Jeremiah 27

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

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 the Lord told me: Make for yourself a harness and a yoke and strap it on your neck

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

3 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.

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 Give them this order from the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, to convey to their masters:

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.”

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

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 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.

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 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah: Submit to the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!

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 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?

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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

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 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:

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 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.

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 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:

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 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.

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.