Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

27 Early in the reign of Zedekiaha g son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yokeh out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. 3 Then sendi word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,j Tyre and Sidonk through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: 5 With my great power and outstretched arml I madem the earth and its people and the animalsn that are on it, and I giveo it to anyone I please. 6 Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servantp Nebuchadnezzarq king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.r 7 All nations will serves him and his son and his grandson until the timet for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugateu him.

8 “ ‘ “If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punishv that nation with the sword,w faminex and plague,y declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets,z your diviners,a your interpreters of dreams,b your mediumsc or your sorcerersd who tell you, ‘You will not servee the king of Babylon.’ 10 They prophesy liesf to you that will only serve to removeg you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. 11 But if any nation will bow its neck under the yokeh of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to livei there, declares the Lord.” ’ ”

12 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yokej of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.k 13 Why will you and your people diel by the sword, famine and plaguem with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listenn to the words of the prophetso who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying liesp to you. 15 ‘I have not sentq them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.r Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish,s both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’ ”

16 Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articlest from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listenu to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live.v Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them pleadw with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea,x the movable stands and the other articlesy that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carriedz Jehoiachinb a son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem—21 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be takenb to Babylon and there they will remain until the dayc I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bringd them back and restore them to this place.’ ”