1 I n the beginning of the rule of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord.

In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

2 T he Lord said to me, “Make ropes and a cross-bar for carrying a load, and put them on your neck.

Thus says the Lord to me: Make for yourself thongs and yoke bars and put them on your neck,

3 T hen send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon. Send them with the men who bring news to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah.

And send them to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the Ammonites, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon by the hand of the messengers who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

4 T ell them to go to their leaders, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, and this is what you should say to your leaders:

And command them to say to their masters, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Thus shall you say to your masters:

5 “ I have made the earth, and the men and the animals that are on it by My great power and by My long arm. And I will give it to the one who is right in My eyes.

I have made the earth, the men, and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I give it to whomever it seems right and suitable to Me.

6 N ow I have given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant. And I have given him the wild animals of the field to serve him.

And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant and instrument, and the beasts of the field also I have given him to serve him.

7 A ll the nations will serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time for his land comes. Then many nations and great kings will make him their servant.

And all nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; and then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.

8 B ut if any nation will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and will not put its neck under the load of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, hunger, and disease,” says the Lord, “until I have destroyed it by his hand.

But any nation or kingdom that will not serve this same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, says the Lord, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, until I have consumed it by hand.

9 S o do not listen to your men who tell of their special dreams, your men who tell what is going to happen in the future, or your wonder workers who use their secret ways. They say to you, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon.’

So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, your sorcerers, who say to you, You shall not serve the king of Babylon.

10 B ut they are lying to you, and will cause you to be taken far from your land. I will drive you out, and you will die.

For they prophesy a lie to you which will cause you to be removed far from your land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish.

11 B ut the nation that brings its neck under the cross-bar of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will let stay on its own land,” says the Lord. “And its people will take care of the fields and live there.”’”

But any nation that brings its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, that nation will I let remain on its own land, says the Lord, to cultivate it and dwell in it.

12 I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in the same way, saying, “Bring your necks under the cross-bar of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people, and live!

I spoke also to Zedekiah king of Judah in the same way: Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.

13 W hy will you and your people die by the sword, hunger, and disease, as the Lord has said would happen to that nation which will not serve the king of Babylon?

Why will you and your people die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken concerning any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

14 D o not listen to the men who tell of their dreams and say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ For they are telling you a lie.

Do not listen to and believe the words of the prophets who are saying to you, You shall not serve the king of Babylon, for it is a lie that they prophesy to you.

15 I have not sent them,” says the Lord. “They speak false words in My name, so that I may drive you out, and that you may die, both you and the men who tell these things to you.”

For I have not sent them, says the Lord; but they are prophesying falsely in My name. I will drive you out to perish together with the prophets who prophesy to you.

16 T hen I said to the religious leaders and to all these people, “The Lord says: Do not listen to the men who speak in God’s name saying, ‘See, the objects of the Lord’s house will soon be returned from Babylon,’ for they are telling you a lie.

Also I said to the priests and to all these people, Thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord’s house shall now shortly be brought back from Babylon; for they are prophesying a lie to you.

17 D o not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city be destroyed?

Do not listen to them or heed them; serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city be laid waste?

18 B ut if they are true men of God, and if the Word of the Lord is with them, let them now pray to the Lord of All. Let them ask that the objects which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, may not go to Babylon.

But if they are true prophets and if the word of the Lord is really spoken by them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.

19 F or this is what the Lord of All says about the pillars, the brass pool, the stands, and the rest of the objects that are left in this city.

For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, the Sea, the bases, and the remainder of the vessels which are left in this city,

20 N ebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take these things from Jerusalem to Babylon when he took Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem.

Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem—

21 S o this is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says about the objects that are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem. He says,

Yes, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels which remain in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem:

22 ‘ They will be carried to Babylon, and they will be there until the day I visit them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back to this place.’”

They will be carried to Babylon and there will they be until the day that I visit them, says the Lord. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.