Jeremiah 27:8
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.
The warning was directed to Judah together with the surrounding nations. Serving Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and putting the neck under his yoke was servitude God Himself appointed for a limited time. To refuse that divinely imposed servitude and to fight the decree was rebellion.
Any nation and kingdom that would not serve Nebuchadnezzar and would not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon would be punished with sword and with famine and with pestilence until consumed by his hand. Babylon itself was the instrument of that destruction, by whose hand the consumption would be carried out. Submission was the lightest punishment God would allow, while resistance brought the full rigor and force of His chastisement.
Those who accepted the yoke could remain in their own land and work it. The messages gave Judah an opportunity to avoid conflict with Babylon and to maintain friendly relations with its government. The nations were warned not to trust prophets and diviners who promised they would escape Babylonian rule.