Jeremiah 27

1 Soon after Zedekiah became the King of Judah, Yahweh gave a message to me.

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word unto Jeremiah, from Yahweh, saying:

2 This is what he said to me: “Make a (yoke/set of wooden bars to fasten around the neck of an ox), but fasten it around your own neck with leather straps.

Thus, said Yahweh unto me, Make thee, bonds and bars, and put them upon thine own neck.

3 [Then] send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, by telling those messages to the ambassadors from those countries who have come to Jerusalem to [talk to] King Zedekiah.

Then shalt thou send them unto the king of Edom and unto the king of Moab and unto the king of the sons of Ammon, and unto the king of Tyre and unto the king of Zidon, —by the hand of messengers coming into Jerusalem, unto Zedekiah king of Judah.

4 Tell them to give this message to their kings: This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli [people worship, ]:

And thou shall give them charge unto their lords saying, —Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts God of Israel, Thus shall ye say unto your lords: —

5 ‘With my very great power [MTY, DOU] I created the earth and the people and the animals that are on the earth. And I can give my power to anyone whom I want to.

I, made The earth—The man and the beast that are on the face of the earth—By my great power, And by mine outstretched arm, —And gave it to whomsoever was right in mine own eyes.

6 And now I am going to enable King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who does what I want him to do, to control your countries. I am going to enable him to rule everything, even the wild animals.

Now, therefore, I, have given all these lands, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon my servant, —Moreover also, the wild beast of the field, have I given him, to serve him.

7 [The people of] all the nations will work for him, and [later] for his son, and [later] for his grandson, until the time for them [to rule] is finished. Then [the armies of] many great kings from many nations will conquer Babylon.’

Therefore shall all the nations serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, —until the time even of his own land, itself arrive, when many nations and great kings, shall use him as a slave.

8 But now I tell you that you must [do what the king of Babylon wants you to do] [MET], [like an ox that has] a yoke on its neck [must do what its master wants it to do]. I will punish any nation that refuses to do that. I will cause those people to experience war and famine and diseases, until [the armies of] Babylon have conquered that nation.

And it shall come to pass that, the nation or kingdom which will not serve him, even Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, —with sword and with famine, and with pestilence, will I bring punishment upon that nation, Declareth Yahweh, until I have consumed them by his hand.

9 So, do not pay attention to your [false] prophets and fortune-tellers and people who predict what will happen by working magic or by talking with spirits of dead people. Those people say that the king of Babylon will not conquer your country.

Ye, therefore do not ye hearken unto your prophets, nor unto your diviners, nor unto your dreams, nor unto your users of hidden arts nor unto your mutterers of incantations, —in that, they, are speaking unto you saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon;

10 Those people are [all] liars. [If you believe what they say, ] it will result in your being exiled from your land. I will cause you to be taken from your land, and you will die far away.

for falsehood, are they prophesying unto you, that ye may be far removed from off your own soil, and I drive you out, and ye be destroyed

11 But the people of any country who do what the King of Babylon wants them to do will remain in their own country and be able to plant their crops [MTY] [as they always have done. That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”

But the nation that shall bring its neck into the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let them remain in quietness upon their own soil, Declareth Yahweh, and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

12 [After I gave that message to those ambassadors, ] I gave the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. [I said to him, ] “If you want to remain alive, do what the King of Babylon and his officials want you to do [MET].

Also unto Zedekiah king of Judah, spake I, according to all these words saying, -Bring your necks into the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live!

13 [It would be foolish for you not to do that, because the result would be that] you and your people would die by [your enemies’] swords or by famine or diseases, which Yahweh will cause any nation to experience that refuses to allow the King of Babylon to rule them.

Wherefore, should ye die, thou, and thy people, by sword, by famine, and by pestilence, —as Yahweh hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

14 Do not pay attention to those prophets who say to you, ‘The King of Babylon will not conquer your country.’ They are liars.

Do not, then hearken unto the words of the prophets who are speaking unto you, saying—Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon, —for falsehood, are they prophesying unto you.

15 [This is what] Yahweh says: ‘I have not appointed those prophets. They are saying that I [MTY] gave them messages, but they are lying. So, [if you believe them, ] I will expel you from this land. And you and all those prophets will die [in Babylon]!’”

For I have not sent them, Declareth Yahweh, but they are prophesying in my name, falsely, —to the end I may drive you out and ye be destroyed, ye and the prophets who are prophesying unto you.

16 Then I spoke to the priests and the other people, and I said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Do not believe your prophets who tell you that all the gold items [that were taken] from my temple [by soldiers from Babylon] will soon be returned from Babylon, because what they are prophesying is a lie.

Also unto the priests, and unto all this people, spake I, saying, Thus! saith Yahweh, Do not hearken unto the words of your prophets, who are prophesying unto you saying, Lo! the vessels of the house of Yahweh, are to be brought back out of Babylon now, quickly; for falsehood, are they prophesying unto you.

17 Do not pay attention to what they say. Surrender to the king of Babylon. If you do that, you will remain alive. [If you do not do that] [RHQ], this entire city will be destroyed.

Do not hearken unto them, serve the king of Babylon land live! wherefore, should this city become a desolation?

18 If they are really prophets who speak messages from me, tell them to plead to me, the Commander of the armies of angels, that [the soldiers from Babylon] will not be allowed to take away to Babylon the valuable items that [still] remain in the temple and in the king’s palace and in [the other palaces in] Jerusalem.

But, if prophets, they are, and if the word of Yahweh is with them, let them intercede, I pray you, with Yahweh of hosts, that the vessels which are left remaining in the house of Yahweh and the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, come not into Babylon.

19 [I say this] because the [huge] pillars [that are in front of the temple] and the large water tank and the [ten water] carts and all the other items that are used [for offering sacrifices are still in this city].

For Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts—Concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the stands, —and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city

20 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left those things here when he exiled Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, to Babylon, along with all the [other] leaders of Jerusalem and [the leaders of other places in] Judah.

which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not when he carried away captive Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, —with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem,

21 [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], say this about all those valuable things that are still outside the temple and in the palace of the king of Judah and in [other places in]:

Yea—Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts God of Israel Concerning the vessels that are left in thee house of Yahweh and the house of the king of Judah, and Jerusalem,

22 They will [all] be carried away to Babylon. And they will stay there until I say that they should be brought back to Jerusalem. Then they will be bought back here. [That is what I, ] Yahweh, say.’”

Into Babylon, shall they be taken And there, shall they remain, Until the day that I visit them, Declareth Yahweh, When I will bring them up, and restore them unto this place.