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But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!
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"As surely as I am the living God," says the Sovereign Lord, "this king will die in Babylonia because he broke his oath and the treaty he had made with the king of Babylonia, who put him on the throne.
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Even the powerful army of the king of Egypt will not be able to help him fight when the Babylonians build earthworks and dig trenches in order to kill many people.
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He broke his oath and the treaty he had made. He did all these things, and now he will not escape."
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The Sovereign Lord says, "As surely as I am the living God, I will punish him for breaking the treaty which he swore in my name to keep.
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I will spread out a hunter's net and catch him in it. I will take him to Babylonia and punish him there, because he was unfaithful to me.
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His best soldiers will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken."
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This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "I will take the top of a tall cedar and break off a tender sprout; I will plant it on a high mountain,
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on Israel's highest mountain. It will grow branches and bear seed and become a magnificent cedar. Birds of every kind will live there and find shelter in its shade.
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All the trees in the land will know that I am the Lord. I cut down the tall trees and make small trees grow tall. I wither up the green trees and make the dry trees become green. I, the Lord, have spoken. I will do what I have said I would do."