Hananiah’s Rebellion Against Yahweh

28 Now it happened 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, that ^(C)Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was from ^(D)Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of Yahweh in the sight of the priests and all the people, saying, ² “^(E)Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. ³ Within two years I am going to return to this place ^(F)all the vessels of the house of Yahweh, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. ⁴ I am ^(G)also going to return to this place ^(H)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the ^(I)exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares Yahweh, ‘for I will break the ^(J)yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the sight of the priests and in the sight of all the people who were standing in the ^(K)house of Yahweh, ⁶ and the prophet Jeremiah said, “^(L)Amen! May Yahweh do so; may Yahweh establish your words which you have prophesied to return the vessels of the house of Yahweh and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place. ⁷ Yet ^(M)hear now this word which I am about to speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people! ⁸ The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times ^(N)prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms, of war and of calamity and of pestilence. ⁹ 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 Yahweh has truly sent.”

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

¹² Then the ^(R)word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar of the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ¹³ “Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “You have broken the bars of a yoke made of wood, but you have made in their place the ^(S)bars of a yoke made of iron.” ¹⁴ For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “I have put a ^(T)yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will ^(U)serve him. And ^(V)I have even given him the beasts of the field.”’” ¹⁵ Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah, Yahweh has not sent you, and ^(W)you have made this people trust in a lie. ¹⁶ Therefore thus says Yahweh, ‘^(X)Behold, I am about to ^[a]remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to ^(Y)die because you have ^(Z)spoken rebellion against Yahweh.’”

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