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Jeremiah 28-29
New International Version

The False Prophet Hananiah

28 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah(A) king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon,(B) said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: 2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke(C) of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles(D) of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin[a](E) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”(F)

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. 6 He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon.(G) 7 Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: 8 From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague(H) against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.(I)”

10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke(J) off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11 and he said(K) before all the people, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.’” At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.

12 After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. 14 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke(L) on the necks of all these nations to make them serve(M) Nebuchadnezzar(N) king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.(O)’”

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent(P) you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.(Q) 16 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth.(R) This very year you are going to die,(S) because you have preached rebellion(T) against the Lord.’”

17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.(U)

A Letter to the Exiles

29 This is the text of the letter(V) that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.(W) 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin[b](X) and the queen mother,(Y) the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried(Z) into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build(AA) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.(AB) 7 Also, seek(AC) the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray(AD) to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets(AE) and diviners among you deceive(AF) you. Do not listen to the dreams(AG) you encourage them to have.(AH) 9 They are prophesying lies(AI) to you in my name. I have not sent(AJ) them,” declares the Lord.

10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years(AK) are completed for Babylon, I will come to you(AL) and fulfill my good promise(AM) to bring you back(AN) to this place. 11 For I know the plans(AO) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper(AP) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(AQ) 12 Then you will call(AR) on me and come and pray(AS) to me, and I will listen(AT) to you. 13 You will seek(AU) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.(AV) 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back(AW) from captivity.[c] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”(AX)

15 You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” 16 but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— 17 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague(AY) against them and I will make them like figs(AZ) that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent(BA) to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse[d](BB) and an object of horror,(BC) of scorn(BD) and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19 For they have not listened to my words,”(BE) declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again(BF) by my servants the prophets.(BG) And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.

20 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent(BH) away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies(BI) to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. 22 Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned(BJ) in the fire.’ 23 For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery(BK) with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know(BL) it and am a witness(BM) to it,” declares the Lord.

Message to Shemaiah

24 Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, 25 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah(BN) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, 26 ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac(BO) who acts like a prophet into the stocks(BP) and neck-irons. 27 So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? 28 He has sent this message(BQ) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.(BR) Therefore build(BS) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”

29 Zephaniah(BT) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah(BU) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send(BV) him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, 32 this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.(BW) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good(BX) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion(BY) against me.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 28:4 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
  2. Jeremiah 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
  3. Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes
  4. Jeremiah 29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
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Jeremiah 28-29
New King James Version

Hananiah’s Falsehood and Doom

28 And (A)it happened in the same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the (B)fourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of (C)Azur the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 “Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘I have broken (D)the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 (E)Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (F)took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place [a]Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon,’ says the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”

5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord, 6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, (G)“Amen! The Lord do so; the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. 7 Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: 8 The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. 9 As for (H)the prophet who prophesies of (I)peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the (J)yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. 11 And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Even so I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (K)from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years.’ ” And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12 Now the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made in their place yokes of iron.” 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: (L)“I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. (M)I have given him the beasts of the field also.” ’ ”

15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Hear now, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, but (N)you make this people trust in a (O)lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall (P)die, because you have taught (Q)rebellion against the Lord.’ ”

17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives

29 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were (R)carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This happened after (S)Jeconiah[b] the king, the (T)queen mother, the [c]eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of (U)Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, (V)and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst (W)deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy (X)falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.

10 For thus says the Lord: After (Y)seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to (Z)return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will (AA)call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will (AB)listen to you. 13 And (AC)you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me (AD)with all your heart. 14 (AE)I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; (AF)I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

15 Because you have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon”— 16 (AG)therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity— 17 thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like (AH)rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I (AI)will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be (AJ)a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which (AK)I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the Lord. 20 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a (AL)lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. 22 (AM)And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, (AN)whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”; 23 because (AO)they have done disgraceful things in Israel, have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them. Indeed I (AP)know, and am a witness, says the Lord.

24 You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, (AQ)to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be (AR)officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is (AS)demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should (AT)put him in prison and in the stocks. 27 Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ”

29 Now Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 31 Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, (AU)and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a (AV)lie— 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his [d]family: he shall not have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he see the good that I will do for My people, says the Lord, (AW)because he has taught rebellion against the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 28:4 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:12
  2. Jeremiah 29:2 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:12; 2 Chr. 36:10
  3. Jeremiah 29:2 Or officers
  4. Jeremiah 29:32 descendants, lit. seed
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Jeremiah 28-29
New American Standard Bible

Hananiah’s False Prophecy

28 Now in the same year, (A)in the beginning of the reign of (B)Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, (C)Hananiah the prophet the son of Azzur, who was from (D)Gibeon, spoke to me at the house of the Lord in the sight of the priests and all the people, saying, 2 “(E)This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I am going to bring back to this place (F)all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from this place and brought to Babylon. 4 I am (G)also going to bring back to this place (H)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the (I)exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the (J)yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

5 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the sight of the priests and in the sight of all the people who were standing at the (K)house of the Lord, 6 and Jeremiah the prophet said, “(L)Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place. 7 Yet (M)hear now this word which I am going to speak [a]so that you and all the people can hear it! 8 The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times also (N)prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms regarding war, disaster, and plague. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, (O)when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the (P)yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11 Hananiah spoke in the sight of all the people, saying, “(Q)This is what the Lord says: ‘Even so within two full years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Then Jeremiah the prophet went his way.

12 Then the (R)word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 13 “Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You have broken the yokes of wood, but in their place you have made (S)yokes of iron.” 14 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “I have put a (T)yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall (U)serve him. And (V)I have also given him the animals of the field.”’” 15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah: the Lord has not sent you, and (W)you have made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘(X)Behold, I am going to [b]remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to (Y)die, because you (Z)spoke falsely against the Lord.’”

17 So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year, in the seventh month.

Message to the Exiles

29 Now these are the words of the (AA)letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King (AB)Jeconiah and the (AC)queen mother, the high officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalworkers had departed from Jerusalem.) 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of (AD)Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, 4 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I have (AE)sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘(AF)Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their [c]produce. 6 Take (AG)wives and father sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may give birth to sons and daughters; and grow in numbers there and do not decrease. 7 (AH)Seek the [d]prosperity of the city where I have sent you into exile, and (AI)pray to the Lord in its behalf; for [e]in its [f]prosperity will be your [g]prosperity.’ 8 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Do not let your (AJ)prophets who are in your midst or your diviners (AK)deceive you, and do not listen to their interpretations of (AL)your dreams which you dream. 9 For they (AM)prophesy falsely to you in My name; (AN)I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.

10 “For this is what the Lord says: ‘When (AO)seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My (AP)good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the (AQ)plans that I [h]have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for [i](AR)prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a (AS)hope. 12 Then you will (AT)call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will (AU)listen to you. 13 And you will (AV)seek Me and find Me when you (AW)search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will let Myself be (AX)found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will (AY)restore your fortunes and (AZ)gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will (BA)bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

15 “Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up (BB)prophets for us in Babylon’— 16 for this is what the Lord says concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who live in this city, your brothers who did (BC)not go with you into exile— 17 this is what the Lord of armies says: ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the (BD)sword, famine, and plague; and I will make them like (BE)rotten figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with plague; and I will (BF)make them an object of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a (BG)curse and an object of horror and [j](BH)hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have (BI)not listened to My words,’ declares the Lord, ‘which I sent to them again and again by (BJ)My servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the Lord. 20 ‘You, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles, whom I have (BK)sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are (BL)prophesying to you falsely in My name: “Behold, I am going to hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your eyes. 22 Because of them a (BM)curse will be [k]used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon (BN)roasted in the fire,’ 23 because they (BO)acted [l]foolishly in Israel, and (BP)committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and falsely (BQ)spoke words in My name which I did not command them. I am He who (BR)knows, and a witness,” declares the Lord.’”

24 Now you shall speak to (BS)Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘Because you have sent (BT)letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to (BU)the priest Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the [m](BV)overseer of the house of the Lord for every (BW)insane person who (BX)prophesies, to (BY)put him in the stocks and in the iron collar. 27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of (BZ)Anathoth who prophesies to you, 28 seeing that he has (CA)sent word to us in Babylon, saying, ‘[n]The exile will be (CB)long; (CC)build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their [o]produce’?”’”

29 Now (CD)Zephaniah the priest read this letter [p]to Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 31 “Send word to (CE)all the exiles, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning (CF)Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has (CG)prophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has (CH)made you trust in a lie,” 32 therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am going to (CI)punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his [q]descendants; he will (CJ)not have anyone living among this people, (CK)and he will not see the good that I am going to do for My people,” declares the Lord, “because he has (CL)spoken falsely against the Lord.”’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 28:7 Lit in your ears and the ears of...people
  2. Jeremiah 28:16 Lit send
  3. Jeremiah 29:5 Lit fruit
  4. Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
  5. Jeremiah 29:7 Or your prosperity will depend on its
  6. Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
  7. Jeremiah 29:7 Or peace
  8. Jeremiah 29:11 Lit am planning
  9. Jeremiah 29:11 Or salvation
  10. Jeremiah 29:18 Or whistling
  11. Jeremiah 29:22 Lit taken
  12. Jeremiah 29:23 Or sacrilegiously
  13. Jeremiah 29:26 Lit overseers
  14. Jeremiah 29:28 Lit It
  15. Jeremiah 29:28 Lit fruit
  16. Jeremiah 29:29 Lit in the ears of
  17. Jeremiah 29:32 Lit seed
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Jeremiah 28-29
New Living Translation

Jeremiah Condemns Hananiah

28 One day in late summer[a] of that same year—the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah—Hananiah son of Azzur, a prophet from Gibeon, addressed me publicly in the Temple while all the priests and people listened. He said, 2 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will remove the yoke of the king of Babylon from your necks. 3 Within two years I will bring back all the Temple treasures that King Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back Jehoiachin[b] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the other captives that were taken to Babylon. I will surely break the yoke that the king of Babylon has put on your necks. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”

5 Jeremiah responded to Hananiah as they stood in front of all the priests and people at the Temple. 6 He said, “Amen! May your prophecies come true! I hope the Lord does everything you say. I hope he does bring back from Babylon the treasures of this Temple and all the captives. 7 But listen now to the solemn words I speak to you in the presence of all these people. 8 The ancient prophets who preceded you and me spoke against many nations, always warning of war, disaster, and disease. 9 So a prophet who predicts peace must show he is right. Only when his predictions come true can we know that he is really from the Lord.”

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck and broke it in pieces. 11 And Hananiah said again to the crowd that had gathered, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Just as this yoke has been broken, within two years I will break the yoke of oppression from all the nations now subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.’” With that, Jeremiah left the Temple area.

12 Soon after this confrontation with Hananiah, the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: 13 “Go and tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but you have replaced it with a yoke of iron. 14 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: I have put a yoke of iron on the necks of all these nations, forcing them into slavery under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control.’”

15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, but the people believe your lies. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You must die. Your life will end this very year because you have rebelled against the Lord.’”

17 Two months later[c] the prophet Hananiah died.

A Letter to the Exiles

29 Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. 2 This was after King Jehoiachin,[d] the queen mother, the court officials, the other officials of Judah, and all the craftsmen and artisans had been deported from Jerusalem. 3 He sent the letter with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah when they went to Babylon as King Zedekiah’s ambassadors to Nebuchadnezzar. This is what Jeremiah’s letter said:

4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

8 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, 9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

15 You claim that the Lord has raised up prophets for you in Babylon. 16 But this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all those still living here in Jerusalem—your relatives who were not exiled to Babylon. 17 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “I will send war, famine, and disease upon them and make them like bad figs, too rotten to eat. 18 Yes, I will pursue them with war, famine, and disease, and I will scatter them around the world. In every nation where I send them, I will make them an object of damnation, horror, contempt, and mockery. 19 For they refuse to listen to me, though I have spoken to them repeatedly through the prophets I sent. And you who are in exile have not listened either,” says the Lord.

20 Therefore, listen to this message from the Lord, all you captives there in Babylon. 21 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says about your prophets—Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah—who are telling you lies in my name: “I will turn them over to Nebuchadnezzar[e] for execution before your eyes. 22 Their terrible fate will become proverbial, so that the Judean exiles will curse someone by saying, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned alive!’ 23 For these men have done terrible things among my people. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have lied in my name, saying things I did not command. I am a witness to this. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

A Message for Shemaiah

24 The Lord sent this message to Shemaiah the Nehelamite in Babylon: 25 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: You wrote a letter on your own authority to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, the priest, and you sent copies to the other priests and people in Jerusalem. You wrote to Zephaniah,

26 “The Lord has appointed you to replace Jehoiada as the priest in charge of the house of the Lord. You are responsible to put into stocks and neck irons any crazy man who claims to be a prophet. 27 So why have you done nothing to stop Jeremiah from Anathoth, who pretends to be a prophet among you? 28 Jeremiah sent a letter here to Babylon, predicting that our captivity will be a long one. He said, ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.’”

29 But when Zephaniah the priest received Shemaiah’s letter, he took it to Jeremiah and read it to him. 30 Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah: 31 “Send an open letter to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Since he has prophesied to you when I did not send him and has tricked you into believing his lies, 32 I will punish him and his family. None of his descendants will see the good things I will do for my people, for he has incited you to rebel against me. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”

Footnotes

  1. 28:1 Hebrew In the fifth month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. The fifth month in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign occurred within the months of August and September 593 B.c. Also see note on 1:3.
  2. 28:4 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin.
  3. 28:17 Hebrew In the seventh month of that same year. See 28:1 and the note there.
  4. 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin.
  5. 29:21 Hebrew Nebuchadrezzar, a variant spelling of Nebuchadnezzar.
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Jeremiah 28-29
The Message

From a Wooden to an Iron Yoke

28 1-2 Later that same year (it was in the fifth month of King Zedekiah’s fourth year) Hananiah son of Azzur, a prophet from Gibeon, confronted Jeremiah in the Temple of God in front of the priests and all the people who were there. Hananiah said:

2-4 “This Message is straight from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel: ‘I will most certainly break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Before two years are out I’ll have all the furnishings of God’s Temple back here, all the things that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon plundered and hauled off to Babylon. I’ll also bring back Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the exiles who were taken off to Babylon.’ God’s Decree. ‘Yes, I will break the king of Babylon’s yoke. You’ll no longer be in harness to him.’”

5-9 Prophet Jeremiah stood up to prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people who were in God’s Temple that day. Prophet Jeremiah said, “Wonderful! Would that it were true—that God would validate your preaching by bringing the Temple furnishings and all the exiles back from Babylon. But listen to me, listen closely. Listen to what I tell both you and all the people here today: The old prophets, the ones before our time, preached judgment against many countries and kingdoms, warning of war and disaster and plague. So any prophet who preaches that everything is just fine and there’s nothing to worry about stands out like a sore thumb. We’ll wait and see. If it happens, it happens—and then we’ll know that God sent him.”

10-11 At that, Hananiah grabbed the yoke from Jeremiah’s shoulders and smashed it. And then he addressed the people: “This is God’s Message: In just this way I will smash the yoke of the king of Babylon and get him off the neck of all the nations—and within two years.”

Jeremiah walked out.

12-14 Later, sometime after Hananiah had smashed the yoke from off his shoulders, Jeremiah received this Message from God: “Go back to Hananiah and tell him, ‘This is God’s Message: You smashed the wooden yoke-bars; now you’ve got iron yoke-bars. This is a Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s own God: I’ve put an iron yoke on all these nations. They’re harnessed to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They’ll do just what he tells them. Why, I’m even putting him in charge of the wild animals.’”

15-16 So prophet Jeremiah told prophet Hananiah, “Hold it, Hananiah! God never sent you. You’ve talked the whole country into believing a pack of lies! And so God says, ‘You claim to be sent? I’ll send you all right—right off the face of the earth! Before the year is out, you’ll be dead because you instigated sedition against God.’”

17 Prophet Hananiah died that very year, in the seventh month.

Plans to Give You the Future You Hope For

29 1-2 This is the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to what was left of the elders among the exiles, to the priests and prophets and all the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon from Jerusalem, including King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the government leaders, and all the skilled laborers and craftsmen.

3 The letter was carried by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter said:

4 This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, to all the exiles I’ve taken from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5 “Build houses and make yourselves at home.

“Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country.

6 “Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you’ll thrive in that country and not waste away.

7 “Make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare.

“Pray for Babylon’s well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you.”

8-9 Yes. Believe it or not, this is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God: “Don’t let all those so-called preachers and know-it-alls who are all over the place there take you in with their lies. Don’t pay any attention to the fantasies they keep coming up with to please you. They’re a bunch of liars preaching lies—and claiming I sent them! I never sent them, believe me.” God’s Decree!

10-11 This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

13-14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.

“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.

“I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

15-19 “But for right now, because you’ve taken up with these new-fangled prophets who set themselves up as ‘Babylonian specialists,’ spreading the word ‘God sent them just for us!’ God is setting the record straight: As for the king still sitting on David’s throne and all the people left in Jerusalem who didn’t go into exile with you, they’re facing bad times. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says, ‘Watch this! Catastrophe is on the way: war, hunger, disease! They’re a barrel of rotten apples. I’ll rid the country of them through war and hunger and disease. The whole world is going to hold its nose at the smell, shut its eyes at the horrible sight. They’ll end up in slum ghettos because they wouldn’t listen to a thing I said when I sent my servant-prophets preaching tirelessly and urgently. No, they wouldn’t listen to a word I said.’” God’s Decree.

20-23 “And you—you exiles whom I sent out of Jerusalem to Babylon—listen to God’s Message to you. As far as Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah are concerned, the ‘Babylonian specialists’ who are preaching lies in my name, I will turn them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will kill them while you watch. The exiles from Judah will take what they see at the execution and use it as a curse: ‘God fry you to a crisp like the king of Babylon fried Zedekiah and Ahab in the fire!’ Those two men, sex predators and prophet-impostors, got what they deserved. They pulled every woman they got their hands on into bed—their neighbors’ wives, no less—and preached lies claiming it was my Message. I never sent those men. I’ve never had anything to do with them.” God’s Decree.

“They won’t get away with a thing. I’ve witnessed it all.”

24-26 And this is the Message for Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel, says: You took it on yourself to send letters to all the people in Jerusalem and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and the company of priests. In your letter you told Zephaniah that God set you up as priest replacing priest Jehoiadah. He’s put you in charge of God’s Temple and made you responsible for locking up any crazy fellow off the street who takes it into his head to be a prophet.

27-28 “So why haven’t you done anything about muzzling Jeremiah of Anathoth, who’s going around posing as a prophet? He’s gone so far as to write to us in Babylon, ‘It’s going to be a long exile, so build houses and make yourselves at home. Plant gardens and prepare Babylonian recipes.’”

29 The priest Zephaniah read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah.

* * *

30-32 Then God told Jeremiah, “Send this Message to the exiles. Tell them what God says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Shemaiah is preaching lies to you. I didn’t send him. He is seducing you into believing lies. So this is God’s verdict: I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. He’s going to end up with nothing and no one. No one from his family will be around to see any of the good that I am going to do for my people because he has preached rebellion against me.” God’s Decree.

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