The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ He threteneth that the cytie, and Kynge Sede∣chias also, shall be gyuen into the handes of the Kynge of Babylon. He rebuketh them that brought sucke of theyr brethren into captyuytye, that were pardoned to go at theyr libertye.

CAPI. XXXIIII.

THese are the wordes whiche the Lord [ A] spake vnto Ieremy, what tyme as Na∣buchonosor the kynge of Babylon, and all his Hostes (out of al the kingdomes that were vnder his power) and all his people, fought agaynste Ierusalem, and al the cities therof. Thus sayth the Lord God of Israel: Goo, and speake to Sedechias the kynge of Iuda, and tell him: The Lorde sendeth the this worde: Beholde, I wyll delyuer this citie in to the hande of the kynge of Baby∣lon, he shall burne it, and thou shalte not es∣cape his handes, but shalte be led awaye pry∣soner, and delyuered in to his power. Thou shalte loke the kynge of Babilon in the face, & he shall speake with the, mouth to mouth, then shalte thou go to Babylon. Yet heare the worde of the Lorde, O Sedechias thou kynge of Iuda: Thus saythe the Lorde vn∣to the: Thou shalte not be slayne with the swearde, but shalt dye in peaxe. Lyke as thy forefathers the kynges, thy progenitoures, were brente: so shalt thou be brent also, and in the mournyng they shall saye: Oh Lord. For thus haue I determyned, saythe the Lorde.

Then spake Ieremye the Prophethe all [ B] these wordes vnto Sedechias kynge of Iuda in Ierusalem: what tyme as the kynge of Babylons hoste besieged Ierusalem, and the remnaunte of the cytyes: Namely, Lachis & Azecah, whiche yet remayned of the stronge defensed cytyes of Iuda.

These are the wordes that the Lorde spake vnto Ieremy the prophet, when Sede∣chias was agreed with all the people at Ie∣rusalem, that there shulde be proclaymed a lybertye: so that euerye man shulde let his seruaunt and handmayde go free, Hebrue and Hebruesse, and no Iewe to holde his brother as a bonde man. Nowe as they had consēted euen so they were obedyent, and let them go fre. But afterwarde they repented, and toke agayne the seruauntes and handmaydens, whom they had let go free, and so made thē bonde agayne.

For the whiche cause the worde of the [ C] Lorde came vnto Ieremye from the Lorde him selfe, sayinge: Thus saythe the Lorde God of Israel:* 1.1 I made a couenaūte with your fathers, when I brought them oute of Egypte (that they shulde no more be bonde men) sayinge: When seuen yeres are out, e∣uery man shall let his bought seruaunte an Hebrue go free, yf ye haue serued him sixe yeres. But youre fathers obeyed me not and herkened not vnto me. As for you, ye were

nowe turned, and dyd ryghte before me, in y^t ye proclaymed, euery man to let his neigh∣boure go free, & in that ye made a couenaunt before me, in the tēple that beareth my name: But yet ye haue turned youre selues agayne and blasphemed my name: In this, that eue¦ry man hathe requyred his seruaunte and handmayden agayne, whom ye had let goo quyte and fre, and compelled them to serue [ D] you agayne, and to be youre bonde men. And therfore thus saythe the Lorde: ye haue not obeyed me, euery man to proclayme fredome vnto his brother and neighboure: wherfore I wyll call you vnto a fredome, saythe the Lorde: euen vnto the swearde, to the pesti∣lence, and to honger, and wil make you to be plaged in all the kyngomes of the earthe. Yea those men that haue brokē my couenaūt and not kepte the wordes of the appoynt∣men, which they made before me: when they hewed the calfe in two,* 1.2 and when there wēt thorowe the two halfes therof: The Prin∣ces of Iuda, the Princes of Ierusalem, the gelded men, the Prestes and all the people of the lande, whiche went thorow te two sydes of the calfe. Those men wil I gyue in to the power of their enemyes, and into the handes of them that folowe vpon their lyues.

And their deed bodyes shall be meat for the foules of the ayre, and bestes of the felde As for Sedechias the kynge of Iuda and his Prynces, I wyll delyuer them into the po∣wer of their ennemyes, and of them that de∣syre to slaye them, and into the hande of the kynge of Babylons hoste, whiche nowe is de¦parted frome you: But thorowe my com∣maundement (saythe the Lorde) they shall come agayne before this citie, they shall fyghte agaynste it, wynne it, and burne it. Moreouer I wyll laye the cytyes of Iuda so waste, that no man shall dwell therin.

Notes

• * 1.1

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• * 1.2

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