59 The 1message which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of aNeriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with bZedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. (Now Seraiah was quartermaster.)

60 So Jeremiah awrote in a single 1scroll all the calamity which would come upon Babylon, that is, all these words which have been written concerning Babylon.

61 Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, then see that you read all these words aloud,

62 and say, ‘You, O Lord, have 1promised concerning this place to acut it off, so that there will be bnothing dwelling in it, 2whether man or beast, but it will be a perpetual desolation.’

63 “And as soon as you finish reading this 1scroll, you will tie a stone to it and athrow it into the middle of the Euphrates,

64 and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and anot rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become bexhausted.’ ” cThus far are the words of Jeremiah.