Jeremiah 27-29
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Yoke of Babylon
27 At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah[a] son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:[b] 2 “This is what the Lord said to me: Make chains and yoke bars(A) for yourself and put them on your neck. 3 Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon(B) through messengers who are coming to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem. 4 Command them to go to their masters, saying: This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: This is what you must say to your masters: 5 By My great strength and outstretched arm,(C) I made the earth,(D) and the people, and animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please.[c](E) 6 So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant(F) Nebuchadnezzar,(G) king of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him. 7 All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, and then many nations and great kings will enslave him.(H)
8 “As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“until through him I have destroyed it. 9 But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, diviners,(I) dreamers, fortune-tellers,(J) or sorcerers(K) who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ 10 for they prophesy a lie to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish. 11 But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate[d] it and reside in it.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
Warning to Zedekiah
12 I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah(L) in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why should you and your people die(M) by the sword, famine, or plague as the Lord has threatened against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are telling you, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a lie to you.(N) 15 ‘I have not sent them’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘and they are prophesying falsely in My name; therefore, I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’”
16 Then I spoke to the priests and all these people, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets. They are prophesying to you, claiming, “Look, very soon now the articles of the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon.”(O) They are prophesying a lie to you. 17 Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?(P) 18 If they are indeed prophets and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them intercede with the Lord of Hosts not to let the articles that remain in the Lord’s temple, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem go to Babylon.’ 19 For this is what the Lord of Hosts says about the pillars, the sea, the water carts,(Q) and the rest of the articles that still remain in this city, 20 those Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he deported Jeconiah[e] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon along with all the nobles of Judah(R) and Jerusalem. 21 Yes, this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the temple of the Lord, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be brought to Babylon and will remain there until I attend to them again.’(S) This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’”(T)
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
28 In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah,(U) in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur from Gibeon(V) said to me in the temple of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people, 2 “This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.(W) 3 Within two years I will restore to this place all the articles of the Lord’s temple(X) that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from here and transported to Babylon. 4 And I will restore to this place Jeconiah[f] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah(Y) who went to Babylon’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
Jeremiah’s Response to Hananiah
5 The prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the temple of the Lord. 6 The prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen!(Z) May the Lord do so. May the Lord make the words you have prophesied come true and may He restore the articles of the Lord’s temple and all the exiles from Babylon to this place! 7 Only listen to this message I am speaking in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, disaster,[g] and plague against many lands and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace—only when the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the Lord has truly sent.”(AA)
Hananiah Breaks Jeremiah’s Yoke
10 The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke bar from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it.(AB) 11 In the presence of all the people Hananiah proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In this way, within two years I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Jeremiah the prophet then went on his way.
The Lord’s Word against Hananiah
12 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke bar from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet: 13 “Go say to Hananiah: This is what the Lord says, ‘You broke a wooden yoke bar, but in its place you will make an iron yoke bar.’ 14 For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations that they might serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,(AC) and they will serve him.(AD) I have also put the wild animals under him.’”(AE)
15 The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you, but you have led these people to trust in a lie.(AF) 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to send you off the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have spoken rebellion against the Lord.’”(AG) 17 And the prophet Hananiah died that year in the seventh month.
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles
29 This is the text of the letter(AH) that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exiles, the priests, the prophets, and all the people Nebuchadnezzar(AI) had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah,[h](AJ) the queen mother, the court officials, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metalsmiths had left Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah(AK) whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter stated:
4 This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and live in them.(AL) Plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. 7 Seek the welfare of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf,(AM) for when it has prosperity, you will prosper.”
8 For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you(AN) and your diviners deceive you,(AO) and don’t listen to the dreams you elicit from them, 9 for they are prophesying falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them.”(AP) This is the Lord’s declaration.
10 For this is what the Lord says: “When 70 years for Babylon are complete,(AQ) I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you”(AR)—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.(AS) 13 You will seek Me(AT) and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes[i](AU) and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”(AV)
15 You have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon!” 16 But this is what the Lord says concerning the king sitting on David’s throne and concerning all the people living in this city—that is, concerning your brothers who did not go with you into exile. 17 This is what the Lord of Hosts says: “I am about to send against them sword, famine, and plague(AW) and will make them like rotten figs that are inedible because they are so bad. 18 I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague. I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse and a desolation, an object of scorn and a disgrace among all the nations where I have banished them.(AX) 19 I will do this because they have not listened to My words”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“that I sent to them with My servants the prophets time and time again.[j](AY) And you too have not listened.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
20 Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.(AZ) 21 This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to Ahab son of Kolaiah and to Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, the ones prophesying a lie to you in My name:(BA) “I am about to hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes. 22 Based on what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will create a curse(BB) that says, ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!’(BC) 23 because they have committed an outrage(BD) in Israel by committing adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken a lie in My name, which I did not command them. I am He who knows, and I am a witness.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
24 To Shemaiah the Nehelamite you are to say, 25 “This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: You[k] in your own name have sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah(BE) son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying: 26 ‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest to be the chief officer(BF) in the temple of the Lord, responsible for every madman(BG) who acts like a prophet. You must confine him in the stocks(BH) and an iron collar. 27 So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who has been acting like a prophet among you?(BI) 28 For he has sent word to us in Babylon, claiming, “The exile will be long. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”(BJ)
29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.
A Message about Shemaiah
30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send a message to all the exiles, saying: This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and made you trust a lie,(BK) 32 this is what the Lord says: I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. There will not be even one of his descendants living among these people,(BL) nor will any ever see the good that I will bring to My people”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“for he has preached rebellion against the Lord.”(BM)
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 27:1 Some Hb mss, Syr, Arabic; other Hb mss, DSS read Jehoiakim
- Jeremiah 27:1 LXX omits this v.
- Jeremiah 27:5 Lit to whomever is upright in My eyes
- Jeremiah 27:11 Lit work
- Jeremiah 27:20 = Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 28:4 = Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 28:8 Some Hb mss, Vg read famine
- Jeremiah 29:2 = Jehoiachin
- Jeremiah 29:14 Or will end your captivity
- Jeremiah 29:19 Lit prophets, rising up early and sending
- Jeremiah 29:25 Lit Because you
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