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Symbol of the Bonds and Yokes

27 In[a] the beginning of the reign of [b]Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, (A)king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, “Thus says the Lord to me: ‘Make for yourselves bonds and yokes, (B)and put them on your neck, and send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. And command them to say to their masters, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel—thus you shall say to your masters: (C)‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and (D)have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me. (E)And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, (F)My servant; and (G)the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. (H)So all nations shall serve him and his son and his son’s son, (I)until the time of his land comes; (J)and then many nations and great kings shall make him serve them. And it shall be, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish,’ says the Lord, ‘with the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your [c]dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon.” 10 For they prophesy a (K)lie to you, to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 11 But the nations that bring their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let them remain in their own land,’ says the Lord, ‘and they shall till it and dwell in it.’ ” ’ ”

12 I also spoke to (L)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! 13 (M)Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Therefore (N)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 (O)a lie to you; 15 for I have (P)not sent them,” says the Lord, “yet they prophesy a lie in My name, that I may drive you out, and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”

16 Also I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, “Behold, (Q)the vessels of the Lord’s house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon”; for they prophesy a lie to you. 17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city be laid waste? 18 But if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, do not go to Babylon.’

19 “For thus says the Lord of hosts (R)concerning the pillars, concerning the Sea, concerning the carts, and concerning the remainder of the vessels that remain in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take, when he carried away (S)captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 yes, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the (T)vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem: 22 ‘They shall be (U)carried to Babylon, and there they shall be until the day that I (V)visit them,’ says the Lord. ‘Then (W)I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 27:1 LXX omits v. 1.
  2. Jeremiah 27:1 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., Arab., Syr. Zedekiah (cf. 27:3, 12; 28:1)
  3. Jeremiah 27:9 Lit. dreams

The Nations to Submit to Nebuchadnezzar

27 In the beginning of the reign of [a](A)Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying— this is what the Lord has said to me: “Make for yourself (B)restraints and (C)yokes and put them on your neck, and send [b]word to the king of (D)Edom, the king of (E)Moab, the king of the sons of (F)Ammon, the king of (G)Tyre, and to the king of (H)Sidon [c]by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Order them to go to their masters, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “This is what you shall say to your masters: (I)I have made the earth, mankind, and the animals which are on the face of the earth (J)by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will (K)give it to the one who is [d]pleasing in My sight. And now I (L)have handed all these lands over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (M)My servant, and I have also given him the (N)animals of the field to serve him. (O)All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson (P)until the time of his own land comes; then (Q)many nations and great kings will [e]make him their servant.

‘And it will be that the nation or the kingdom which (R)will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the (S)sword, with famine, and with plague,’ declares the Lord, ‘until I have eliminated [f]it by his hand. And as for you, (T)do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your [g]dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers who talk to you, saying, “You will not serve the king of Babylon.” 10 For they are prophesying a (U)lie to you in order to (V)remove you far from your land; and I will drive you away and you will perish. 11 But the nation that will (W)bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will (X)let remain on its land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and they will cultivate it and live in it.’”’”

12 I spoke words like all these to (Y)Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why should you (Z)die, you and your people, by the sword, famine, and plague, as the Lord has spoken to the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 So (AA)do not listen to the words of the prophets who talk to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a (AB)lie to you; 15 for (AC)I have not sent them,” declares the Lord, “but they are (AD)prophesying falsely in My name, so that I will (AE)drive you away and that you will perish, (AF)you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”

16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying: “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, “Behold, the (AG)vessels of the Lords house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon”; for they are prophesying a (AH)lie to you. 17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city (AI)become a place of ruins? 18 But (AJ)if they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, have them now (AK)plead with the Lord of armies that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord and the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem do not go to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord of armies says concerning the (AL)pillars, concerning the [h]sea, concerning the kettle stands, and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he (AM)led into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 Yes, this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 “They will be (AN)brought to Babylon and will be there until the (AO)day I visit them,” declares the Lord. “Then I will (AP)bring them [i]back and restore them to this place.”’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 27:1 Many mss Jehoiakim
  2. Jeremiah 27:3 Lit them
  3. Jeremiah 27:3 Lit by the hand of
  4. Jeremiah 27:5 Or upright
  5. Jeremiah 27:7 Or enslave him
  6. Jeremiah 27:8 Lit them
  7. Jeremiah 27:9 Lit dreams
  8. Jeremiah 27:19 I.e., the bronze basin or laver from the temple
  9. Jeremiah 27:22 Lit up

The Nations to Submit to Nebuchadnezzar

27 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: Thus says the Lord to me, “Make for yourself bonds and yokes and put them on your neck, and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, you shall say this to your masters: “I have made the earth, the men and the animals that are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to whomever pleases Me. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant and instrument, and I have also given the wild animals of the field to serve him. All nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the [appointed] time [of punishment] for his own land comes; then many nations and great kings shall make him their servant.

“But any nation or kingdom that will not serve this same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish,” says the Lord, “with the sword, with famine and with pestilence (virulent disease), until I have destroyed it by Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. And as for you, do not listen to your [counterfeit] prophets, your diviners, your dreams and dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers, who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10 For they prophesy a lie to you which will cause you to be removed far from your land; and I will drive you out and you will perish. 11 But the nation which will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, that nation I will let remain on its own land,” says the Lord, “to cultivate it and live in it.”’”

12 I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah in the same way, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! 13 Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by famine and by virulent disease, as the Lord has spoken to any nation which will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to and believe the words of the [false] prophets who are saying to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you; 15 for I have not sent them,” says the Lord, “but they are prophesying falsely in My Name, in order that I may drive you out and that you may perish, you [together] with the [false] prophets who prophesy to you.”

16 Then I said to the priests and to all these people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your [false] prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, ‘Behold, the articles of the Lord’s house will now shortly be brought [a]back from Babylon’; for 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 ruin? 18 But if they are [true] prophets, and if the word of the Lord is [really spoken] by them, let them now entreat the Lord of hosts that the articles which are [still] left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. 19 For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the [bronze] [b]pillars, the [bronze] [c]Sea, the [bronze] bases [of the ten basins in Solomon’s temple used for washing sacrificial animals], and the rest of the articles that are left in this city (Jerusalem),(A) 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried [d]Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. 21 Yes, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the articles which remain in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, 22 ‘They will be [e]carried to Babylon and they will be there until the day that I visit them [with My favor],’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 27:16 Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem three times. The second time was during the reign of King Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, whom he took captive with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem (27:20), at which time he carried away some of the sacred articles of the temple. The third siege was now imminent.
  2. Jeremiah 27:19 Each pillar stood about twenty-seven feet high.
  3. Jeremiah 27:19 This was the basin at which the priests washed their hands and feet before ministering at the altar.
  4. Jeremiah 27:20 Also known as Jehoiachin and Coniah.
  5. Jeremiah 27:22 This prophesy was fulfilled when the remaining sacred articles were carried to Babylon (2 Kin 25:13; 2 Chr 36:18; Jer 52:17-23), where they were kept for seventy years (2 Chr 36:21), the length of the captivity foretold by Jeremiah (Jer 29:10). They were then returned to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:7; 7:19).

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar

27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah[a](A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke(B) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. Then send(C) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,(D) Tyre and Sidon(E) through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: With my great power and outstretched arm(F) I made(G) the earth and its people and the animals(H) that are on it, and I give(I) it to anyone I please. Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant(J) Nebuchadnezzar(K) king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him.(L) All nations will serve(M) him and his son and his grandson until the time(N) for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate(O) him.

“‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish(P) that nation with the sword,(Q) famine(R) and plague,(S) declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets,(T) your diviners,(U) your interpreters of dreams,(V) your mediums(W) or your sorcerers(X) who tell you, ‘You will not serve(Y) the king of Babylon.’ 10 They prophesy lies(Z) to you that will only serve to remove(AA) you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. 11 But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke(AB) of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live(AC) there, declares the Lord.”’”

12 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke(AD) of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live.(AE) 13 Why will you and your people die(AF) by the sword, famine and plague(AG) with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen(AH) to the words of the prophets(AI) who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies(AJ) to you. 15 ‘I have not sent(AK) them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name.(AL) Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish,(AM) both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’”

16 Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles(AN) from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen(AO) to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live.(AP) Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead(AQ) with the Lord Almighty that the articles remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea,(AR) the movable stands and the other articles(AS) that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried(AT) Jehoiachin[b](AU) son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 ‘They will be taken(AV) to Babylon and there they will remain until the day(AW) I come for them,’ declares the Lord. ‘Then I will bring(AX) them back and restore them to this place.’”

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 27:1 A few Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac (see also 27:3,12 and 28:1); most Hebrew manuscripts Jehoiakim (Most Septuagint manuscripts do not have this verse.)
  2. Jeremiah 27:20 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin

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

Thus saith the Lord to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;

And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;

I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.

And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the Lord, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

12 I spake also 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.

13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.

15 For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.

16 Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.

17 Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?

18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the Lord be with them, let them now make intercession to the Lord of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.

19 For thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, 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 the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;

21 Yea, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;

22 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the Lord; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.