Jeremiah 28:1–11

Hananiah’s False Prophecy

¹Now 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.’ ”

⁵Then 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,

⁶and 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.”

¹⁰Then Hananiah the prophet took the ^ayoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it.

¹¹Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “^aThus says the Lord, ‘Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’ ” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.