8. It had been planted in good soil by abundant water so that it would produce branches, bear fruit and become a splendid vine.’
9. “Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Will it thrive? Will it not be uprooted and stripped of its fruit so that it withers? All its new growth will wither. It will not take a strong arm or many people to pull it up by the roots.
10. It has been planted, but will it thrive? Will it not wither completely when the east wind strikes it—wither away in the plot where it grew?’ ”
11. Then the word of the Lord came to me:
12. “Say to this rebellious people, ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Say to them: ‘The king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and carried off her king and her nobles, bringing them back with him to Babylon.
13. Then he took a member of the royal family and made a treaty with him, putting him under oath. He also carried away the leading men of the land,
14. so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to rise again, surviving only by keeping his treaty.