Jeremiah 28

¹ That same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourthyear, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, a Gibeonite, spoke as follows to Jeremiah in the Temple of Yahweh inthe presence of the priests and of al the people,

² 'Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this, "I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

³ In exactly two years' time I shal bring back al the vessels of the Temple of Yahweh whichNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from here and carried off to Babylon.

⁴ And I shal also bring back Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah and al the exiles of Judah whohave gone to Babylon, Yahweh declares, for I shal break the yoke of the king of Babylon." '

⁵ The prophet Jeremiah then replied to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and al the peoplepresent in the Temple of Yahweh.

⁶ 'So be it!' the prophet Jeremiah said, 'May Yahweh do so! May he fulfil the words that you haveprophesied and bring al the vessels of the Temple of Yahweh and al the exiles back to this place from Babylon.

⁷ Listen carefully, however, to this word that I am now going to say for you and al the people to hear:

⁸ From remote times, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied war, disaster and plague formany countries and for great kingdoms;

⁹ the prophet who prophesies peace can be recognised as one truly sent by Yahweh only when his wordcomes true.'

¹⁰ The prophet Hananiah then snatched the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it.

¹¹ In front of al the people Hananiah then said, 'Yahweh says this, "This is how, in exactly two years'time, I shall break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and take it off the necks of al the nations." ' Atthis, the prophet Jeremiah went away.

¹² After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke he had snatched off the prophet Jeremiah's neck,the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah,

¹³ 'Go to Hananiah and tell him this, "Yahweh says this: You have broken the wooden yokes only tomake iron yokes to replace them!

¹⁴ For Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: An iron yoke is what I now lay on the necks of althese nations to enslave them to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. (They wil be enslaved to him; I have evengiven him the wild animals.)" '

¹⁵ The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, 'Listen careful y, Hananiah: Yahweh has not sentyou; and thanks to you this people is now relying on what is false.

¹⁶ And so, Yahweh says this, "I am going to send you off the face of the earth: you wil die this year(since you have preached rebel ion against Yahweh)." '

¹⁷ The prophet Hananiah died the same year, in the seventh month.