Jeremiah 26:1–28:17
1 In the beginning of the reign of aJehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying,
2 “Thus says the Lord, ‘aStand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have bcome to worship in the Lord’s house call the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. dDo not omit a word!
3 ‘aPerhaps they will listen and everyone will turn from his evil way, that bI may repent of the calamity which I am planning to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.’
4 “And you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “aIf you will not listen to Me, to bwalk in My law which I have set before you,
5 to listen to the words of aMy servants the prophets, whom I have been sending to you 1again and again, but you have not listened;
6 then I will make this house like aShiloh, and this city I will make a bcurse to all the nations of the earth.” ’ ”
7 The apriests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord.
8 When Jeremiah finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “aYou must die!
9 “Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh and this city will be adesolate, without inhabitant’?” And ball the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the aofficials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the house of the Lord and sat in the bentrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.
11 Then the priests and the prophets aspoke to the officials and to all the people, saying, “A bdeath sentence for this man! For he has prophesied cagainst this city as you have heard in your hearing.”
12 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and to all the people, saying, “aThe Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard.
13 “Now therefore aamend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will 1change His mind about the misfortune which He has pronounced against you.
14 “But as for me, behold, aI am in your hands; do with me as is good and right in your sight.
15 “Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring ainnocent blood on yourselves, and 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 Then the officials and all the people asaid to the priests and to the prophets, “No bdeath sentence for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
17 Then asome of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,
18 “1aMicah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus the Lord of hosts has said,
“bZion will be plowed as a field,
And Jerusalem will become ruins,
And the cmountain of the house as the 2high places of a forest.” ’
19 “Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not afear the Lord and entreat the favor of the Lord, and bthe Lord 1changed His mind about the misfortune which He had pronounced against them? But we are ccommitting a great evil against ourselves.”
20 Indeed, there was also a man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from aKiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land words similar to all those of Jeremiah.
21 When King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and all the officials heard his words, then the aking sought to put him to death; but Uriah heard it, and he was afraid and bfled and went to Egypt.
22 Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: aElnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him went into Egypt.
23 And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who aslew him with a sword and cast his dead body into the 1burial place of the 2common people.
24 But the hand of aAhikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was bnot given into the hands of the people to put him to death.
The Nations to Submit to Nebuchadnezzar
1 In the beginning of the reign of 1aZedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying—
2 thus says the Lord to me—“Make for yourself abonds and byokes and put them on your neck,
3 and send 1word to the king of aEdom, to the king of aMoab, to the king of the sons of aAmmon, to the king of aTyre and to the king of aSidon 2by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
4 “Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters,
5 “aI have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth bby My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will cgive it to the one who is 1pleasing in My sight.
6 “Now I ahave given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, bMy servant, and I have given him also the cwild animals of the field to serve him.
7 “aAll the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson buntil the time of his own land comes; then cmany nations and great kings will 1make him their servant.
8 “It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which awill not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the bsword, with famine and with pestilence,” declares the Lord, “until I have destroyed 1it by his hand.
9 “But as for you, ado not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your 1dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
10 “For they prophesy a alie to you in order to bremove you far from your land; and I will drive you out and you will perish.
11 “But the nation which will abring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will blet remain on its land,” declares the Lord, “and they will till it and dwell in it.” ’ ”
12 I spoke words like all these to aZedekiah 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 will you adie, you and your people, by the sword, famine and pestilence, as the Lord has spoken to that nation which will not serve the king of Babylon?
14 “So ado not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a blie to you;
15 for aI have not sent them,” declares the Lord, “but they bprophesy falsely in My name, in order that I may cdrive you out and that you may perish, dyou and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
16 Then 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, the avessels of the Lord’s house will now shortly be brought again from Babylon’; for they are prophesying a blie to you.
17 “Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city abecome a ruin?
18 “But aif they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now bentreat 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 in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.
19 “For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the apillars, concerning the sea, concerning the 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 acarried into exile 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 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 acarried to Babylon and they will be there until the bday I visit them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will cbring them 1back and restore them to this place.’ ”
1 Now in the same year, ain the beginning of the reign of bZedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, cHananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was from dGibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying,
2 “aThus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
3 ‘Within two years I am going to bring back to this place aall the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.
4 ‘I am aalso going to bring back to this place bJeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the cexiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the dyoke 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 were standing in the ahouse of the Lord,
6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “aAmen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord 1confirm your words which you have prophesied to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place.
7 “Yet ahear 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 aprophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms, of war and of calamity and of pestilence.
9 “The prophet who prophesies of peace, awhen the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”
10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the ayoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it.
11 Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “aThus says the Lord, ‘Even so will I break within two