Chapter 26 – Chapter 28

Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came from Jehovah, saying,

2 Thus saith Jehovah, Stand in the court of the house of Jehovah, and speak to all the cities of Judah, who come to worship in the Temple of Jehovah, all the words which I have commanded thee to speak to them; diminish not a word:

3 If peradventure they will hear, and turn, each from his evil way, then will I repent of the evil which I think of doing to them on account of the wickedness of their doings.

4 Thou shalt then say to them, Thus saith Jehovah, If ye will not hear me to walk in my law, which I have set before you,

5 To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send to you, rising up

6 Early and sending, (but ye have not hearkened,) then will I make this house like Shiloh, and this city will I make a curse to all the nations of the earth.

7 And the priests, and the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah.

8 And it was when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that Jehovah had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests, and the prophets, and all the people apprehended him, saying, “Dying thou shalt die;

9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of Jehovah, saying, ‘Like Shiloh shall this house be, and this city shall be desolate without, an inhabitant?’” (And all the people were assembled against Jeremiah in the Temple of Jehovah.)

10 And the princes of Judah heard of these things, and went down from the king’s house to the house of Jehovah, and sat at the entrance of the new gate of the Temple of Jehovah.

11 Then said the priests and the prophets to the princes, and to all the people, saying, “This man is worthy of death; for he has prophesied against this city as ye have heard with your ears.”

12 And Jeremiah said to all the princes, and to all the people, saying, — Jehovah hath sent me to prophesy against this house, and against this city all the words which ye have heard:

13 And now make good your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Jehovah your God, and Jehovah will repent of the evil which he hath pronounced against you.

14 And as for me, behold I am in your hand; do to me as may seem good and right in your eyes:

15 But know assuredly, that if ye slay me, ye will bring innocent blood on yourselves, and on this city, and on its inhabitants; for in truth Jehovah hath sent me to you, to speak all these words in your ears.

16 And the princes, and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man is not worthy of death; for in the name of Jehovah our God hath he spoken to us.”

17 Then rose up men from the elders of the land, and said to the whole assembly of the people, saying, —

18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah the king of Judah, saying, — “Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, — Sion as a field shall be plowed, And Jerusalem shall become heaps, And the mount of the house like the heights of the forest.”

19 Killing, did Hezekiah the king of Judah, and all Judah, kill him? did he not fear Jehovah? and did he not supplicate the face of Jehovah? and Jehovah repented of the evil which he had spoken against them: but we are doing a great evil against our own souls.

20 But there was also a man who prophesied in the name of Jehovah, Uriah the son of Shemaiah, from Kirjath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city, and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:

21 When the King Jehoiakim and all the chief men and the princes heard his words, then the king sought to slay him; but Uriah heard and feared, and he fled and went into Egypt.

22 And the King Jehoiakim sent men into Egypt, even Elnathan the son of Achbor, and men with him into Egypt:

23 And they brought Uriah up from Egypt, and brought him to the King Jehoiakim, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.

24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not delivered into the hand of the people to be slain.

Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying, —

2 Thus said Jehovah to me, Make for thee bands and yokes, and put them on thy neck;

3 Then send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the children of Ammon, and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the ambassadors, who shall come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah the king of Judah:

4 And thou shalt give them a message to their masters, saying, — Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to your masters, —

5 I made the earth, man also and beast, Which are on the face of the earth, By my great power and my extended arm; And given it have I to whom it seemed good to me:

6 And now given have I all these lands Into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar The king of Babylon, my servant; And also the beast of the field Have I given to him to serve him:

7 And serve him and his son, And his son’s son, shall all nations, Until the time of his land shall come, And also of himself; yea, serve him Shall many nations and great kings.

8 And it shall be as to the nation and kingdom, Who will not serve him, even Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, And who will not put their neck Under the yoke of the king of Babylon, With the sword, and famine, and pestilence, Will I visit that nation, saith Jehovah, Until I consume them by his hand.

9 And you, hearken not to your prophets, And to your diviners, and to your dreamers, And to your augurs, and to your sorcerers, Who speak to you, saying, — “Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon;”

10 For they prophesy falsely to you, That they might move you far from your own land, And that I might cast you away and ye perish:

11 But the nation which shall bring its neck Under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, saith Jehovah; And it shall cultivate it and dwell in it.

12 To Zedekiah also, the king of Judah, I spoke according to all these words, saying, — Bring your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, And serve him and his people, and ye shall live.

13 Why should ye perish, thou and thy people, By the sword, and famine, and pestilence, As Jehovah has spoken of the nation, Which will not serve the king of Babylon:

14 And hearken not to the words of the prophets, Who speak to you, saying, — “Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon;” For falsely do they prophesy to you;

15 For I have not sent them, saith Jehovah, But they prophesy in my name falsely, That I might drive you out, And that ye might perish, ye, And the prophets who prophesy to you.

16 To the priests also and to all the people spake I, saying, — Thus saith Jehovah, — Hearken not to the words of your prophets, Who prophesy to you, saying, — “Behold, the vessels of the house of Jehovah Shall now soon be restored from Babylon;” For falsehood do these prophesy to you:

17 Hearken ye not to them; Serve the king of Babylon and ye shall live; Why should this city become a desolation?

18 But if they be prophets, And if the word of Jehovah be with them, Let them now intercede with Jehovah of hosts, That the vessels which remain in the house of Jehovah, And in the house of the king of Judah, And in Jerusalem, may not go to Babylon.

19 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts of the pillars, and of the sea, and of the bases, and of the residue of the vessels which are left in this city,

20 Which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon did not take away, when he led captive Jeconiah the king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;

21 yea, thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, of the vessels which remain in the house of Jehovah, and in the house of the king, and in Jerusalem;

22 To Babylon shall they be carried, and there shall they be until the day in which I shall visit them, saith Jehovah, and bring them up and restore them to this place.

Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

1 And it was in that year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the Temple of Jehovah, in the presence of the priests, and of all the people, saying,

2 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

3 Further, when two years shall pass, I will restore to this place all the vessels of the house of Jehovah which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has taken away from this place and carried to Babylon:

4 And Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim the king of Judah, and all the captives of Judah, who have gone to Babylon, will I restore to this place, saith Jehovah; for I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

5 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people, who were standing in the house of Jehovah;

6 Yea, Jeremiah the prophet said, Amen, may Jehovah do so, may Jehovah confirm thy words which thou hast prophesied as to the restoration of the vessels of the temple, and of all the captives from Babylon to this place.

7 Nevertheless, hear thou now this word which I declare in thy hearing, and in the hearing of all the people;

8 The prophets who have been before me and before thee from the beginning, and prophesied against many nations and great kingdoms, have prophesied of war, and of evil, and of pestilence:

9 The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word shall come to pass, that prophet shall be known that Jehovah has sent him in truth.

10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the band from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it;

11 And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, — Thus saith Jehovah, In this manner will I break off the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

12 And the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet broke off the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, —

13 Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Thou hast broken the bands of wood; but make for thee instead of them bands of iron:

14 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, A yoke of iron have I laid on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; and I have also given to him the beasts of the field.

15 Jeremiah the prophet said also to Hananiah the prophet, Hear, I pray, Hananiah; Jehovah hath not sent thee, and thou hast made this people to trust in falsehood:

16 Therefore, thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will cast thee away from the face of the earth; die shalt thou this year, because thou hast spoken revolt against Jehovah.

17 And Hananiah the prophet died in that year, in the seventh month.