When all the people that Ishmael had taken captive saw<n id="1" /> Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him, they were glad.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah<n id="1" /> and all the people of every class,<n id="2" /> went to the prophet Jeremiah.

So Jeremiah summoned Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people of every class.<n id="1" />

So Johanan son of Kareah, all the army officers, and all the rest of the people did not obey the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s command to stay in the land.

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Moab, you trust in the things you do and in your riches.p> <p class="poetry">So you too will be conquered.p> <p class="poetry">Your god Chemosh<n id="1" /> will go into exile<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">along with his priests and his officials.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I will make her officials and wise men drunk,p> <p class="poetry">along with her governors, leaders,<n id="1" /> and warriors.p> <p class="poetry">They will fall asleep forever and never wake up,&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">says the King whose name is the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.<n id="3" />p>

The king of Babylon had Zedekiah&#8217;s sons put to death while Zedekiah was forced to watch. He also had all the nobles of Judah put to death there at Riblah.

I, the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" /> hereby promise to make you<n id="2" /> as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in<n id="3" /> the land, including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land.

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8220;When that time comes,<n id="1" /> the bones of the kings of Judah and its leaders, the bones of the priests and prophets and of all the other people who lived in Jerusalem will be dug up from their graves.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;I, the <sc>Lordsc>, also solemnly assert: &#8216;King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, and the people who remain in Jerusalem<n id="1" /> or who have gone to live in Egypt are like those bad figs. I consider them to be just like those bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.<n id="2" />

Then the priests and the prophets made their charges before the officials and all the people. They said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;This man should be condemned to die<n id="2" /> because he prophesied against this city. You have heard him do so<n id="3" /> with your own ears.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Jeremiah made his defense before all the officials and all the people.<n id="1" /> &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> sent me to prophesy everything you have heard me say against this temple and against this city.

<p class="bodytext">Then the officials and all the people rendered their verdict to the priests and the prophets. They said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;This man should not be condemned to die.<n id="2" /> For he has spoken to us under the authority of the <sc>Lordsc> our God.&#8221;<n id="3" />

I am determined to do so because the people of Israel and Judah have made me angry with all their wickedness &#8211; they, their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, and especially the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem<n id="1" /> have done this wickedness.<n id="2" />

All the people and their leaders had agreed to this. They had agreed to free their male and female slaves and not keep them enslaved any longer. They originally complied with the covenant and freed them.<n id="1" />

I took them to the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple. I took them into the room where the disciples of the prophet Hanan son of Igdaliah stayed.<n id="1" /> That room was next to the one where the temple officers stayed and above the room where Maaseiah son of Shallum, one of the doorkeepers<n id="2" /> of the temple, stayed.

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.

<p class="bodytext">Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc>, the God who rules over all, the God of Israel,<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;You must surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If you do, your life will be spared<n id="2" /> and this city will not be burned down. Indeed, you and your whole family will be spared.

All the women who are left in the royal palace of Judah will be led out to the officers of the king of Babylon. They will taunt you saying,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Your trusted friends misled you;p> <p class="poetry">they have gotten the best of you.p> <p class="poetry">Now that your feet are stuck in the mud,p> <p class="poetry">they have turned their backs on you.&#8217;<n id="2" />p>

The officials may hear that I have talked with you. They may come to you and say, &#8216;Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you.<n id="1" /> Do not hide anything from us. If you do, we will kill you.&#8217;<n id="2" />