And it shall come to pass, [that] the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
Ver. 8. And it shall come to pass that the nation, &c.] It is better, then, to serve a foreign prince than to perish by the sword, famine, or pestilence. It should not be grievous to any man to sacrifice all his outward comforts to the service of his life.
And that will not put their neck under the yoke.] The Lord disposeth of the kingdoms of the heathens also, though in such a way as may seem to us to be mere hap hazard.
That nation will I punish.] By seeking to shun a less mischief, they shall fall into a greater; if they escape frost, they shall meet with snow.