Jérémie 34

1 Voici ce que dit le Seigneur: Fais-toi de chaînes et un collier, et mets-les autour de ton cou.

This is the Lord's message that came to Jeremiah when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, all his army, along with troops from all the countries he ruled and other nations were attacking Jerusalem and all its nearby towns:

2 Voici ce que dit le Seigneur: Fais-toi de chaînes et un collier, et mets-les autour de ton cou.

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go and talk to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that this is what the Lord says: Listen! I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he is going to burn it down.

3 Et tu les enverras au roi de l'Idumée, et au roi de Moab, et au roi des fils d'Ammon, et au roi de Tyr, et in roi de Sidon, par les mains de leurs messagers qui sont venus et se sont rencontrés dans Jérusalem, auprès de Sédécias, roi de Juda.

You yourself won't escape being captured by him. You will certainly be taken prisoner and brought before him to speak with him personally and see him face to face. You will be taken to Babylon.

4 Et tu prescriras à ces messagers de dire à leurs maîtres: Voici ce que dit le Seigneur Dieu d'Israël; voici ce que vous direz à vos maîtres:

Listen to what the Lord is telling you, Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says about you: You won't be killed;

5 J'ai créé la terre par ma toute-puissance et mon bras très-haut, et je la donnerai à celui qui sera le plus agréable à mes yeux.

you will die in peace. You will have a proper funeral with incense burned for you as they did for your forefathers, the kings who ruled before you. They will weep for you, crying, “The king is dead.” I myself am telling you this, declares the Lord.

6 J'ai donné la terre à Nabuchodonosor, roi de Babylone, afin qu'elle le serve; je lui ai donné les bêtes des champs, afin qu'elles travaillent pour lui.

Jeremiah the prophet told Zedekiah king of Judah all this there in Jerusalem.

7 Et la nation et le royaume qui ne passeront point leur cou sous le joug du roi de Babylone, je les visiterai par le glaive et la famine, dit le Seigneur, jusqu'à ce qu'ils tombent défaillants sous ma main.

At this time the king of Babylon's army was attacking the city and the Judean towns of Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities that had not yet been conquered in Judah.

8 Et la nation et le royaume qui ne passeront point leur cou sous le joug du roi de Babylone, je les visiterai par le glaive et la famine, dit le Seigneur, jusqu'à ce qu'ils tombent défaillants sous ma main.

A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah after King Zedekiah had made a agreement with everyone in Jerusalem to announce a proclamation of freedom.

9 Quant à vous, n'écoutez pas vos faux prophètes, ni vos devins, ni les interprètes de vos songes, ni vos augures, ni vos magiciens qui disent: Ne travaillez pas pour le roi de Babylone.

This meant that every slave owner should free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female. No one was to force their fellow citizens to remain slaves any longer.

10 Car ils vous prophétisent des mensonges, pour que vous soyez transportés loin de votre pays,

All the officials and all the people who accepted this agreement did what they said. They freed their male and female slaves, not forcing them to remain slaves any longer. They obeyed and let them go free.

11 Et toute nation qui passera son cou sous le joug du roi de Babylone, et qui travaillera pour lui, je la laisserai sur sa terre, et elle y travaillera et y demeurera.

However, later on they changed their minds and took back the male and female slaves they'd freed, forcing them back into slavery.

12 Et je parlerai à Sédécias, roi de Juda, conformément à ces paroles, disant: Passez votre cou sous le joug,

A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

13 Et travaillez pour le roi de Babylone, car ceux-ci vous prophétisent l'iniquité:

This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I made a agreement with your forefathers when I led them out of Egypt, out of the prison-house of slavery, saying:

14 Et travaillez pour le roi de Babylone, car ceux-ci vous prophétisent l'iniquité:

Every seventh year, each of you are to set free all fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. They can serve you for six years, but then you must set them free. But your forefathers didn't pay attention and didn't obey what I told them.

15 Car je ne les ai pas envoyés, dit le Seigneur, et ils prophétisent à tort en mon nom pour vous perdre; et vous périrez, vous et vos prophètes qui vous prophétisent le mensonge et l'iniquité.

A little while ago you decided to do what's right, which made me happy. You all announced that you would free your slaves. You made a agreement before me in my Temple.

16 Je vous ai parlé à vous, et à tout le peuple, et aux prêtres, disant: Ainsi dit le Seigneur: N'écoutez pas les discours des prophètes qui vous prophétisent, disant: Voilà que les vases du temple du Seigneur reviendront de Babylone; parce qu'ils vous prophétisent à tort et faussement, je ne les ai point envoyés.

But now you've changed your minds and dishonored me. Each of you took back the male and female slaves you'd set free to do whatever they wanted. You forced them to become your slaves again.

17 S'ils sont prophètes, et si la parole du Seigneur est en eux, qu'ils aient une entrevue avec moi.

So this is what the Lord says: You haven't obeyed me. You haven't announced freedom for your slaves, your own people. So now I announce “freedom” for you, declares the Lord: Freedom to be killed by war, by disease, and by famine! I will make all the kingdoms of the world horrified by you.

18 S'ils sont prophètes, et si la parole du Seigneur est en eux, qu'ils aient une entrevue avec moi.

They have broken my agreement, and have not kept the terms of the agreement they promised before me. So I'm going to cut them up just like the calf they cut in half to pass between its two pieces.

19 Car voici ce que dit le Seigneur: Quant à ce qui reste des vases

I will hand them over to their enemies who are trying to kill them. This includes the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and everyone else who passed between the pieces of the calf.

20 Que n'a pas pris le roi de Babylone, lorsqu'il a transporté de Jérusalem le roi Jéchonias,

Their dead bodies will become food for birds of prey and wild animals.

21 Ils iront à Babylone, dit le Seigneur.

I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials to their enemies who are trying to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon which had paused its attack on you.

22 Ils iront à Babylone, dit le Seigneur.

Listen! I will give the order, declares the Lord, and bring them back to Jerusalem. They will attack it, capture it, and burn it. I'm going to destroy the towns of Judah so nobody will live there.