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,

This message came to Jeremiah from the Lord at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah.

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

This is what the Lord told me: Make for yourself a harness and a yoke and strap 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 a message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the ambassadors who have come to Jerusalem to see 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 this order from the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, to convey 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.

It was by my strength and creative power that I made the earth and the human beings and animals that live there, and I give it to those who are right in my sight.

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.

Now I have placed my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon in charge of all these countries. I have even given him control over the wild animals.

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 that his own land comes under the control of other nations and powerful kings.

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.

Any nation or kingdom that doesn't serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and doesn't submit to him I will punish that nation by war and famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I let Nebuchadnezzar destroy it completely.

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':

Don't you listen to your prophets, your fortune-tellers, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your magicians when they tell you, “You won't 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.

They're prophesying a lie to you that will lead to your removal from your country. I will expel you and you will die.

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 a nation that submits to the king of Babylon and serves him, I will leave in its own land, to cultivate it and live 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.

I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah: Submit to 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 war and famine and plague, as the Lord has said he would bring 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.

Don't listen to messages from prophets who say, “You won't serve the king of Babylon,” for they are prophesying a lie to you.

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.'"

I didn't send them, declares the Lord, and yet they are giving false prophecies in my name. So I will expel you and you will die—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 told the priests and all the people, This is what the Lord says: Don't listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, “Look! The objects from the Lord's Temple will shortly be returned from Babylon.” They are prophesying a lie to you.

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

Don't listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city be destroyed?

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 truly prophets and really have the word of the Lord with them, they should be pleading now with the Lord Almighty that what's left in the Lord's Temple, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, isn't 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,

This what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze sea, the bases, and the rest of the objects that are left in Jerusalem:

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;

everything Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon didn't take when he took Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, together 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:

Again, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the objects left in the Lord's Temple, 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 taken away to Babylon and will stay there until the time I see to them again, declares the Lord. Only then will I bring them back so they will be in Jerusalem again.