Jeremiah 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,

1Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah. When his rule began, a message came to Jeremiah from the LORD. Jeremiah was a prophet, someone who told people what God said.

NoteThe King James Version names Jehoiakim here, but the rest of the chapter is about King Zedekiah, who ruled later. Many old copies of Jeremiah say Zedekiah in this verse.

2Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,

2The LORD said to me, "Make a yoke out of straps and wooden bars. Put it on your own neck."

NoteA yoke is a wooden bar tied across the necks of oxen so they must pull a plow. Wearing one was a picture of having to obey a master.

3And 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;

3Messengers have come to Jerusalem to see Zedekiah, king of Judah. Send word through them to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon.

4And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;

4Tell the messengers to say this to their own kings. "This is what the LORD of Hosts says. He is the God of Israel, and he commands great armies."

5I 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.

5"I made the earth by my great power and my strong arm. I made the people and the animals that live on it. I give the land 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 have I given him also to serve him.

6"Now I have handed all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He works for me. I have given him the wild animals too."

7And 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.

7"All nations will serve him, then his son, then his grandson. Then the time for his own land will come. Many nations and great kings will make him serve them."

8And 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.

8"Some nation may refuse to serve Nebuchadnezzar. It may refuse to put its neck under his yoke. Then I will punish that nation, says the LORD. War, hunger, and deadly sickness will come. They will last until Nebuchadnezzar has wiped that nation out."

9Therefore 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:

9"So do not listen to your prophets or your fortune tellers. Do not listen to people who read dreams or do magic. They 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.

10"They are telling you lies. Their lies will pull you far from your land. I will send you away, and you will die."

11But 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.

11"But some nation may put its neck under Babylon's yoke and serve him. I will let that nation stay in its own land, says the LORD. Its people will farm it and live there."

12I 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.

12I told King Zedekiah of Judah the very same thing. Put your necks under the yoke of Babylon's king. 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 the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

13Why should you and your people die by war, hunger, and sickness? The LORD said this would happen to any nation that will not serve Babylon's king.

14Therefore 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 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.

15"I did not send them," says the LORD. "They tell lies and say the words came from me. So I will send you away, and you will die. The prophets who speak to you will die too."

16Also 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.

16I also spoke to the priests and to all the people. This is what the LORD says. Your prophets say the bowls, cups, and tools from the LORD's house will come back from Babylon very soon. Do not listen. They are telling you lies.

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

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

18But 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.

18Maybe they really are prophets with a message from the LORD. Then let them beg the LORD of Hosts for help. Some things are still left in the LORD's house, in the king's palace, and in Jerusalem. Let them pray that these are not carried off to Babylon.

19For 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,

19The LORD of Hosts speaks about the big bronze pillars. He speaks about the huge bronze basin and the stands it sat on. He speaks about the other things left in this city.

NoteThe "sea" was a huge bronze bowl of water that stood outside the LORD's house in Jerusalem. The "bases" were the wheeled stands that held smaller basins.

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 those things away before. That was when he took Jeconiah away from Jerusalem to Babylon. Jeconiah was the son of Jehoiakim and king of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar took the important men of Judah and Jerusalem too.

21Yea, 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;

21This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says. He speaks about the things still left in his house, in the palace of Judah's king, and in Jerusalem.

22They 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.

22"They will be carried to Babylon. They will stay there until the day I come for them," says the LORD. "Then I will bring them back to this place."