324 TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTSgenerations of kingly rule after him, until his own land comes to its appointed
time-yes, it will happen even to him! Many nations and great kings shall
then make him serve. Some in the audience, perhaps, will catch the double
entendre.
In Oracle II, Yahweh says that any nation unwilling to serve Nebuchadnez-
zar, and unwilling to put its neck into the yoke of the Babylonian king, he will
visit with sword, famine, and pestilence, until they have been consumed. Ora-
cle III tells these powerless kings not to listen to their prophets, diviners,
dreamers, soothsayers, and sorcerers who are all saying not to serve the king of
Babylon. Their prophecies are a lie, and unbeknownst to them, this lie will
serve to remove these nations far from their home soil. Yes, Yahweh will dis-
perse them until they perish. The nation that does bring its neck under the
yoke of the king of Babylon and does serve him will be left by Yahweh on its
own soil to work it and dwell upon it. Another double entendre for the attentive
listener.
Jeremiah then says that he conveyed the same message to Zedekiah. He be-
gins with some of his own words to the king and the royal house. They were
told to bring their necks into the yoke of the king of Babylon. By serving him
and his people, they will live. Why should they all die, he asks the king, by
sword, famine, and pestilence, since Yahweh has spoken thus about any nation
that will not serve the king of Babylon? What follows is a divine oracle in
which Yahweh tells the king and his house not to listen to the prophets who are
telling them not to serve the king of Babylon, for what they are saying is a lie.
Yahweh says he has not sent them, and the lie being spread, unbeknownst to
them, will result in Yahweh's dispersing them, and they will perish with the
prophets prophesying to them.
Jeremiah then reports what he said to the priests and all the people. He be-
gins here with an oracle, in which Yahweh says that the priests and people are
not to heed prophets who are predicting that the Temple treasures taken to
Babylon will be returned shortly. It is a lie. Jeremiah follows this with a word of
his own, in which he repeats what Yahweh said about not listening to the
prophets talking about a return of the sacred vessels. The priest and people are
to serve the king of Babylon, and live. To the assembled he asks rhetorically,
"Why should this city become a ruin?" If these individuals are prophets, and
Yahweh's word is with them, let them pressure Yahweh not to have the remain-
ing treasures in Jerusalem-in the Temple, in the royal palace, and anywhere
else-go to Babylon. A second oracle then gives a final word about these trea-
sures. Yahweh says they shall all go to Babylon, and there they shall remain un-
til he attends to them and brings them back to Jerusalem.
The (corrected) superscription dates this oracle early in the reign of Zede-
kiah. The exact year, which is determined by the superscription in 28:1, is
594-593 B.C.
Bonhoeffer ( 1971: 299), in a baptismal letter of May, 1944 to the son of Eber-
hard and Renate Bethge, reflected as follows on what life in Germany would
be like after the war was over: