1In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh. 2Thus Yahweh said to me: "Make yourself thongs and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. 3Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4Give them this charge for their masters: 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5"It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. 7All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.
8" '"But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, says Yahweh, until I have consumed it by his hand. 9So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon.' 10For it is a lie which they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 11But any nation which will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to till it and dwell there, says Yahweh." '"
12To Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13Why will you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as Yahweh has spoken concerning any nation which will not serve the king of Babylon? 14Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,' for it is a lie which they are prophesying to you. 15I have not sent them, says Yahweh, but they are prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you."
16Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, "Thus says Yahweh: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, 'Behold, the vessels of Yahweh's house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon,' for it is a lie which they are prophesying to you. 17Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation? 18If they are prophets, and if the word of Yahweh is with them, then let them intercede with Yahweh of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of Yahweh, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. 19For thus says Yahweh of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels which are left in this city, 20which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away, when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem - 21thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels which are left in the house of Yahweh, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: 22They shall be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when I give attention to them, says Yahweh. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place."
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