⁷ And the Lord was with him; he was successful^(A) in whatever he undertook. He rebelled^(B) against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

¹³ Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty^(A) with him, putting him under oath.^(B) He also carried away the leading men^(C) of the land, ¹⁴ so that the kingdom would be brought low,^(D) unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty. ¹⁵ But the king rebelled^(E) against him by sending his envoys to Egypt^(F) to get horses and a large army.^(G) Will he succeed? Will he who does such things escape? Will he break the treaty and yet escape?^(H)

¹⁶ “‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die^(I) in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke.^{(J) 17} Pharaoh^(K) with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps^(L) are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives.^{(M) 18} He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge^(N) and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.

¹⁹ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As surely as I live, I will repay him for despising my oath and breaking my covenant.^(O)

The Decree of Darius

6 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives^(B) stored in the treasury at Babylon. ² A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

²⁰ It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust^(A) them from his presence.^(B)

The Fall of Jerusalem^(C)(D)(E)

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

¹⁴ then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.^(A) And if it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done among you,^(B)