
Behold, I will command,' says the LORD, "and cause them to return to this city. They will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant."'

New Living Translation
I will call the Babylonian armies back again. They will fight against this city and will capture it and burn it down. I will see to it that all the towns of Judah are destroyed, with no one living there."

New Life Bible
See,' says the Lord, ‘I will tell them to come back to this city. And they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a waste place where no people live.'"

New Revised Standard
I am going to command, says the Lord , and will bring them back to this city; and they will fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire. The towns of Judah I will make a desolation without inhabitant.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Behold me! giving command, Declareth Yahweh, and I will bring them back unto this city, and they will fight against it and capture it, and consume it with fire, - and, the cities of Judah, will I make too desolate to have an inhabitant.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold I will command, saith the Lord, and I will bring them again to this city, and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Juda a desolation, without an inhabitant.

Revised Standard Version
Behold, I will command, says the LORD, and will bring them back to this city; and they will fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant."

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, I am commanding -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- and have brought them back unto this city, and they have fought against it, and captured it, and burned it with fire, and the cities of Judah I do make a desolation -- without inhabitant.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Behold, I am going to command,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring them back to this city; and they will fight against it and take it and burn it with fire; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.'"

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

I will command: 2 Samuel 16:11, 2 Kings 24:2, 2 Kings 24:3, 2 Chronicles 36:17, Isaiah 10:5-7, Isaiah 13:3, Isaiah 37:26, Isaiah 45:1-3, Amos 3:6, Matthew 22:7

cause: They did return, and reinvested the city; and, after an obstinate defence, took it, plundered it, and burnt it to the ground, taking Zedekiah, his princes, and people, captive. Jeremiah 37:8-10

shall fight: Jeremiah 21:4-10, Jeremiah 32:29, Jeremiah 38:23, Jeremiah 39:1, Jeremiah 39:2, Jeremiah 39:8, Jeremiah 52:7, Jeremiah 52:13

and I will: Jeremiah 9:11, Jeremiah 33:10, Jeremiah 44:2-6, Jeremiah 44:22, Isaiah 6:11, Isaiah 24:12, Isaiah 64:10, Lamentations 1:1, Ezekiel 33:27, Ezekiel 33:28, Micah 7:13, Zechariah 1:12, Zechariah 7:14

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 25:6 - they took 2 Kings 25:9 - the king's Isaiah 10:6 - will I give Jeremiah 1:15 - and against Jeremiah 2:15 - his cities Jeremiah 4:7 - to Jeremiah 21:10 - it shall Jeremiah 34:2 - Behold Jeremiah 36:29 - The king Jeremiah 37:17 - thou shalt Jeremiah 39:16 - Behold Jeremiah 46:19 - waste Jeremiah 50:21 - and do Lamentations 1:17 - commanded Ezekiel 6:6 - the cities Ezekiel 12:20 - General Habakkuk 1:9 - they shall gather Zephaniah 1:2 - I will

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city,.... The Lord of hosts, or armies, was "Generalissimo" of Nebuchadnezzar's army, had it at his command, and could direct if as he pleased, and order it to march and countermarch as he thought fit: it was under the direction of his providence that it departed from Jerusalem, to try the inhabitants of it; and now, by a secret instinct, he would so powerfully work upon it, and by the ordering of external causes so manage it, that it should return to Jerusalem again, and carry on the siege with redoubled rigour:

and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire; they fought against it by shooting arrows from their bows, casting stones from their engines, and by beating down the walls with their battering rams; with which making breaches, they entered in and took the city; and burnt the temple, palaces, and other houses, with fire; of all which see the accomplishment in Jeremiah 52:4;

and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant: many of them were already; the king of Babylon having taken, ravaged, and plundered them before he came to Jerusalem; and whither the inhabitants of them, that escaped the sword, fled for security; and others of them, that were not, now should be made desolate upon the taking of Jerusalem, as Lachish and Azekah,

Jeremiah 34:7; which should fall into the hands of the enemy, and the inhabitants thereof be forced to flee into other countries, or would be carried captive; so that they would be without any, or have but few to dwell in them.

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 34:22. I will - cause them to return — They did return; re-invested the city; and, after an obstinate defence, took it, plundered it, and burned it to the ground, taking Zedekiah and his princes captive.