8. Then the word of the Lord came to me in the morning:
9. “Son of man, hasn’t the house of Israel, that rebellious house, asked you, ‘What are you doing? ’
10. Say to them: This is what the Lord God says: This oracle is about the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are living there.
11. You are to say, ‘I am a sign for you. Just as I have done, so it will be done to them; they will go into exile, into captivity.’
12. The prince who is among them will lift his bags to his shoulder in the dark and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out through it. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land with his eyes.
13. But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he will not see it, and he will die there.
14. I will also scatter all the attendants who surround him and all his troops to every direction of the wind, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.
15. They will know that I am Yahweh when I disperse them among the nations and scatter them among the countries.
16. But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and plague so they can tell about all their detestable practices among the nations where they go. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”
17. The word of the Lord came to me:
18. “Son of man, eat your bread with trembling and drink your water with shaking and anxiety.
19. Then say to the people of the land: This is what the Lord God says about the residents of Jerusalem in the land of Israel: They will eat their bread with anxiety and drink their water in dread, for their land will be stripped of everything in it because of the violence of all who live there.
20. The inhabited cities will be destroyed, and the land will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.”
21. Again the word of the Lord came to me: