Jeremiah 27
English Standard Version
The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar
27 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah[a] the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 2 Thus the Lord said to me: (A)“Make yourself straps and (B)yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Send word[b] to the king of (C)Edom, the king of (D)Moab, the king of the sons of (E)Ammon, the king of (F)Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 “It is I who (G)by my great power and my outstretched arm (H)have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, (I)and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6 (J)Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, (K)my servant, (L)and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. 7 (M)All the nations shall serve him and (N)his son and (O)his grandson, (P)until the time of his own land comes. (Q)Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.
8 “‘“But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (R)and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation (S)with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the Lord, until I have consumed it by his hand. 9 So (T)do not listen to your (U)prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your (V)fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10 (W)For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 11 (X)But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the Lord.”’”
12 To (Y)Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: (Z)“Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and (AA)serve him and his people and live. 13 (AB)Why will you and your people die (AC)by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, (AD)as the Lord has spoken concerning any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 (AE)Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ (AF)for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you. 15 I have not sent them, declares the Lord, but (AG)they are prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.”
16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: (AH)Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, (AI)‘Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon,’ (AJ)for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you. 17 (AK)Do not listen to them; (AL)serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city (AM)become a desolation? 18 If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then (AN)let them intercede with the Lord of hosts, (AO)that the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. 19 (AP)For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away, (AQ)when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, (AR)concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: 22 (AS)They shall be carried to Babylon (AT)and remain there (AU)until the day when I visit them, declares the Lord. (AV)Then I will bring them back (AW)and restore them to this place.”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 27:1 Or Jehoiakim
- Jeremiah 27:3 Hebrew Send them
Jeremiah 27
New Living Translation
Jeremiah Wears an Ox Yoke
27 This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord early in the reign of Zedekiah[a] son of Josiah, king of Judah.
2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke, and fasten it on your neck with leather straps. 3 Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their ambassadors who have come to see King Zedekiah in Jerusalem. 4 Give them this message for their masters: ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: 5 With my great strength and powerful arm I made the earth and all its people and every animal. I can give these things of mine to anyone I choose. 6 Now I will give your countries to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who is my servant. I have put everything, even the wild animals, under his control. 7 All the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until his time is up. Then many nations and great kings will conquer and rule over Babylon. 8 So you must submit to Babylon’s king and serve him; put your neck under Babylon’s yoke! I will punish any nation that refuses to be his slave, says the Lord. I will send war, famine, and disease upon that nation until Babylon has conquered it.
9 “‘Do not listen to your false prophets, fortune-tellers, interpreters of dreams, mediums, and sorcerers who say, “The king of Babylon will not conquer you.” 10 They are all liars, and their lies will lead to your being driven out of your land. I will drive you out and send you far away to die. 11 But the people of any nation that submits to the king of Babylon will be allowed to stay in their own country to farm the land as usual. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”
12 Then I repeated this same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. “If you want to live, submit to the yoke of the king of Babylon and his people. 13 Why do you insist on dying—you and your people? Why should you choose war, famine, and disease, which the Lord will bring against every nation that refuses to submit to Babylon’s king? 14 Do not listen to the false prophets who keep telling you, ‘The king of Babylon will not conquer you.’ They are liars. 15 This is what the Lord says: ‘I have not sent these prophets! They are telling you lies in my name, so I will drive you from this land. You will all die—you and all these prophets, too.’”
16 Then I spoke to the priests and the people and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to your prophets who claim that soon the gold articles taken from my Temple will be returned from Babylon. It is all a lie! 17 Do not listen to them. Surrender to the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this whole city be destroyed? 18 If they really are prophets and speak the Lord’s messages, let them pray to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Let them pray that the articles remaining in the Lord’s Temple and in the king’s palace and in the palaces of Jerusalem will not be carried away to Babylon!’
19 “For the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has spoken about the pillars in front of the Temple, the great bronze basin called the Sea, the water carts, and all the other ceremonial articles. 20 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left them here when he exiled Jehoiachin[b] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, to Babylon, along with all the other nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. 21 Yes, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says about the precious things still in the Temple, in the palace of Judah’s king, and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will all be carried away to Babylon and will stay there until I send for them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back to Jerusalem again.’”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
