28. Therefore thus said יהוה, “See, I am giving this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Neḇuḵaḏretstsar sovereign of Baḇel, and he shall take it.
29. “And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they burned incense to Ba‛al and poured out drink offerings to other mighty ones, to provoke Me.
30. “For the children of Yisra’ĕl and the children of Yehuḏah have done only evil before Me, from their youth. For the children of Yisra’ĕl have only provoked Me with the work of their hands,” declares יהוה.
31. “For this city has been a cause for My displeasure and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to this day that I should remove it from before My face,
32. because of all the evil of the children of Yisra’ĕl and the children of Yehuḏah, which they have done to provoke Me – they, their sovereigns, their heads, their priests, their prophets, and the men of Yehuḏah, and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim.
33. “And they have turned their back to Me, and not their face – though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, they did not listen to receive instruction.
34. “And they set their abominations in the house which is called by My Name, to defile it.
35. “And they built the high places of Ba‛al which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and their daughters to Moleḵ, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My heart, that they should do this abomination, to make Yehuḏah sin.
36. “And now, thus said יהוה, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be given into the hand of the sovereign of Baḇel by the sword, and by scarcity of food, and by pestilence’:
37. ‘See, I am gathering them out of all the lands where I have driven them in My displeasure, and in My wrath, and in great rage. And I shall bring them back to this place, and shall let them dwell in safety.
38. ‘And they shall be My people, and I shall be their Elohim.
39. ‘And I shall give them one heart and one way, to fear Me all the days, for the good of them and of their children after them.
40. ‘And I shall make an everlasting covenant with them, that I do not turn back from doing good to them. And I shall put My fear in their hearts so as not to turn aside from Me.
41. ‘And I shall rejoice over them to do good to them, and shall plant them in this land in truth, with all My heart and with all My being.’
42. “For thus said יהוה, ‘As I have brought all this great evil on this people, so I am bringing on them all the good that I am speaking to them.