of the Deuteronomic covenant (Deut 28:64–68). Second, by the time of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the Babylonian empire threatened Judah. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed and the people of Judah were taken into captivity. This exile was also interpreted as a failure on the nation’s part to keep the covenant (Jer 31:31–32, Ezek 37:16–19). In the case of both Israel and Judah, the exile was assumed to be God’s judgment for their covenant unfaithfulness. But the prophets did not see the exile as permanent.