The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar
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In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiaha the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.
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Send wordb to the king of 3Edom, the king of 4Moab, the king of the sons of 5Ammon, the king of 6Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
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Give them this charge for their masters: 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters:
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"It is I who 7by my great power and my outstretched arm 8have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, 9and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.
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10Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, 11my servant, 12and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him.
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13All the nations shall serve him and 14his son and 15his grandson, 16until the time of his own land comes. 17Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.
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"'"But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, 18and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation 19with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the LORD, until I have consumed it by his hand.
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So 20do not listen to your 21prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your 22fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon.'
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23For it is a lie that 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.
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24But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the LORD."'"
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To 25Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: 26"Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and 27serve him and his people and live.
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28Why will you and your people die 29by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, 30as the LORD has spoken concerning any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
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31Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,'32for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you.
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I have not sent them, declares the LORD, but 33they 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."
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Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 34Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, 35'Behold, the vessels of the LORD's house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon,'36for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you.
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37Do not listen to them; 38serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city 39become a desolation?
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If they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, then 40let them intercede with the LORD of hosts, 41that the vessels that are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.
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42For thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are left in this city,
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which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away, 43when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem--
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)