The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He went and got it from the room of Elishama, the royal secretary. Then he himself<n id="1" /> read it to the king and all the officials who were standing around him.

I for my part will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians<n id="1" /> whenever they come to us. You for your part go ahead and harvest the wine, the dates, the figs,<n id="2" /> and the olive oil, and store them in jars. Go ahead and settle down in the towns that you have taken over.&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Then all the men who were aware that their wives were sacrificing to other gods, as well as all their wives, answered Jeremiah. There was a great crowd of them representing all the people who lived in northern and southern Egypt.<n id="1" /> They answered,

<p class="poetry">Even her mercenaries<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">will prove to be like pampered,<n id="2" /> well-fed calves.p> <p class="poetry">For they too will turn and run away.p> <p class="poetry">They will not stand their groundp> <p class="poetry">when<n id="3" /> the time for them to be destroyed comes,p> <p class="poetry">the time for them to be punished.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;From its earliest days Moab has lived undisturbed.p> <p class="poetry">It has never been taken into exile.p> <p class="poetry">Its people are like wine allowed to settle undisturbed on its dregs,p> <p class="poetry">never poured out from one jar to another.p> <p class="poetry">They are like wine which tastes like it always did,p> <p class="poetry">whose aroma has remained unchanged.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">So too I will chase the Edomites off their land.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">For there is no one like me, and there is no one who can call me to account.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">There is no<n id="6" /> ruler<n id="7" /> who can stand up against me.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordanp> <p class="poetry">scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it.p> <p class="poetry">So too I will chase the Babylonians off of their land.p> <p class="poetry">Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose.p> <p class="poetry">For there is no one like me.p> <p class="poetry">There is no one who can call me to account.p> <p class="poetry">There is no ruler that can stand up against me.p>

<p class="bodytext">On the tenth<n id="1" /> day of the fifth month,<n id="2" /> in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard<n id="3" /> who served<n id="4" /> the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem.