27 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah when Josiah's son Zedekiah became king of Judah. 2 The Lord said to me, ‘Use wood and leather to make a yoke. Tie the yoke around your neck. [ a ] 3 Then send a message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon. Those kings have officers who have come to see King Zedekiah of Judah here in Jerusalem. 4 Give them this message to tell their masters:
“The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says, ‘Tell this to your masters: 5 I used my great power and strength to make this earth, as well as the people and the animals who live on it. I give these things that I have made to anyone that I choose. 6 Now I choose to give all your countries to my servant Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He will rule over you and even over the wild animals. 7 People from all nations will serve him. They will also serve his son and his grandson until the time of their kingdom has finished. Then great kings and people from many other nations will take away his power. 8 But if the people of any nation or kingdom refuse to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, I will punish those people. They must agree to work for him, like oxen that have a yoke around their necks. If they refuse, I will cause the king of Babylon to punish that nation. I will destroy them with war, famine or disease.
9 So do not listen to your prophets, or to your diviners. Do not listen to people who use dreams or magic or the spirits of dead people to tell you what will happen. Those people tell you that you will not have to serve the king of Babylon. 10 But the things that they say are lies, so do not agree with them. It will cause me to take you away from your own land. I will remove you to a country that is far away and you will die there. 11 But if the people of any nation agree to serve the king of Babylon, I will let them stay in their own land. If they work for him, with his yoke around their necks, they can continue to grow crops and live in their own land.’ That is what the Lord says.” ’
12 I gave the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. I told him, ‘Put the yoke of the king of Babylon around your neck. Agree to work for him and for his people. Then you will continue to live. 13 You and your people do not need to die. But war, famine or disease will destroy any nation that refuses to serve the king of Babylon. The Lord has said that this will happen. 14 So do not listen to the words of the prophets who say, “You will not have to serve the king of Babylon.” The things that they prophesy are lies. 15 The Lord says, “I have not sent those prophets. They are using my name to tell you lies. If you agree with them, I will chase you all out of the land, including those false prophets. You will die in a foreign land.” ’
16 I also spoke to the priests and to all the people. I told them, ‘The Lord says, “Do not listen to the words of your prophets. They say that the people of Babylon will soon bring back the valuable things that they took from the Lord 's temple. But the things that they tell you are lies. 17 Do not listen to them. Agree to serve the king of Babylon. Then you will continue to live. This city does not need to become a heap of stones!”
18 Perhaps you think that they are true prophets who speak the Lord 's messages. Then tell them to pray to the Lord Almighty for help. They should ask him to keep safe the valuable things that remain in Jerusalem. They should pray that the things in the Lord 's temple and in the king's palace would not be taken away to Babylon. 19 The Lord Almighty has already spoken about the valuable things that remain in this city. He has spoken about the two bronze pillars, the big bronze bath which is called “the Sea”, and the bronze carts to carry water. [ b ] 20 King Nebuchadnezzar did not take these things away with him when he took the king of Judah away as prisoner. He took away Jehoiakim's son, King Jeconiah of Judah, as well as the important people of Judah and Jerusalem. 21 Yes, Israel's God, the Lord Almighty has spoken about the things that still remain in Jerusalem, in the Lord 's temple and in the king's palace. 22 He has said, “King Nebuchadnezzar's men will take them away to Babylon. They will remain there until I decide to do something with them. Then I will bring them back here to Jerusalem again.” That is what the Lord says. ’
27 A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. It came during the fourth year that Zedekiah [ a ] son of Josiah was king of Judah. 2 This is what the Lord said to me: “Jeremiah, make a yoke out of straps and poles. Put that yoke on the back of your neck. 3 Then send a message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send the message with the messengers of these kings who have come to Jerusalem to see King Zedekiah of Judah. 4 Tell them to give the message to their masters. Tell them that this is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell your masters that 5 I made the earth and all the people on it. I made all the animals on the earth. I did this with my great power and my strong arm. I can give the earth to anyone I want. 6 Now I have given all your countries to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. He is my servant. I will make even the wild animals obey him. 7 All nations will serve Nebuchadnezzar and his son and his grandson. Then the time will come for Babylon to be defeated. Many nations and great kings will make Babylon their servant.
8 “‘But if some nations or kingdoms refuse to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and refuse to be put under his control, I will punish them, says the Lord . I will destroy them with war, hunger, and disease. I will use Nebuchadnezzar to destroy any nation that fights against him. 9 So don’t listen to your prophets. Don’t listen to those who use magic to tell what will happen in the future. Don’t listen to those who say they can interpret dreams. Don’t listen to those who talk to the dead or to people who practice magic. All of them tell you, “You will not be slaves to the king of Babylon.” 10 But they are telling you lies. They will only cause you to be taken far from your homeland. I will force you to leave your homes, and you will die in another land.
11 “‘But the nations that put their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and obey him will live. I will let them stay in their own country and serve the king of Babylon,’ says the Lord . ‘The people from those nations will live in their own land and farm it.’”
12 I gave the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. I said, “Zedekiah, you must place your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and obey him. If you serve the king of Babylon and his people, you will live. 13 If you don’t agree to serve the king of Babylon, you and your people will die from war, hunger, and disease. This is what the Lord said would happen. 14 But the false prophets are saying, ‘You will never be slaves to the king of Babylon.’
“Don’t listen to those prophets, because they are telling you lies. 15 ‘I didn’t send them,’ says the Lord . ‘They are telling lies and saying that the message is from me. So I will send you people of Judah away. You will die, and the prophets who spoke to you will die also.’”
16 Then I told the priests and all the people that this is what the Lord says: “Those false prophets are saying, ‘The Babylonians took many things from the Lord ’s Temple. These things will be brought back soon.’ Don’t listen to them because they are telling you lies. 17 Don’t listen to those prophets. Serve the king of Babylon. Accept your punishment, and you will live. There is no reason for you to cause this city of Jerusalem to be destroyed. 18 If they are prophets and their message is from the Lord , let them pray. Let them pray to the Lord about the things that are still in the Lord ’s Temple, in the king’s palace, and in Jerusalem. Let them pray that all those things will not be taken away to Babylon.
19 “This is what the Lord All-Powerful says about the things that are still left in Jerusalem. In the Temple, there are the pillars, the bronze sea, the moveable stands, and other things. [ b ] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left those things in Jerusalem. 20 He didn’t take them away when he took Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah away as a prisoner. Nebuchadnezzar also took other important people away from Judah and Jerusalem. 21 This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the people of Israel, says about the things still left in the Lord ’s Temple and in the king’s palace and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘All those things will also be taken to Babylon. They will be brought to Babylon until the day comes when I go to get them,’ says the Lord . ‘Then I will bring those things back. I will put them back in this place.’”
27 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the Lord , saying,
2 Thus saith the Lord to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;
4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;
5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.
6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord , with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord ; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
12 I spake also 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 ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
15 For I have not sent them, saith the Lord , yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.
16 Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the Lord ; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord 's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
17 Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?
18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the Lord be with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord , and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
19 For thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city.
20 Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, 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 Yea, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the 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 carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the Lord ; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.
27 In the beginning of the reign of [ a ] ( A ) Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord , saying— 2 this is what the Lord has said to me: “Make for yourself ( B ) restraints and ( C ) yokes and put them on your neck, 3 and send [ b ] word to the king of ( D ) Edom, the king of ( E ) Moab, the king of the sons of ( F ) Ammon, the king of ( G ) Tyre, and to the king of ( H ) Sidon [ c ] by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Order them to go to their masters, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 ‘ ( I ) I have made the earth, mankind, and the animals which are on the face of the earth ( J ) by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will ( K ) give it to the one who is [ d ] pleasing in My sight. 6 And now I ( L ) have handed all these lands over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, ( M ) My servant, and I have also given him the ( N ) animals of the field to serve him. 7 ( O ) All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson ( P ) until the time of his own land comes; then ( Q ) many nations and great kings will [ e ] make him their servant.
8 ‘And it will be that the nation or the kingdom which ( R ) will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the ( S ) sword, with famine, and with plague,’ declares the Lord , ‘until I have eliminated [ f ] it by his hand. 9 And as for you, ( T ) do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your [ g ] dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers who talk to you, saying, “You will not serve the king of Babylon.” 10 For they are prophesying a ( U ) lie to you in order to ( V ) remove you far from your land; and I will drive you away and you will perish. 11 But the nation that will ( W ) bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will ( X ) let remain on its land,’ declares the Lord , ‘and they will cultivate it and live in it.’”’”
12 I spoke words like all these to ( Y ) Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why should you ( Z ) die, you and your people, by the sword, famine, and plague, as the Lord has spoken to the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 So ( AA ) do not listen to the words of the prophets who talk to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a ( AB ) lie to you; 15 for ( AC ) I have not sent them,” declares the Lord , “but they are ( AD ) prophesying falsely in My name, so that I will ( AE ) drive you away and that you will perish, ( AF ) you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, “Behold, the ( AG ) vessels of the Lord ’ s house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon”; for they are prophesying a ( AH ) lie to you. 17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city ( AI ) become a place of ruins? 18 But ( AJ ) if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, have them now ( AK ) plead with the Lord of armies that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord and the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem do not go to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the ( AL ) pillars, concerning the [ h ] sea, concerning the kettle stands, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he ( AM ) led into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 Yes, this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 “They will be ( AN ) brought to Babylon and will be there until the ( AO ) day I visit them,” declares the Lord . “Then I will ( AP ) bring them [ i ] back and restore them to this place.”’”
27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah [ a ] ( A ) 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 ( B ) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. 3 Then send ( C ) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, ( D ) Tyre and Sidon ( E ) 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 ( F ) I made ( G ) the earth and its people and the animals ( H ) that are on it, and I give ( I ) it to anyone I please. 6 Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant ( J ) Nebuchadnezzar ( K ) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. ( L ) 7 All nations will serve ( M ) him and his son and his grandson until the time ( N ) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate ( O ) 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 ( P ) that nation with the sword, ( Q ) famine ( R ) and plague, ( S ) declares the Lord , until I destroy it by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets, ( T ) your diviners, ( U ) your interpreters of dreams, ( V ) your mediums ( W ) or your sorcerers ( X ) who tell you, ‘You will not serve ( Y ) the king of Babylon.’ 10 They prophesy lies ( Z ) to you that will only serve to remove ( AA ) 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 ( AB ) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live ( AC ) there, declares the Lord .”’”
12 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke ( AD ) of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. ( AE ) 13 Why will you and your people die ( AF ) by the sword, famine and plague ( AG ) with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen ( AH ) to the words of the prophets ( AI ) who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies ( AJ ) to you. 15 ‘I have not sent ( AK ) them,’ declares the Lord . ‘They are prophesying lies in my name. ( AL ) Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, ( AM ) 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 ( AN ) from the Lord ’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen ( AO ) to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. ( AP ) Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord , let them plead ( AQ ) 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, ( AR ) the movable stands and the other articles ( AS ) that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried ( AT ) Jehoiachin [ b ] ( AU ) 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 ( AV ) to Babylon and there they will remain until the day ( AW ) I come for them,’ declares the Lord . ‘Then I will bring ( AX ) them back and restore them to this place.’”
