&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8220;Take these documents, both the sealed copy of the deed of purchase and the unsealed copy. Put them in a clay jar so that they may be preserved for a long time to come.&#8221;&#8217;<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;You and your people<n id="1" /> are right in saying, &#8216;War,<n id="2" /> starvation, and disease are sure to make this city fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.&#8217;<n id="3" /> But now I, the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, have something further to say about this city:<n id="4" />

For I, the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel, have something more to say about the houses in this city and the royal buildings which have been torn down for defenses against the siege ramps and military incursions of the Babylonians:<n id="1" />

The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel told Jeremiah<n id="1" /> to go and give King Zedekiah of Judah a message. He told Jeremiah<n id="2" /> to tell him, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;I am going to<n id="3" /> hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will burn it down.

The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> told him, &#8220;Go and speak to the people of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. Tell them,<n id="2" /> &#8216;I, the <sc>Lordsc>, say:<n id="3" /> &#8220;You must learn a lesson from this<n id="4" /> about obeying what I say!<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Then Jeremiah spoke to the Rechabite community, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;You have obeyed the orders of your ancestor Jonadab. You have followed all his instructions. You have done exactly as he commanded you.&#8217;

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel says, &#8216;Give a message to the king of Judah who sent you to ask me to help him.<n id="1" /> Tell him, &#8220;The army of Pharaoh that was on its way to help you will go back home to Egypt.<n id="2" />

&#8220;Go<n id="1" /> and tell Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all says, &#8220;I will carry out against this city what I promised. It will mean disaster and not good fortune for it.<n id="2" /> When that disaster happens, you will be there to see it.<n id="3" />

If you people who remain in Judah do that, then listen to what the <sc>Lordsc> says. The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;If you are so determined<n id="2" /> to go to Egypt that you go and settle there,

Then tell them,<n id="1" /> &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="2" /> says, &#8220;I will bring<n id="3" /> my servant<n id="4" /> King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will set his throne over these stones which I<n id="5" /> have buried. He will pitch his royal tent<n id="6" /> over them.

He will set fire<n id="1" /> to the temples of the gods of Egypt. He will burn their gods or carry them off as captives.<n id="2" /> He will pick Egypt clean like a shepherd picks the lice from his clothing.<n id="3" /> He will leave there unharmed.<n id="4" />

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8216;You have seen all the disaster I brought on Jerusalem<n id="2" /> and all the towns of Judah. Indeed, they now lie in ruins and are deserted.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="1" /> says, &#8220;I will punish Amon, the god of Thebes.<n id="2" /> I will punish Egypt, its gods, and its kings. I will punish Pharaoh and all who trust in him.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">So I, the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all, say:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I will punish the king of Babylon and his landp> <p class="poetry">just as I punished the king of Assyria.p>

that the <sc>Lord,sc> the God of Israel, says,<n id="1" /> &#8216;The forces at your disposal<n id="2" /> are now outside the walls fighting against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the Babylonians<n id="3" /> who have you under siege. I will gather those forces back inside the city.<n id="4" />

For<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all<n id="2" /> says, &#8216;If you go to Egypt, I will pour out my wrath on you just as I poured out my anger and wrath on the citizens of Jerusalem.<n id="3" /> You will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse.<n id="4" /> You will never see this place again.&#8217;<n id="5" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel who rules over all says, &#8216;You women<n id="1" /> have confirmed by your actions what you vowed with your lips! You said, &#8220;We will certainly carry out our vows to sacrifice and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.&#8221; Well, then fulfill your vows! Carry them out!&#8217;<n id="2" />