²¹ “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. ²² But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

²⁹ “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’^(A)

³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.^(A)”

¹¹ This whole country will become a desolate wasteland,^(A) and these nations will serve^(B) the king of Babylon seventy years.^(C)

¹² “But when the seventy years^(D) are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon^(E) and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,^[a] for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate^(F) forever. ¹³ I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, all that are written^(G) in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah against all the nations. ¹⁴ They themselves will be enslaved^(H) by many nations^(I) and great kings; I will repay^(J) them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”

⁶ Do not follow other gods^(A) to serve and worship them; do not arouse my anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you.”

⁷ “But you did not listen to me,” declares the Lord, “and you have aroused^(B) my anger with what your hands have made,^(C) and you have brought harm^(D) to yourselves.”

⁸ Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, ⁹ I will summon^(E) all the peoples of the north^(F) and my servant^(G) Nebuchadnezzar^(H) king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy^[a](I) them and make them an object of horror and scorn,^(J) and an everlasting ruin.^(K)