Jeremiah 27:12–22

¹²I 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;

¹⁵for ^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.”

¹⁶Then 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,

²⁰which 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.’ ”