Jeremiah 27:1-11

YAHWEH spoke these words to Jeremiah at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah. YAHWEH said to me: “Make a harness, attach it to the wooden bars of a yoke, and put them on your neck. The ambassadors of the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon are in Jerusalem to see Zedekiah king of Judah. Tell them, ‘Here is a message for your kings. The Commander of Angel Armies, the God of Israel, commands you to deliver this message to them: “ ‘ “I am the one who made the earth, every person, and every animal in the world by my great strength and by my mighty power, and I can give it to whomever I please. Now I have given all your countries to my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him. All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson —until the time of the fall of his own kingdom comes, when other nations and great kings will make him their servant. The nation or kingdom that refuses to submit to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and does not put its neck into the harness of the yoke to serve the king, I will punish,” declares YAHWEH. “I will punish it with the sword, food shortages, and pestilence until I have let Nebuchadnezzar completely destroy it. “ ‘ “Do not listen to your prophets; they are false. Do not listen to your fortune tellers, dream interpreters, mediums, sorcerers, and magicians who say to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not conquer you.’ They are prophesying lies to you; do not believe them! They open the door for your enemies to take you away. I will drive you out of your land, and you will perish. But the nation that harnesses herself to the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will allow her to live and farm her land,” declares YAHWEH.’ ”