¹³ Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His ^(A)prophets, ^(B)every seer, saying, ^(C)“Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.” ¹⁴ Nevertheless they would not hear, but ^(D)stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who ^(E)did not believe in the Lord their God. ¹⁵ And they ^(F)rejected His statutes ^(G)and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed ^(H)idols, ^(I)became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should ^(J)not do like them. ¹⁶ So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, ^(K)made for themselves a molded image and two calves, ^(L)made a wooden image and worshiped all the ^(M)host of heaven, ^(N)and served Baal. ^17 (O)And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, ^(P)practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and ^(Q)sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. ¹⁸ Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left ^(R)but the tribe of Judah alone.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah^(A)

^11 (B)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹² He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and ^(C)did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. ¹³ And he also ^(D)rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he ^(E)stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁴ Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.

The Fall of Jerusalem^(F)

^15 (G)And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. ¹⁶ But ^(H)they mocked the messengers of God, ^(I)despised His words, and ^(J)scoffed at His prophets, until the ^(K)wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

^17 (L)Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who ^(M)killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. ^18 (N)And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. ^19 (O)Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. ²⁰ And ^(P)those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, ^(Q)where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,

²⁵ Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even ^(A)sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them.