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Jeremiah Uses Fetters and Yokes to Illustrate His Message of Submission

27 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying[a] thus said Yahweh to me—“Make for yourself fetters and yokes and put them on your neck, and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites,[b] and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon in the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem, to Zedekiah, the king of Judah. And you must command them for their masters, saying,[c] ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, this you shall say to your masters: “I have made the earth with humankind and animals[d] that are on the face of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and I give it to whomever is right in my eyes. And now I myself have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and also the animals[e] of the field I have given to him to serve him. And all the nations will serve him, and his son, and his grandson,[f] until the coming of the time of his own[g] land. Then many nations and great kings will let him work.

“But it will be that the nation or kingdom that will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put his neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, and with the famine, and with the plague,” declares[h] Yahweh, “until I have destroyed it with my hand. And you, you must not listen to your prophets, and to your diviners, and to your dreamers, and to your interpreters of signs, and to your sorcerers who are saying,[i] ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10 For they are prophesying to you a lie, so that you will be removed from your land, and I will drive you away, and you will perish. 11 But the nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and will serve him, yet will I leave it on its land,” declares[j] Yahweh, “and they will till it, and they will live in it.”’”

12 And I spoke words like these to Zedekiah, the king of Judah, saying,[k] “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13 Why should you die—you and your people—by the sword, by the famine, and by the plague, as Yahweh has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 And you must not listen to the words of the prophets who are speaking to you, saying,[l] ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a lie to you. 15 For I have not sent them,” declares[m] Yahweh, “but they are prophesying in my name falsely,[n] so that I will drive them away. And you will perish—you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.”

The Vessels of the Temple

16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying,[o] “Thus says Yahweh, ‘You must not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying,[p] “Look, the vessels of the house of Yahweh are about to be quickly brought back from Babylon”, for they are prophesying a lie to you. 17 And you must not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a site of ruins? 18 But if they are prophets, and if there is with them the word of Yahweh, let them please plead with Yahweh of hosts, that the vessels that are left over in the temple[q] of Yahweh, and the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, must not go to Babylon.’

19 For thus says Yahweh of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the stands, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, did not take when he deported Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with[r] all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. 21 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of Yahweh, and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be brought to Babylon, and there they will stay until the day of my attending to them,’ declares[s] Yahweh. ‘Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 27:1 Literally “to say”
  2. Jeremiah 27:3 Literally “sons of Ammon”
  3. Jeremiah 27:4 Literally “to say”
  4. Jeremiah 27:5 Hebrew “animal”
  5. Jeremiah 27:6 Hebrew “animal”
  6. Jeremiah 27:7 Literally “the son of his son”
  7. Jeremiah 27:7 Literally “also his”
  8. Jeremiah 27:8 Literally “a declaration of”
  9. Jeremiah 27:9 Literally “to say”
  10. Jeremiah 27:11 Literally “a declaration of”
  11. Jeremiah 27:12 Literally “to say”
  12. Jeremiah 27:14 Literally “to say”
  13. Jeremiah 27:15 Literally “a declaration of”
  14. Jeremiah 27:15 Literally “to the lie”
  15. Jeremiah 27:16 Literally “to say”
  16. Jeremiah 27:16 Literally “to say”
  17. Jeremiah 27:18 Literally “house”
  18. Jeremiah 27:20 Literally “and”
  19. Jeremiah 27:22 Literally “a declaration of”

27 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, Yahweh says to me: “Make bonds and bars, and put them on your neck. Then send them to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them a command to their masters, saying, ‘Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says, “You shall tell your masters: ‘I have made the earth, the men, and the animals that are on the surface of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm. I give it to whom it seems right to me. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant. I have also given the animals of the field to him to serve him. All the nations will serve him, his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings will make him their bondservant.

“‘“‘It will happen that I will punish the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon,’ says Yahweh, ‘with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. But as for you, don’t listen to your prophets, to your diviners, to your dreams, to your soothsayers, or to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon;” 10 for they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land, so that I would drive you out, and you would perish. 11 But the nation that brings their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, that nation I will let remain in their own land,’ says Yahweh; ‘and they will till it and dwell in it.’”’”

12 I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. 13 Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as Yahweh has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon;’ for they prophesy a lie to you. 15 For I have not sent them,” says Yahweh, “but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you, and the prophets who prophesy to you.”

16 Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, Yahweh says, “Don’t listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of Yahweh’s house will now shortly be brought again from Babylon;’ for they prophesy a lie to you. 17 Don’t listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city become a desolation? 18 But if they are prophets, and if Yahweh’s word is with them, let them now make intercession to Yahweh of Armies, that the vessels which are left in Yahweh’s house, in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, don’t go to Babylon. 19 For Yahweh of Armies says concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the bases, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon didn’t take when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; 21 yes, Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning the vessels that are left in Yahweh’s house, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be carried to Babylon, and there they will be, until the day that I visit them,’ says Yahweh; ‘then I will bring them up, and restore them to this place.’”