17:11 耶和華的話臨到我說：
17:12 「你對那悖逆之家說：你們不知道這些事是甚麼意思麼？你要告訴他們說，巴比倫王曾到耶路撒冷，將其中的君王和首領帶到巴比倫自己那裡去。
17:13 從以色列的宗室中取一人與他立約，使他發誓，並將國中有勢力的人擄去，
17:14 使國低微不能自強，惟因守盟約得以存立。
17:15 他卻背叛巴比倫王，打發使者往埃及去，要他們給他馬匹和多民。他豈能亨通呢？行這樣事的人豈能逃脫呢？他背約豈能逃脫呢？
17:16 他輕看向王所起的誓，背棄王與他所立的約。主耶和華說：我指著我的永生起誓，他定要死在立他作王、巴比倫王的京都。
17:17 敵人築壘造臺，與他打仗的時候，為要剪除多人，法老雖領大軍隊和大群眾，還是不能幫助他。
17:18 他輕看誓言，背棄盟約，已經投降，卻又做這一切的事，他必不能逃脫。」
17:19 所以主耶和華如此說：「我指著我的永生起誓，他既輕看指我所起的誓，背棄指我所立的約，我必要使這罪歸在他頭上。
17:20 我必將我的網撒在他身上，他必在我的網羅中纏住。我必帶他到巴比倫，並要在那裡因他干犯我的罪刑罰他。
17:21 他的一切軍隊，凡逃跑的，都必倒在刀下；所剩下的，也必分散四方（方：原文是風）。你們就知道說這話的是我─耶和華。」
11 Then the word of the Lord came to me:12
"Say now to the rebellious house, Do you not know what these things mean?
Tell them, behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took her king and
her princes and brought them to him to Babylon. 13 And he took one of the royal
offspring and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath ( the chief men
of the land he had taken away), 14 that the kingdom might be humble and not
lift itself up, and keep his covenant that it might stand. 15 But he rebelled against
him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a
large army. Will he thrive? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break
the covenant and yet escape?
16 "As I live, declares the Lord God,
surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he
despised, and whose covenant with him he broke, in Babylon he shall die. 17
Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, when
mounds are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives. 18 He despised
the oath in breaking the covenant, and behold, he gave his hand and did all
these things; he shall not escape. 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God:As I
live, surely it is my oath that he despised, and my covenant that he broke. I will
return it upon his head. 20 I will spread my net over him, and he shall be
taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with
him there for the treachery he has committed against me. 21 And all the pick of
his troops shall fall by the sword, and the survivors shall be scattered to
every wind, and you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken."
***************
上帝說明謎語的解釋，此處是說明西底家投靠埃及人背叛尼布甲尼撒，結局將遭巴比倫王報復滅亡。巴比倫王要西底家在上帝面前發誓效忠巴比倫，結果西底家背約，等於是背叛巴比倫也背叛上帝。
這裡所記載的「他卻背叛巴比倫王，打發使者往埃及去，要他們給他馬匹和多民」，是指以東、摩押、亞捫、推羅、西頓的使臣應該是來和西底家王商量如何推翻巴比倫的統治。依據「巴比倫年鑑」記載，西元前595-594年，巴比倫發生反叛尼布甲尼撒的內亂，此時可能就是這些國家想要趁亂聯絡埃及以擺脫巴比倫統治。後來謀反失敗，導致西底家在位第四年（西元前594/593年），西底家親自去巴比倫進行進貢、輸誠一類的彌補行動。
從這裡看見猶大之所以會遭難是因為他們還回頭找埃及不忠於巴比倫，但是上帝的旨意是要猶大國投向巴比倫，等候將來的歸回與重建的復興。然而猶太人不從，使得他們造成更大的浩劫，雖然如此，上帝仍然保守他們，為他們留餘種。
而上帝也是如此，在教會留餘種，使惡者無法完全消滅，正如世界各國的教會，在風雨飄搖中，都是主讓她復興起來！主不會讓仇敵勝過的！
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