The King Shall Die in Babylon

¹¹ Moreover, the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, ¹² “Say now to the ^(A)rebellious house, ‘Do you not ^(B)know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Behold, the ^(C)king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and princes, and brought them to him in Babylon. ¹³ He took one of the royal ^(D)seed and cut a covenant with him and brought him under ^(E)oath. He also took away the ^(F)dominant one of the land, ¹⁴ that the kingdom might ^[a](G)become lowly, not lifting itself up, but keeping his covenant that it might continue. ¹⁵ But he ^(H)rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt that they might give him horses and many ^[b]troops. Will he succeed? Will he who does such things ^(I)escape? Can he indeed break the covenant and escape? ¹⁶ As I live,’ declares Lord Yahweh, ‘Surely in the ^[c]country of the king who made him king, whose oath he ^(J)despised and whose covenant he broke, ^[d](K)in Babylon he shall die. ^17 (L)And Pharaoh with his mighty military force and great assembly will not ^[e]help him in the war, when they cast up ramps and build siege walls to cut off many lives. ¹⁸ Now he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and behold, he ^[f](M)pledged his allegiance, yet did all these things; he shall not escape.’” ¹⁹ Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh, “As I live, surely My oath which he despised and My covenant which he broke, I will ^[g]put on his head. ²⁰ I will spread My ^(N)net over him, and he will be ^(O)caught in My snare. Then I will bring him to Babylon and ^(P)enter into judgment with him there regarding the unfaithful act which he has committed against Me. ²¹ All the ^[h](Q)choice men in all his troops will fall by the sword, and the remnant will be scattered to every wind; and you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.”

²² Thus says Lord Yahweh, “I will also take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and set it out; I will pluck from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it on an ^(R)exalted and lofty mountain. ²³ On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, that it may lift up ^[i]boughs and yield fruit and become a majestic ^(S)cedar. And birds of every ^[j]kind will dwell under it; they will dwell in the shade of its ^[k]branches. ²⁴ And all the ^(T)trees of the field will know that I am Yahweh; I bring down the exalted tree, exalt the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree ^(U)flourish. I am Yahweh; I have spoken, and I will do it.”