Jeremiah 27

1 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,

At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.

2 "Thus says YHWH to me: Make bonds and bars, and put them on your neck;

This is what the LORD said to me: “Make for yourself a yoke out of leather straps and put it on your neck.

3 and send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the people of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah;

Send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

4 and give them a command to their masters, saying, 'Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, You shall tell your masters:

Give them a message from the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to relay to their masters:

5 "I have made the earth, the men and the animals that are on the surface of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it to whom it seems right to me.

By My great power and outstretched arm, I made the earth and the men and beasts on the face of it, and I give it to whom I please.

6 Now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the animals of the field also have I given him to serve him.

So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.

7 All the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the time of his own land come: and then many nations and great kings shall make him their bondservant.

All nations will serve him and his son and grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will enslave him.

8 It shall happen, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, says YHWH, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation by sword and famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand.

9 But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon':

But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

10 for they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land, and that I should drive you out, and you should perish.

For they prophesy to you a lie that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you and you will perish.

11 But the nation that shall bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, that nation will I let remain in their own land, says YHWH; and they shall till it, and dwell in it."'"

But the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave in its own land, to cultivate it and reside in it, declares the LORD.”

12 I spoke 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.

And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!

13 Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as YHWH has spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

Why should you and your people die by sword and famine and plague, as the LORD has decreed against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon?

14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon'; for they prophesy a lie to you.

Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying to you a lie.

15 'For I have not sent them,' says YHWH, 'but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you, and the prophets who prophesy to you.'"

For I have not sent them, declares the LORD, and yet they are prophesying falsely in My name; therefore I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”

16 Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, "Thus says YHWH: 'Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, Look, the vessels of YHWH's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon; for they prophesy a lie to you.

Then I said to the priests and to all this people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Look, very soon now the articles from the house of the LORD will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie.

17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: why should this city become a desolation?'

Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

18 But if they are prophets and if the word of YHWH is with them, let them now make intercession with YHWH of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of YHWH, and in the house of the king of Judah and at Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.

If they are indeed prophets and the word of the LORD is with them, let them now plead with the LORD of Hosts that the articles remaining in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, not be taken to Babylon.

19 For thus says YHWH of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city,

For this is what the LORD of Hosts says about the pillars, the sea, the bases, and the rest of the articles that remain in this city,

20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take, 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;

which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.

21 yes, thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of YHWH, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem:

Yes, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem:

22 'They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be, until the day that I visit them,' says YHWH; 'then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.'"

‘They will be carried to Babylon and will remain there until the day I attend to them again,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’”