12 The Lord then said, "You are right, for I’m watching over my word until it is fulfilled."
13 The Lord asked me again, "What do you see?"I said, "A pot boiling over from the north."
14 The Lord said to me, "Trouble will erupt from the north against the people of this land."
15 I’m calling for all the tribes of great nations from the north, says the Lord, and they will set up their rulers by the entrances of Jerusalem, on its walls, and in every city of Judah.
16 I will declare my judgment against them for doing evil: for abandoning me, worshipping other gods, and trusting in the works of their hands.
17 But you must prepare for battle and be ready to utter every word I command you. Don’t be frightened before them, or I will frighten you before them.
18 Today I have made you an armed city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall against the entire land—the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and all its people.