In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal [for] three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.

For because of the anger of the LORD [this] happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

'And he took the king's offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land,

'But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such [things] escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

'Nor will Pharaoh with [his] mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons.

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: "[As] I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head.

"Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So [is] Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

"Woe to the rebellious children," says the LORD, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin;

Therefore the strength of Pharaoh Shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt Shall be [your] humiliation.

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, [And] rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because [they are] many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!

Now the Egyptians [are] men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together.

'But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such [things] escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered?

Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay." And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

So Hezekiah gave [him] all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD and in the treasuries of the king's house.

Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

'Does not Hezekiah persuade you to give yourselves over to die by famine and by thirst, saying, "The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria"?

To execute vengeance on the nations, And punishments on the peoples;

To bind their kings with chains, And their nobles with fetters of iron;