1In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying.2Thus the LORD said to me: Make bonds and yokes for yourself and put them on your neck.3Send them to the king of Edom to the king of Moab to the king of the sons of Ammon to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.4Command them to their lords, saying, "Thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel: Thus you shall say to your lords."5I made the earth the man and the animals that are on the face of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm and I gave it to whomever was right in my sight.6Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon my servant, and I have also given the animals of the field to him to serve him.7All the nations shall serve him and his son and the son of his son until the time of his own land comes; he also and many nations and great kings shall serve him.8Any nation or kingdom that will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and that will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon—I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed them by his hand.9Do not listen to your prophets, to your diviners, to your dreams, to your soothsayers, or to your sorcerers who say to you, 'Do not serve the king of Babylon.'10For they are prophesying deception to you in order to remove you from your land so that I will banish you and you will perish.11But the nation that brings its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will let it remain on its own land, declares the LORD, and it shall serve that land and dwell in it.12I also spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah in all these words, saying, 'Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people and live.'13Why should you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence as the LORD has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?14Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, 'Do not serve the king of Babylon,' for they are prophesying deception to you.15For I did not send them, declares the LORD, and they are prophesying falsely in my name in order that I may banish you and you may perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.16I also spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, "Thus says the LORD: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, 'Behold, the vessels of the house of the LORD are about to be brought back from Babylon now quickly,' for they are prophesying deception to you."17Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?18If they are prophets and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them entreat the LORD of Hosts that the remaining vessels in the house of the LORD and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.19For thus says the LORD of Hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the bases, and the rest of the remaining vessels in this city.20Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he exiled Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, together with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.21For thus says the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the remaining vessels of the house of the LORD and of the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem.22They shall be brought to Babylon and they shall remain there until the day I visit them, declares the LORD. Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.