Now stop laughing, or your chains will be tightened, because I have heard that the Almighty Lord of Armies has finally determined to destroy the whole land.
So the Lord made the army commanders of the king of Assyria invade Judah. They took Manasseh captive, put a hook in his nose, put him in bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon.
But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words, and made fun of his prophets until the Lord became angry with his people. He could no longer heal them.
As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a scribe’s knife and throw them into the fire in the fireplace. He did this until the whole scroll was burned up.
My rebellious acts are a heavy burden for me. They were tied together by God’s own hands. They were tied around my neck. He has weakened me ⌞with them⌟. The Lord has handed me over to people I cannot oppose.
Swords will cut them down, and they will be carried off into all nations as prisoners. Nations will trample Jerusalem until the times allowed for the nations ⌞to do this⌟ are over.
When the people of the court heard that a person had come back to life, some began joking about it, while others said, “We’ll hear you talk about this some other time.”