Jeremiah 34 Comparison: Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version
Jeremiah 34
1The word that was maad of the Lord to Jeremye, whanne Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, and al his oost, and alle the rewmes of erthe, that weren vndur the power of his hond, and alle puplis fouyten ayens Jerusalem, and ayens alle citees therof; and he seide,
2The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Go thou, and speke to Sedechie, kyng of Juda; and thou schalt seie to hym, The Lord seith these thingis, Lo! Y schal bitake this citee in to the hond of the kyng of Babiloyne, and he schal brenne it bi fier.
3And thou schalt not ascape fro his hond, but thou schalt be takun bi takyng, and thou schalt be bitakun in to his hond; and thin iyen schulen se the iyen of the kyng of Babiloyne, and his mouth schal speke with thi mouth, and thou schalt entre in to Babiloyne.
4Netheles Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, here thou the word of the Lord; the Lord seith these thingis to thee, Thou schalt not die bi swerd,
5but thou schalt die in pees, and bi the brennyngis of thi fadris, the formere kyngis that weren bifore thee, so thei schulen brenne thee, and thei schulen biweile thee, Wo! lord; for Y spak a word, seith the Lord.
6And Jeremye, the profete, spak to Sedechie, kyng of Juda, alle these wordis in Jerusalem.
7And the oost of the kyng of Babiloyne fauyt ayens Jerusalem, and ayens alle the citees of Juda, that weren left; ayens Lachis, and ayens Azecha; for whi these strong citees weren left of the citees of Juda.
8The word that was maad of the Lord to Jeremye, aftir that kyng Sedechie smoot boond of pees with al the puple in Jerusalem,
9and prechide, that ech man schulde delyuere his seruaunt, and ech man his handmaide, an Ebreu man and an Ebru womman fre, and that thei schulden not be lordis of hem, that is, in a Jew, and her brothir.
10Therfor alle the princes and al the puple herden, whiche maden couenaunt, that thei schulden delyuere ech man his seruaunt, and ech man his handmaide fre, and schulde no more be lordis of hem; therfor thei herden, and delyueriden;
11and thei weren turned aftirward, and drowen ayen her seruauntis, and handmaidis, whiche thei hadden left fre, and thei maden suget in to seruauntis, and in to seruauntessis.
12And the word of the Lord was maad of the Lord to Jeremye, and seide,
13The Lord God of Israel seith these thingis, Y smoot a boond of pees with youre fadris, in the dai in which Y ledde hem out of the lond of Egipt, out of the hous of seruage; and Y seide, Whanne seuene yeeris ben fillid,
14ech man delyuere his brother, an Ebreu man, which is seeld to hym, and he schal serue thee sixe yeer, and thou schalt delyuere hym fro thee; and youre fadris herden not me, nether bowiden her eere.
15And ye ben conuertid to dai, and ye diden that, that is riytful bifore myn iyen, that ye precheden ech man fredom to his frend, and ye maden couenaunt in my siyt, in the hous wherynne my name is clepid to help on that fredom.
16And ye turneden ayen, and defouliden my name, and ye brouyten ayen ech man his seruaunt, and ech man his handmaide, whiche ye delyueriden, that thei schulden be fre, and of her owne power; and ye maden hem suget, that thei be seruauntis and haundmaidis to you.
17Therfor the Lord seith thes thingis, Ye herden not me, that ye prechiden fredom, ech man to his brothir, and ech man to his freend; lo! Y preeche to you fredom, seith the Lord, and to swerd, and to hungur, and to pestilence, and Y schal yyue you in to stiryng to alle rewmes of erthe.
18And Y schal yyue the men, that breken my boond of pees, and kepten not the wordis of boond of pees, to whiche thei assentiden in my siyt, and kepten not the calf, which thei kittiden in to twei partis; and the princes of Juda,
19and the princes of Jerusalem, and the onest seruauntis, and preestis yeden bytwixe the partyngis therof, and al the puple of the lond, that yeden bitwixe the departyngis of the calf;
20and Y schal yyue hem in to the hond of her enemyes, and in to the hond of hem that seken her lijf; and the deed careyn of hem schal be in to mete to the volatilis of the eir, and to the beestis of erthe.
21And Y schal yyue Sedechie, the kyng of Juda, and hise princes, in to the hond of her enemyes, and in to the hond of hem that seken her lijf, and in to the hond of the oostis of the kyng of Babiloyne, that yeden awei fro you.
22Lo! 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.
Jeremiah 34
1The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,
2Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
3And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.
4Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:
5But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.
6Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
7When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.
8This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;
9That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
10Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.
11But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
12Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
13Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,
14At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
15And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
16But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
17Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
18And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,
19The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;
20I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
21And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you.
22Behold, 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.
Understanding Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs King James Version in Jeremiah 34
Wycliffe Bible (1395) (Wycliffe)
The first complete English translation of the Bible (1395) by John Wycliffe and his followers. Translated from the Latin Vulgate. A landmark in English history and the Reformation.
King James Version (KJV)
The classic 1611 English translation known for its majestic prose and literary influence. Ideal for traditional study and memorization thanks to its formal style. A foundational English Bible used for centuries.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Jeremiah 34 in the Wycliffe Bible (1395) and King James Version. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Jeremiah 34:16
"And ye turneden ayen, and defouliden my name, and ye brouyten ayen ech man his seruaunt, and ech man his handmaide, whiche ye delyueriden, that thei schulden be fre, and of her owne power; and ye maden hem suget, that thei be seruauntis and haundmaidis to you."
"But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids."





