16. As surely as I am the living Lord God, I swear that the king of Judah will die in Babylon, because he broke the treaty with the king of Babylonia, who appointed him king.
17. Even the king of Egypt and his powerful army will be useless to Judah when the Babylonians attack and build earth ramps to invade the cities of Judah and kill its people.
18. The king of Judah broke his own promises and ignored the treaty with Babylonia. And so he will be punished!
19. He made a promise in my name and swore to honour the treaty. And now that he has broken that promise, my name is disgraced. He must pay for what he's done.
20. I will spread out a net to trap him. Then I will drag him to Babylon and see that he is punished for his unfaithfulness to me.
21. His best troops will be killed in battle, and the survivors will be scattered in every direction. I, the Lord, have spoken.
22-23. Some day, I, the Lord,will cut a tender twigfrom the top of a cedar tree,then plant it on the peakof Israel's tallest mountain,where it will growstrong branchesand produce large fruit.All kinds of birds will findshelter under the tree,and they will rest in the shadeof its branches.
24. Every tree in the forestwill know that I, the Lord,can bring down tall treesand help short ones grow.I dry up green treesand make dry ones green.I, the Lord, have spoken,and I will keep my word.