The Anselm Project

Chapter 28

¹ In that year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD, in the sight of the priests and all the people: ² This is what the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: "I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon." ³ Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the house of the LORD that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel took from this place and carried to Babel. ⁴ And I will bring back to this place Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon, says the LORD, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. ⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the sight of the priests and in the sight of all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD. ⁶ And Jeremiah the prophet said, "Amen, may the LORD do so. May the LORD establish the words that you have prophesied: to return the vessels of the house of the LORD and all the exiles from Babylon to this place." ⁷ Please hear this word that I have spoken in your ears and in the ears of all the people. ⁸ The prophets who were before me and before you from the world prophesied to many lands and great kingdoms for war and for evil and for famine." ⁹ The prophet who prophesies peace—when the word of the prophet comes true, it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet." ¹⁰ Then the prophet Hananiah took the staff from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. ¹¹ And Hananiah said in the presence of all the people: "This is what the LORD says: In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel in two years from the neck of all the nations." And the prophet Jeremiah went on his way. ¹² And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the staff off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, saying. ¹³ Go and say to Hananiah, "Thus says the LORD: You have broken wooden bars, and you have made iron bars in their place." ¹⁴ For thus says the LORD of Hosts, God of Israel: I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him; and I have also given him the wild animals of the field. ¹⁵ Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, "Listen, Hananiah: the LORD did not send you, and you have caused this people to trust in a lie." ¹⁶ Therefore, thus says the LORD: Behold, I am sending you away from the face of the earth; this year you will die, for you have turned aside a word of the LORD. ¹⁷ And Hananiah the prophet died that year, in the seventh month.