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Jeremiah 26-29
New King James Version
Jeremiah 26-29
New King James Version
Jeremiah Saved from Death(A)
26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in (B)the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’s house, (C)all the words that I command you to speak to them. (D)Do not diminish a word. 3 (E)Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may (F)relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.’ 4 And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: (G)“If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, 5 to heed the words of My servants the prophets (H)whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending them (but you have not heeded), 6 then I will make this house like (I)Shiloh, and will make this city (J)a curse to all the nations of the earth.” ’ ”
7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. 8 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You will surely die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be (K)desolate, without an inhabitant’?” And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat down in the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house. 11 And the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and all the people, saying, [a]“This man deserves to (L)die! For he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying: “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all the words that you have heard. 13 Now therefore, (M)amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, here (N)I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and [b]proper to you. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”
16 So the princes and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve to die. For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
17 (O)Then certain of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: 18 (P)“Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts:
(Q)“Zion shall be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem shall become (R)heaps of ruins,
And the mountain of the [c]temple
Like the [d]bare hills of the forest.” ’
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah ever put him to death? (S)Did he not fear the Lord and (T)seek the Lord’s favor? And the Lord (U)relented concerning the doom which He had pronounced against them. (V)But we are doing great evil against ourselves.”
20 Now there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath Jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah. 21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid and fled, and went to Egypt. 22 Then Jehoiakim the king sent men to Egypt: Elnathan the son of Achbor, and other men who went with him to Egypt. 23 And they brought Urijah from Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the [e]common people.
24 Nevertheless (W)the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
Symbol of the Bonds and Yokes
27 In[f] the beginning of the reign of [g]Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, (X)king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord to me: ‘Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, (Y)and put them on your neck, 3 and send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 And command them to say to their masters, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel—thus you shall say to your masters: 5 (Z)‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and (AA)have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. 6 (AB)And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (AC)My servant; and (AD)the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. 7 (AE)So all nations shall serve him and his son and his son’s son, (AF)until the time of his land comes; (AG)and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them. 8 And it shall be, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish,’ says the Lord, ‘with the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your [h]dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon.” 10 For they prophesy a (AH)lie to you, to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 11 But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let them remain in their own land,’ says the Lord, ‘and they shall till it and dwell in it.’ ” ’ ”
12 I also spoke to (AI)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 (AJ)Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Therefore (AK)do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy (AL)a lie to you; 15 for I have (AM)not sent them,” says the Lord, “yet they prophesy a lie 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, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, “Behold, (AN)the vessels of the Lord’s house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon”; for they prophesy a lie to you. 17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city be laid waste? 18 But if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, do not go to Babylon.’
19 “For thus says the Lord of hosts (AO)concerning the pillars, concerning the Sea, concerning the carts, and concerning the remainder of the vessels that remain in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take, when he carried away (AP)captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 yes, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the (AQ)vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem: 22 ‘They shall be (AR)carried to Babylon, and there they shall be until the day that I (AS)visit them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then (AT)I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’ ”
Hananiah’s Falsehood and Doom
28 And (AU)it happened in the same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the (AV)fourth year and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of (AW)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 (AX)the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 (AY)Within two full years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (AZ)took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4 And I will bring back to this place [i]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, (BA)“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 (BB)the prophet who prophesies of (BC)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 (BD)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 (BE)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: (BF)“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. (BG)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 (BH)you make this people trust in a (BI)lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall (BJ)die, because you have taught (BK)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 (BL)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 (BM)Jeconiah[j] the king, the (BN)queen mother, the [k]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 (BO)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, (BP)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 (BQ)deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy (BR)falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.
10 For thus says the Lord: After (BS)seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to (BT)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 (BU)call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will (BV)listen to you. 13 And (BW)you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me (BX)with all your heart. 14 (BY)I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; (BZ)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 (CA)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 (CB)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 (CC)will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be (CD)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 (CE)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 (CF)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 (CG)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, (CH)whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”; 23 because (CI)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 (CJ)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, (CK)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 (CL)officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is (CM)demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should (CN)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, (CO)and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a (CP)lie— 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his [l]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, (CQ)because he has taught rebellion against the Lord.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 26:11 Lit. A judgment of death to this man
- Jeremiah 26:14 right
- Jeremiah 26:18 Lit. house
- Jeremiah 26:18 Lit. high places
- Jeremiah 26:23 Lit. sons of the people
- Jeremiah 27:1 LXX omits v. 1.
- Jeremiah 27:1 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., Arab., Syr. Zedekiah (cf. 27:3, 12; 28:1)
- Jeremiah 27:9 Lit. dreams
- Jeremiah 28:4 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:12
- Jeremiah 29:2 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:12; 2 Chr. 36:10
- Jeremiah 29:2 Or officers
- Jeremiah 29:32 descendants, lit. seed
Jeremiah 26-29
New International Version
Jeremiah 26-29
New International Version
Jeremiah Threatened With Death
26 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard(B) of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord.(C) Tell(D) them everything I command you; do not omit(E) a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and each will turn(F) from their evil ways. Then I will relent(G) and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. 4 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen(H) to me and follow my law,(I) which I have set before you, 5 and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened(J)), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh(K) and this city a curse[a](L) among all the nations of the earth.’”
7 The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. 8 But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded(M) him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized(N) him and said, “You must die!(O) 9 Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”(P) And all the people crowded(Q) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the officials(R) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate(S) of the Lord’s house. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death(T) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”(U)
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials(V) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy(W) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.(X) 13 Now reform(Y) your ways and your actions and obey(Z) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent(AA) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, I am in your hands;(AB) do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood(AC) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words(AD) in your hearing.”
16 Then the officials(AE) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!(AF) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
17 Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, 18 “Micah(AG) of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“‘Zion(AH) will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(AI)
the temple hill(AJ) a mound overgrown with thickets.’[b](AK)
19 “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah(AL) fear the Lord and seek(AM) his favor? And did not the Lord relent,(AN) so that he did not bring the disaster(AO) he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster(AP) on ourselves!”
20 (Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim(AQ) was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim(AR) and all his officers and officials(AS) heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death.(AT) But Uriah heard of it and fled(AU) in fear to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan(AV) son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword(AW) and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)(AX)
24 Furthermore, Ahikam(AY) son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar
27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah[c](AZ) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke(BA) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. 3 Then send(BB) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,(BC) Tyre and Sidon(BD) through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: 5 With my great power and outstretched arm(BE) I made(BF) the earth and its people and the animals(BG) that are on it, and I give(BH) it to anyone I please. 6 Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant(BI) Nebuchadnezzar(BJ) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.(BK) 7 All nations will serve(BL) him and his son and his grandson until the time(BM) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate(BN) him.
8 “‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish(BO) that nation with the sword,(BP) famine(BQ) and plague,(BR) declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets,(BS) your diviners,(BT) your interpreters of dreams,(BU) your mediums(BV) or your sorcerers(BW) who tell you, ‘You will not serve(BX) the king of Babylon.’ 10 They prophesy lies(BY) to you that will only serve to remove(BZ) you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. 11 But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke(CA) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live(CB) there, declares the Lord.”’”
12 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke(CC) of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.(CD) 13 Why will you and your people die(CE) by the sword, famine and plague(CF) with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen(CG) to the words of the prophets(CH) who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies(CI) to you. 15 ‘I have not sent(CJ) them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.(CK) Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish,(CL) both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’”
16 Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles(CM) from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen(CN) to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live.(CO) Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead(CP) with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea,(CQ) the movable stands and the other articles(CR) that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried(CS) Jehoiachin[d](CT) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be taken(CU) to Babylon and there they will remain until the day(CV) I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring(CW) them back and restore them to this place.’”
The False Prophet Hananiah
28 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah(CX) king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon,(CY) 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(CZ) of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles(DA) 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[e](DB) 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.’”(DC)
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.(DD) 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(DE) 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.(DF)”
10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke(DG) off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11 and he said(DH) 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(DI) on the necks of all these nations to make them serve(DJ) Nebuchadnezzar(DK) king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals.(DL)’”
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent(DM) you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.(DN) 16 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth.(DO) This very year you are going to die,(DP) because you have preached rebellion(DQ) against the Lord.’”
17 In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.(DR)
A Letter to the Exiles
29 This is the text of the letter(DS) 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.(DT) 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin[f](DU) and the queen mother,(DV) 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(DW) into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build(DX) 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.(DY) 7 Also, seek(DZ) the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray(EA) 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(EB) and diviners among you deceive(EC) you. Do not listen to the dreams(ED) you encourage them to have.(EE) 9 They are prophesying lies(EF) to you in my name. I have not sent(EG) them,” declares the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years(EH) are completed for Babylon, I will come to you(EI) and fulfill my good promise(EJ) to bring you back(EK) to this place. 11 For I know the plans(EL) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper(EM) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(EN) 12 Then you will call(EO) on me and come and pray(EP) to me, and I will listen(EQ) to you. 13 You will seek(ER) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.(ES) 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back(ET) from captivity.[g] 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.”(EU)
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(EV) against them and I will make them like figs(EW) that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent(EX) to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse[h](EY) and an object of horror,(EZ) of scorn(FA) and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 19 For they have not listened to my words,”(FB) declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again(FC) by my servants the prophets.(FD) 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(FE) 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(FF) 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(FG) in the fire.’ 23 For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery(FH) with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know(FI) it and am a witness(FJ) 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(FK) 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(FL) who acts like a prophet into the stocks(FM) 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(FN) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.(FO) Therefore build(FP) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”
29 Zephaniah(FQ) 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(FR) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send(FS) 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.(FT) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good(FU) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion(FV) against me.’”
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 26:6 That is, its name will be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, others will see that it is cursed.
- Jeremiah 26:18 Micah 3:12
- Jeremiah 27:1 A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also 27:3,12 and 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts Jehoiakim (Most Septuagint manuscripts do not have this verse.)
- Jeremiah 27:20 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 28:4 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes
- Jeremiah 29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed.
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.