11. The Lord said to me,
12. “Ask these rebels if they know what the parable means. Tell them that the king of Babylonia came to Jerusalem and took the king and his officials back with him to Babylonia.
13. He took one of the king's family, made a treaty with him, and made him swear to be loyal. He took important men as hostages
14. to keep the nation from rising again and to make sure that the treaty would be kept.
15. But the king of Judah rebelled and sent agents to Egypt to get horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can he get away with that? He cannot break the treaty and go unpunished!