² “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken ^(A)the yoke of the king of Babylon.

⁵ You ^(A)have not gone up into the ^[a]gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. ^6 (B)They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has ^(C)not sent them; yet they hope that the word may ^[b]be confirmed. ⁷ Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God. ⁹ “My hand will be ^(D)against the prophets who envision futility and who ^(E)divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, ^(F)nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, ^(G)nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. ^(H)Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.

¹⁰ “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ^(I)‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they ^(J)plaster^[c] it with untempered mortar— ¹¹ say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. ^(K)There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. ¹² Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’ ”

¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. ¹⁴ So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. ^(L)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, ¹⁶ that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who ^(M)see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ ” says the Lord God.

² “Thus says the Lord to me: ‘Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, ^(A)and put them on your neck, ³ and send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. ⁴ And command them to say to their masters, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel—thus you shall say to your masters: ^5 (B)‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and ^(C)have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. ^6 (D)And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, ^(E)My servant; and ^(F)the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. ^7 (G)So all nations shall serve him and his son and his son’s son, ^(H)until the time of his land comes; ^(I)and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them. ⁸ And it shall be, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish,’ says the Lord, ‘with the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. ⁹ Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your ^[a]dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon.” ¹⁰ For they prophesy a ^(J)lie to you, to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish. ¹¹ But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let them remain in their own land,’ says the Lord, ‘and they shall till it and dwell in it.’ ” ’ ”

¹² I also spoke to ^(K)Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live!