The Lord said,“ Make a yoke out of ropes and wooden boards. Put it on your neck.

“耶和华对我如此说：你做绳索与轭，加在自己的颈项上，

“耶和华对我如此说：你要为自己做皮带和木轭，套在你的颈项上，

“耶和华对我如此说：你要为自己做皮带和木轭，套在你的颈项上，

耶和华对我说：“你要做个木轭，用绳索套在自己颈上。

“耶和华对我这样说：‘你要用绳套和木头做轭，套在自己的颈上。

「耶和華對我如此說：你做繩索與軛，加在自己的頸項上，

「耶和華對我如此說：你要為自己做皮帶和木軛，套在你的頸項上，

「耶和華對我如此說：你要為自己做皮帶和木軛，套在你的頸項上，

耶和華對我說：「你要做個木軛，用繩索套在自己頸上。

“耶和華對我這樣說：‘你要用繩套和木頭做軛，套在自己的頸上。

永恆主對我這麼說：『你要為自己作繩索和軛，掛在自己的脖子上。

曰、耶和華諭我云、宜自製索及軛、置於爾項、

宜製縶與軛、懸於爾項、

曰、主如是諭我云、宜製索與軛、懸於爾項、

This is what the Lord said to me:“ Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck.

Thus the Lord said to me:“ Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck.

This is what the Lord said to me:“ Make a yoke, and fasten it on your neck with leather straps.

This is what the LORD said to me:“ Make chains and yoke bars for yourself and put them on your neck.

this is what the Lord has said to me:“ Make for yourself restraints and yokes and put them on your neck,

“ Thus says the Lord to me:‘ Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, and put them on your neck,

Thus saith Jehovah to me: Make thee bonds and bars, and put them upon thy neck;

“ This is what the Lord said to me: Make chains and yoke bars for yourself and put them on your neck.

Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

The LORD told me,“ Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck.

Yahweh says to me:“ Make bonds and bars, and put them on your neck.

Your people refuse to obey me. So tell them a story. Say to them,‘ The Lord and King told me,“‘ “Put a cooking pot on the fire. Pour water into it.Put pieces of meat in it. Use all the best pieces. Use the leg and shoulder. Fill it with the best bones.Pick the finest animal in the flock. Pile wood under the pot to cook the bones. Bring the water to a boil. Cook the bones in it.” ’ ”The Lord and King says,“ How terrible it will be for this city! It has so many murderers in it. How terrible for the pot that is coated with scum! The scum on it will not go away. Take the meat out of the pot piece by piece. Take it out in whatever order it comes.“ The blood Jerusalem’s people spilled is inside its walls. They poured it out on a bare rock. They did not pour it on the ground. If they had, dust would have covered it up.So I put their blood on the bare rock. I did not want it to be covered up. I poured out my great anger on them. I paid them back.”So the Lord and King said to me,“ How terrible it will be for this city! It has so many murderers in it. I too will pile the wood high.So pile on the wood. Light the fire. Cook the meat well. Mix in the spices. Let the bones be blackened.Then set the empty pot on the coals. Let it get hot. Let its copper glow. Then what is not pure in it will melt. Its scum will be burned away.But it can’t be cleaned up. Its thick scum has not been removed. Even fire can’t burn it off.

Three years earlier the Lord had spoken to Isaiah, the son of Amoz. The Lord had said,“ Take off the rough clothing you are wearing. And take off your sandals.” So Isaiah did. He went around barefoot and naked.After Ashdod was captured, the Lord said,“ My servant Isaiah has gone around barefoot and naked for three years. He is a sign and reminder to Egypt and Cush about what will happen to them.The king of Assyria will lead prisoners away from Egypt and Cush. Young people and old people alike will be taken away. Like Isaiah, they will be barefoot and naked. Their backsides will be bare. So the Egyptians will be put to shame.

The Lord said to me,“ Go and buy a linen belt. Put it around your waist. But do not let it get wet.”So I bought a belt, just as the Lord had told me to do. And I put it around my waist.Then another message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Take off the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist. Go to Perath. Hide the belt there in a crack in the rocks.”So I went and hid it at Perath. I did just as the Lord had told me to do.Many days later the Lord said to me,“ Go to Perath. Get the belt I told you to hide there.”So I went to Perath. I dug up the belt. I took it from the place where I had hidden it. But it had rotted. It was completely useless.Then another message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ In the same way, I will destroy Judah’s pride. And I will destroy the great pride of Jerusalem.These people are evil. They refuse to listen to what I say. They do what their stubborn hearts want them to do. They chase after other gods. They serve them and worship them. So they will be like this belt. They will be completely useless.A belt is tied around a person’s waist. In the same way, I tied all the people of Israel to me. I also tied all the people of Judah to me like a belt. I wanted them to be my people. They should have brought me fame and praise and honor. But they have not listened to me,” announces the Lord.

Ahijah grabbed the new coat he had on. He tore it up into 12 pieces.Then he said to Jeroboam,“ Take ten pieces for yourself. The Lord is the God of Israel. He says,‘ I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand. I will give you ten of its tribes.

The Lord and King gave me a vision. He was bringing large numbers of locusts on the land. The king’s share had already been harvested. Now the later crops were coming up.

A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Son of man, you are living among people who refuse to obey me. They have eyes that can see. But they do not really see. They have ears that can hear. But they do not really hear. They refuse to obey me.“ Son of man, pack your belongings as if you were going on a long trip. Leave in the daytime. Let the people see you. Start out from where you are. Go to another place. Perhaps they will understand the meaning of what you are doing. But they will still refuse to obey me.Bring out your belongings packed for a long trip. Do this during the daytime. Let the people see you. Then in the evening, pretend you are being forced to leave home. Let the people see you.While the people are watching, dig through the mud bricks of your house. Then take your belongings out through the hole in the wall.Put them on your shoulder. Carry them out at sunset. Let the people see you. Cover your face so you can’t see the land. All of that will show the Israelites what is going to happen to them.”So I did just as he commanded me. During the day I brought out my things as if I were going on a long trip. In the evening I dug through the wall of my house with my hands. At sunset I took my belongings out. I put them on my shoulders. The people watched what I was doing.In the morning a message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Son of man, didn’t the Israelites ask you,‘ What are you doing?’ They always refuse to obey me.“ Tell them,‘ The Lord and King says,“ This prophecy is about Zedekiah, the prince in Jerusalem. It is also about all the Israelites who still live there.” ’Tell them,‘ The things I’ve done are a picture of what’s going to happen to you.“‘ So what I’ve done will happen to you. You will be forced to leave home. You will be taken to Babylon as prisoners.’“ The prince among them will put his things on his shoulder and leave. He will do this at sunset. Someone will dig a hole in the city wall for him to go through. He will cover his face so he can’t see the land.I will spread out my net to catch him. He will be caught in my trap. I will bring him to Babylon. It is the land where the Chaldeans live. But he will not see it. He will die there.I will scatter to the winds all those around him. I will scatter his officials and all his troops. And I will chase them with a sword that is ready to strike them down.“ They will know that I am the Lord when I scatter them among the nations. I will send them to other countries.But I will spare a few of them. I will save them from war, hunger and plague. In those countries they will admit they have done all kinds of evil things. I hate those things. They will know that I am the Lord.”A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Son of man, tremble with fear as you eat your food. Tremble as you drink your water.Speak to the people of the land. Say to them,‘ Here is what the Lord and King says. He says this about those who live in Jerusalem and Israel.“ They will be worried as they eat their food. They will not have any hope as they drink their water. Their land will be stripped of everything in it because all those who live there are harming one another.The towns where people live will be completely destroyed. The land will become a dry and empty desert. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Son of man, you have a proverb in the land of Israel. It says,‘ The days go by, and not even one vision comes true.’Tell them,‘ The Lord and King says,“ I am going to put an end to this proverb. They will not use that saying in Israel anymore.” ’ Tell them,‘ The days are coming soon when every vision will come true.There will be no more false visions. People will no longer use magic to find out whether good things are going to happen in Israel.I am the Lord. So I will say what I want to. And it will come true when I want it to. In your days I will do everything I say I will. But you people always refuse to obey me,’ announces the Lord and King.”A message from the Lord came to me. The Lord said,“ Son of man, the Israelites are saying,‘ The vision Ezekiel sees won’t come true for many years. He is prophesying about a time that is a long way off.’“ So tell them,‘ The Lord and King says,“ Everything I say will come true. It will happen when I want it to,” announces the Lord and King.’ ”

The Lord said to Jeremiah,“ Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people. Also tell some of the priests to go with you.Go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. Stand near the entrance of the gate where broken pieces of pottery are thrown away. There announce the message I give you.Tell the people,‘ Listen to the Lord’ s message, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,“ Listen! I am going to bring trouble on Jerusalem. It will be so horrible that it will make the ears of everyone who hears about it ring.My people have deserted me. They have made this city a place where other gods are worshiped. They have burned incense to them here. They, their people of long ago and the kings of Judah had never known these gods. My people have also filled this place with the blood of those who aren’t guilty.They have built the high places where they worship Baal. There they sacrifice their children in the fire as offerings to Baal. That is something I did not command or talk about. It did not even enter my mind.So watch out!” announces the Lord.“ The days are coming when people will not call this place Topheth anymore. And they will not call it the Valley of Ben Hinnom either. Instead, they will call it the Valley of Death.“‘ “In this place I will make the plans of Judah and Jerusalem as useless as a broken jar. I will use their enemies to kill my people by swords. They will die at the hands of those who want to take their lives. I will give their dead bodies as food to the birds and the wild animals.I will completely destroy this city. I will make it a horrible thing. People will make fun of it. All those who pass by it will be shocked. They will laugh at its people because of all their wounds.I will make the people of this city eat their sons and daughters. And they will eat one another. They will do this because things will be so bad during the attack. The enemies who want to take their lives will bring all this trouble on them.” ’“ Jeremiah, break the jar while those who go with you are watching.Tell them,‘ Here is what the Lord who rules over all says.“ This potter’s jar is smashed and can’t be repaired. And I will smash this nation and this city. People will bury their dead in Topheth. But they will run out of room.

I gave the same message to Zedekiah, the king of Judah. I said,“ Put your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon. Obey him. Serve his people. Then you will live.

“ Jeremiah, go down to the potter’s house. I will give you my message there.”So I went down to the potter’s house. I saw him working at his wheel.His hands were shaping a pot out of clay. But he saw that something was wrong with it. So he formed it into another pot. He shaped it in the way that seemed best to him.Then the Lord’ s message came to me.“ People of Israel, I can do with you just as this potter does,” announces the Lord.“ The clay is in the potter’s hand. And you are in my hand, people of Israel.Suppose I announce that something will happen to a nation or kingdom. Suppose I announce that it will be pulled up by the roots. And I announce that it will be torn down and destroyed.But suppose the nation I warned turns away from its sins. Then I will not do what I said I would. I will not bring trouble on it as I had planned.But suppose I announce that a nation or kingdom is going to be built up and planted.And then it does what is evil in my eyes. It does not obey me. Then I will think again about the good things I had wanted to do for it.

“ Son of man, get a block of clay. Put it in front of you. Draw the city of Jerusalem on it.Then pretend to surround it and attack it. Make some little models of war machines. Build a ramp up to it. Set camps up around it. Surround it with models of logs to be used for knocking down its gates.Then get an iron pan. Put it between you and the city. Pretend it is an iron wall. Turn your face toward the city. It will be under attack when you begin to attack it. That will show the people of Israel what is going to happen to Jerusalem.“ Next, lie down on your left side. Pretend that you are putting Israel’s sin on yourself. Keep their sin on you for the number of days you lie on your side.Let each day you lie there stand for one year of their sin. So you will keep Israel’s sin on you for 390 days.

The false prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet. Then Hananiah broke the yoke.In front of all the people he said,“ The Lord says,‘ In the same way, I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Before two years are over, I will remove it from the necks of all the nations.’ ” When Jeremiah the prophet heard this, he went on his way.A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. It was after the false prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck. The message said,“ Go. Tell Hananiah,‘ The Lord says,“ You have broken a wooden yoke. But in its place you will get an iron yoke.”The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says,“ I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations. I will make them serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. So they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.” ’ ”

The Lord and King gave me a second vision. He was using fire to punish his people. It dried up the deep waters. It burned the land up.