The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar

1In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, hath this word been unto Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, 2‘Thus said Jehovah unto me, Make to thee bands and yokes, 3And thou hast put them on thy neck, and hast sent them unto the king of Edom, and unto the king of Moab, and unto the king of the sons of Ammon, and unto the king of Tyre, and unto the king of Zidon, by the hand of messengers who are coming in to Jerusalem, unto Zedekiah king of Judah; 4And thou hast commanded them for their lords, saying, Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, 5Thus do ye say unto your lords, I—I have made the earth with man, and the cattle that [are] on the face of the earth, by My great power, and by My stretched-out arm, and I have given it to whom it hath been right in Mine eyes. 6‘And now, I—I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and also the beast of the field I have given to him to serve him; 7And served him have all the nations, and his son, and his son’s son, till the coming in of the time of his land, also it; and done service for him have many nations and great kings.

8And it hath come to pass, the nation and the kingdom that do not serve him—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon—and that which putteth not its neck into the yoke of the king of Babylon, with sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, I lay a charge on that nation—an affirmation of Jehovah—till I consume them by his hand. 9‘And ye, ye do not hearken unto your prophets, and unto your diviners, and unto your dreamers, and unto your observers of clouds, and unto your sorcerers who are speaking unto you, saying, Ye do not serve the king of Babylon,— 10For falsehood they are prophesying to you, so as to remove you far from off your ground, and I have driven you out, and ye have perished. 11And the nation that causeth its neck to enter into the yoke of the king of Babylon, and hath served him—I have left it on its ground—an affirmation of Jehovah—and it hath tilled it, and dwelt in it.’

12And unto Zedekiah king of Judah I have spoken according to all these words, saying, ‘Cause your necks to enter into the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13Why do ye die, thou and thy people, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as Jehovah hath spoken concerning the nation that doth not serve the king of Babylon? 14‘And ye do not hearken unto the words of the prophets who are speaking unto you, saying, Ye do not serve the king of Babylon,—for falsehood they are prophesying to you. 15For I have not sent them—an affirmation of Jehovah—and they are prophesying in My name falsely, so as to drive you out, and ye have perished, ye, and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’

16And unto the priests, and unto all this people, I have spoken, saying, ‘Thus said Jehovah, Ye do not hearken unto the words of your prophets, who are prophesying to you, saying, Lo, the vessels of the house of Jehovah are brought back from Babylon now in haste, for falsehood they are prophesying to you. 17Ye do not hearken unto them, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why is this city a waste? 18‘And, if they be prophets, and if a word of Jehovah be with them, let them intercede, I pray you, with Jehovah of Hosts, so that the vessels that are left in the house of Jehovah, and [in] the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, have not gone into Babylon. 19For thus said Jehovah of Hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20That Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath not taken, in his removing Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon with all the freemen of Judah and Jerusalem, 21Surely thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king of Judah, and [in] Jerusalem: 22To Babylon they are brought, and there they are till the day of My inspecting them—an affirmation of Jehovah; then I have brought them up, and have brought them back unto this place.’