Jeremiah 27

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

1Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, this message from the LORD came to Jeremiah.

2Thus saith Jehovah to me: Make thee bonds and bars, and put them upon thy neck;

2This is what the LORD said to me: “Make straps and a wooden yoke for yourself, and put them on your neck.

3and 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 messengers that come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah:

3Then send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send them through the ambassadors who have come to Jerusalem to see King Zedekiah.

4and give them a charge unto their masters, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say unto your masters:

4Give them this message for their masters: ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: Tell your masters this:

5I have made the earth, the men and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth, by my great power and by my outstretched arm; and I give it unto whom it seemeth right unto me.

5By my great power and my strong arm, I made the earth and the people and the animals on it. I give it to anyone I choose.

6And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field also have I given him to serve him.

6Now I have given all these lands to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who is my servant. I have even made the wild animals serve him.

7And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the time of his own land come: and then many nations and great kings shall make him their bondman.

7All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until his own land’s time is up. Then many nations and great kings will make him their slave.

8And it shall come to pass, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith Jehovah, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

8If any nation or kingdom refuses to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon or put its neck under his yoke, I will punish them with war, hunger, and disease, says the LORD, until I have destroyed them by his power.

9But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

9So do not listen to your prophets, your fortune-tellers, those who explain dreams, your mediums, or your magicians who tell you, “You will not serve the king of Babylon.”

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

10They are telling you lies that will only lead to you being taken far from your land. I will drive you out, and you will die.

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

11But if any nation submits to the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will let them stay in their own land to farm it and live there, says the LORD.’”

12And I spake 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.

12I gave this same message to King Zedekiah of Judah: “Put your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people, and you will live.

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

13Why should you and your people die by war, hunger, and disease? The LORD has promised this will happen to any nation that refuses to serve the king of Babylon.

14And 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.

14Do not listen to the prophets who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ They are telling you lies.

15For I have not sent them, saith Jehovah, but they prophesy falsely in my name; that I may drive you out, and that ye may perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.

15I have not sent them, says the LORD. They are telling lies in my name. If you listen, I will drive you out and you will die—you and the prophets who are speaking to you.”

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

16Then I spoke to the priests and all the people, saying, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to your prophets who say, ‘Look, the gold items from the LORD’s Temple will soon be brought back from Babylon.’ They are telling you lies.

17Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a desolation?

17Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city be turned into a pile of ruins?

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

18If they are really prophets and have the LORD’s message, let them pray to the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. Let them ask that the objects still left in the LORD’s Temple, in the king’s palace, and in Jerusalem are not taken away to Babylon.

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

19For this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says about the pillars, the large bronze tank called the Sea, the movable stands, and the other objects left in this city.

20which 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;

20King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take these when he exiled Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.

21yea, thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of Jehovah, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem:

21Yes, this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says about the objects left in the Temple of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem:

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

22‘They will be carried off to Babylon and will stay there until the day I come for them,’ says the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’”