The Irrevocable Judgment on Judah

25 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, king of Judah. (This was also the first year of the reign of^[a] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.) ² This is what Jeremiah the prophet told all the people of Judah and all the residents of Jerusalem: ³ “From the thirteenth year of the reign of^[b] Ammon’s son Josiah, the king of Judah, until the present time, for 23 years this message from the Lord has come to me, and I’ve spoken to you again and again,^[c] but you haven’t listened. ⁴ Again and again,^[d] the Lord sent all his servants, the prophets, to you, but you wouldn’t listen or even turn your ears in my direction to hear. ⁵ They said, ‘Turn, each one of you, from your^[e] evil habits^[f] and evil deeds, and live in the land that the Lord gave to you and your ancestors forever and ever. ⁶ Don’t follow other gods to serve and worship them. Don’t provoke me with the idols^[g] you make with your hands, and I won’t bring disaster on you.’ ⁷ But you didn’t listen to me,” declares the Lord, “so as to provoke me with the idols^[h] you make with your hands to your own harm.