Jeremiah 27:12–22

WARNING TO ZEDEKIAH

¹²I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah^q in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live! ¹³Why should you and your people die^r by the sword, famine, and plague as the Lord has threatened against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are telling you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a lie to you.^{s 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.’ ”

¹⁶Then 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.”^t They are prophesying a lie to you. ¹⁷Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?^{u 18}If they are indeed prophets and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them intercede with the Lord of Armies 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.’ ¹⁹For this is what the Lord of Armies says about the pillars, the basin,^A the water carts,^v and the rest of the articles that still remain in this city, ²⁰those King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take when he deported Jeconiah^B son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon along with all the nobles of Judah^w and Jerusalem. ²¹Yes, this is what the Lord of Armies, 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 taken to Babylon and will remain there until I attend to them again.’^x This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’ ”^y