Unfortunately Zedekiah temporized; he courted all parties in turn, and listened to the schemes of rebellion,—­for all the nations of Palestine were either conquered or invaded by the Chaldeans, and wished to shake off the yoke.  Nebuchadnezzar lost faith in Zedekiah; and being irritated by his intrigues, he resolved to attack Jerusalem while he was conducting the siege of Tyre and fighting with Egypt, a rival power.  Jerusalem was in his way.  It was a small city, but it gave him annoyance, and he resolved to crush it.  It was to him what Tyre became to Alexander in his conquests.  It lay between him and Egypt, and might be dangerous by its alliances.  It was a strong citadel which he had unwisely spared, but determined to spare no longer.

The suspicions of the king of Babylonia were probably increased by the disaffection of the Jewish exiles themselves, who believed in the overthrow of Nebuchadnezzar and their own speedy return to their native hills.  A joint embassy was sent from Edom, from Moab, the Ammonites, and the kings of Tyre and Sidon, to Jerusalem, with the hope that Zedekiah would unite with them in shaking off the Babylonian yoke; and these intrigues were encouraged by Egypt.  Jeremiah, who foresaw the consequences of all this, earnestly protested.  And to make his protest more forcible, he procured a number of common ox-yokes, and having put one on his own neck while the embassy was in the city, he sent one to each of the envoys, with the following message to their masters:  “Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel.  I have made the earth and man and the beasts on the face of the earth by my great power, and I give it to whom I see fit.  And now I have given all these lands into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to serve him.  And all nations shall serve him, till the time of his own land comes; and then many nations and great kings shall make him their servant.  And the nation and people that will not serve him, and that does not give its own neck to the yoke, that nation I will punish with sword, famine, and pestilence, till I have consumed them by his hand.”  A similar message he sent to Zedekiah and the princes who seemed to have influenced him.  “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, and ye shall live.  Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon.  They prophesy a lie to you.”  The same message in substance he sent to the priests and people, urging them not to listen to the voice of the false prophets, who based their opinions on the anticipated interference of God to save Jerusalem from destruction; for that destruction would surely come if its people did not serve the king of Babylonia until the appointed time should come, when Babylon itself should fall into the hands of enemies more powerful than itself, even the Medes and Persians.