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and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiahking of Judah.
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"I have made the earth, the men and the beastswhich are on the face of the earth by My greatpower and by My outstretchedarm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight.
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"Now I have givenalltheselands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wildanimals of the field to serve him.
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"All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandsonuntil the time of his own landcomes; then manynations and greatkings will make him their servant.
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"It will be, that the nation or the kingdomwhich will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon, and which will not 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 destroyed it by his hand.
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"But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcererswhospeak to you, saying, 'You will not serve the king of Babylon.'
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"But the nationwhich will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land," declares the LORD, "and they will till it and dwell in it.""'
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I spokewords like allthese to Zedekiahking of Judah, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live!
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"Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine and pestilence, as the LORD has spoken to that nationwhich will not serve the king of Babylon?
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for I have not sent them," declares the LORD, "but they prophesyfalsely in My name, in order that I may drive you out and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you."
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Then I spoke to the priests and to allthispeople, saying, "Thussays the LORD: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, 'Behold, the vessels of the LORD'Shouse will nowshortly be broughtagain from Babylon '; for they are prophesying a lie to you.
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"But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them nowentreat the LORD of hosts that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.
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"For thussays the LORD of hostsconcerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in thiscity,
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whichNebuchadnezzarking of Babylon did not take when he carried into exileJeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.
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"Yes, thussays the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the LORD and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem,
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'They will be carried to Babylon and they will be thereuntil the day I visit them,' declares the LORD. 'Then I will bring them back and restore them to thisplace.' "