Jeremiah

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

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

3 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 hearken unto them, serve the king of Babylon and live! wherefore should this city become a desolation?

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

22 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.