² Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention^(A) to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

⁸ Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.^(A)

¹² He did evil in the eyes of the Lord^(A) his God and did not humble^(B) himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. ¹³ He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath^(C) in God’s name. He became stiff-necked^(D) and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁴ Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful,^(E) following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Fall of Jerusalem^(F)(G)

¹⁵ The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers^(H) again and again,^(I) because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. ¹⁶ But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed^(J) at his prophets until the wrath^(K) of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.^(L)

¹⁹ He did evil^(A) in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust^(B) them from his presence.^(C)

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

Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.