Make thee bends and yokes; rather, bands and poles; i.e. the bands which secured the two pieces of wood placed respectively above and beneath the neck of the ox, so forming a yoke. Hence, in Le Jeremiah 26:13, we find the phrase, "the poles [Authorized Version wrongly, 'the bands'] of your yoke."
It is clear from Jeremiah 28:10 that this account is to be taken literally.