A reading from the book of Jeremiah. In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah,

King of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Thus the Lord said to me, make yourself

straps and yoke bars and put them on your neck. Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab,

the king of the sons of Ammon, the King of Tyre,

and the King of Sidon, by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem, to Zedekiah,

King of Judah. Give them this charge for their masters. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,

this is what you shall say to your masters. It is I who by my great power, and my outstretched

arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to

whomever it seems right to me. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,

the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beast of the field to serve him.

All the nations shall serve him,

and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes, then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave. But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon

and put its neck under the yoke of the King of Babylon, I will punish that

nation with the sword. With famine and with pestilence, declares the Lord, until I have consumed

it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers,

or your sorcerers who are saying to you, you shall not serve the King of Babylon, for it is

a lie that they are prophesying

to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out,

and you will perish. But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the King of Babylon

and serve him, I will leave on its own land to work it and dwell there, declares the Lord.

To Zedekiah King of Judah I spoke in like manner.

Bring your necks under the yoke of the King of Babylon and serve him and his people and live.

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