Jeremiah 27-28

International Standard Version

Jeremiah Tells the Nations to Submit to Babylon

27 At the beginning of the reign of Josiah’s son Jehoiakim, king of Judah, this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² this is what the Lord says to me: “Make restraints and yokes for yourself and put them on your neck. ³ Then send messengers^[a] to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon through the envoys^[b] who come to Jerusalem to king Zedekiah of Judah. ⁴ Give them this order for their masters: ‘This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says, and this is what you are to say to your masters, ⁵ “By my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth, mankind, and the animals that are on the face of the earth, and I give it to whomever I see fit.^{[c] 6} Now I’ve given all these lands to my servant, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I’ve even given him the wild animals to serve him. ⁷ All the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until his country’s time also comes, and then many nations and great kings will use him as a slave. ⁸ If a nation and kingdom does not serve him—King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—and does not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I’ll judge that nation with the sword, with famine, and with plague,” declares the Lord, “until I’ve completely destroyed it by his hand. ⁹ You aren’t to listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers,^[d] your soothsayers, and your sorcerers who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon.’ ¹⁰ They’re prophesying a lie to you in order to remove you far away from your land. I’ll drive you out and you will perish. ¹¹ But I’ll let the nation that brings its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him remain in its own land,” declares the Lord, “and they’ll work it and remain in it.”’”

Zedekiah Told to Submit to Babylon

¹² I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah using words like these: “Bring your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people, and you will live! ¹³ Why should you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by plague as the Lord has decreed about the nation that does not serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴ Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You won’t serve the king of Babylon.’ Indeed, they’re prophesying a lie to you. ¹⁵ For I didn’t send them,” declares the Lord, “and they’re falsely prophesying in my name, so I will drive both you and the prophets who prophesy to you out of the land.”

The People and Priests Told to Submit to Babylon

¹⁶ Then I spoke to the priests and all of the people: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you: “The vessels from the Temple are about to be returned from Babylon very soon now.” Indeed, they’re prophesying a lie to you. ¹⁷ Don’t listen to them! Serve the king of Babylon and you’ll live. Why should this city become a ruin? ¹⁸ If they’re prophets, and if they have a message from the Lord, let them plead with the Lord of the Heavenly Armies so that the utensils that remain in the Lord’s Temple, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem might not be taken to Babylon. ¹⁹ For this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says about the pillars, the bronze sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that remain in this city ²⁰ that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon didn’t take when he took Jehoiakim’s son Jeconiah, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem from Jerusalem into exile to Babylon— ²¹ For this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel says about the vessels that remain in the Lord’s Temple, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, ²² “They’ll go into Babylon and there they’ll remain until the time I take note of them,” declares the Lord. “Then I’ll bring them up and return them to this place.”’”

Jeremiah Challenges a False Prophet

28 In that same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, in the fourth year and the fifth month, Azzur’s son Hananiah, the prophet from Gibeon, told me at the Lord’s Temple in front of the priests and all the people, ² “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I’ve broken the yoke of the king of Babylon, ³ and within two years I’ll bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s Temple that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from this place and carried to Babylon. ⁴ I’ll bring back Jehoiakim’s son Jeconiah, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon to this place,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I’ll break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

⁵ The prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all^[e] the people who were standing in the Lord’s Temple. ⁶ The prophet Jeremiah said, “May the Lord truly do this thing! May the Lord fulfill the words^[f] that you prophesied to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s Temple and all the exiles from Babylon to this place. ⁷ But please listen to what I’m saying in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. ⁸ The prophets who came before us^[g] from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and plague against many lands and great kingdoms. ⁹ When a prophet prophesies peace, and what the prophet speaks comes about, he will be known as the prophet whom the Lord has truly sent.”

¹⁰ Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke^[h] from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. ¹¹ Hananiah, in front of all the people, said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the same way, within two years, I’ll break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Then Jeremiah the prophet went on his way.

¹² This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke^[i] from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet: ¹³ “Go and say to Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You have broken wooden yokes,^[j] but you have made iron yokes^[k] in their place.” ¹⁴ For this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “I’ve put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They’ll serve him, and I’ve even given the wild animals to him.”’”

¹⁵ The prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord didn’t send you, and you are causing these people to trust in a lie. ¹⁶ Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I’m about to remove^[l] you from the face of the earth. This year you will die because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”

¹⁷ So the prophet Hananiah died in the seventh month of that year.