Judah’s people have gone into exile under harsh labor and much pain. They found no place to rest living among foreigners. All their enemies have seized them in the narrow passes.
Her gates have collapsed to the ground; he has wrecked and shattered their bars. Her king and leaders are captives among the gentiles, and instruction from the Torah scrolls is no more. Her prophets, too, receive no vision from Yahweh.
Inside Jerusalem, a third of your people will die of plague or starvation. Outside the city, a third will fall by the sword. And a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with my sword.
Nebuzaradan, the field general, took as prisoners some of the poor who were left behind in Jerusalem, together with the skilled workers and the deserters who had gone over to him.
Nebuzaradan the field general held captive anyone left behind in Jerusalem and the deserters who had gone over to him and took them all away to distant Babylon.
I will punish them with such a disaster that everyone on earth will tremble in horror when they hear about it. I will force the people of Judah to go to foreign countries, where they will be an object of scorn, cursing, and insult.
“Behold, I will summon many fishermen,” declares Yahweh, “and they will fish them out. After that, I will summon many hunters, and they will hunt them out of every mountain and hill and chase them out of their hiding places in the rocks.
“Get away! Unclean!” people shouted at them. “Keep back! Keep back! Don’t touch!” So, they fled Jerusalem and wandered to the nations, but they were not welcome to stay there either.