Jeremias 28

¹ And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of theWhen Jeremiah began to bear these bonds and yokes.reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in theAfter the land had rested, as in (Lev_25:2).fourth year, [and] in the fifth month, [that] Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, who [was] ofThis was a city in Benjamin belonging to the sons of Aaron, (Jos_21:17).Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying,

² Thus speaketh the Lorde of hostes, the God of Israel, saying, I haue broken the yoke of the King of Babel.

³ Within two yeeres space I will bring into this place all the vessels of the Lords House, that Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel tooke away from this place, and caried them into Babel.

⁴ And I will bring againe to this place Ieconiah the sonne of Iehoiakim King of Iudah, with all them that were caried away captiue of Iudah, and went into Babel, saith the Lorde: for I will breake the yoke of the King of Babel.

⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah said to theHe was so esteemed though he was a false prophet.prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the LORD,

⁶ Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: theThat is, I would wish the same for God's honour and wealth of my people but he has appointed the contrary.LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD'S house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.

⁷ But heare thou now this worde that I will speake in thine eares and in the eares of all the people.

⁸ The prophets that have been before me and before thee of oldMeaning, that the prophets that denounced war or peace were tried either true or false by the success of their prophecies, even though God makes to come to pass sometimes that which the false prophet speaks to try the faith of his, (Deu_13:3).prophesied both against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.

⁹ And the Prophet which prophecieth of peace, when the word of the Prophet shall come to passe, then shall the Prophet be knowen that the Lorde hath truely sent him.

¹⁰ Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, andThis declares the impudency of the wicked hirelings who have no zeal to the truth but are led with ambition to get the favour of men and therefore cannot abide any that might discredit them but burst forth into rages and contrary to their own conscience, pass not what lies they report or how wickedly they do so that they may maintain their estimation.broke it.

¹¹ And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the Lorde, Euen so will I breake the yoke of Nebuchad-nezzar King of Babel, from the necke of al nations within the space of two yeres: and the Prophet Ieremiah went his way.

¹² Then the word of the Lorde came vnto Ieremiah the Prophet, (after that Hananiah the Prophet had broken the yoke from the necke of the Prophet Ieremiah) saying,

¹³ Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus sayth the Lord, Thou hast broken the yokes of wood, but thou shalt make for them yokes of yron.

¹⁴ For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put aThat is, a hard and cruel servitude.yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him theSignifying that all would be his as in (Dan_2:38).beasts of the field also.

¹⁵ Then sayd the Prophet Ieremiah vnto the Prophet Hananiah, Heare nowe Hananiah, the Lorde hath not sent thee, but thou makest this people to trust in a lye.

¹⁶ Therefore thus saith the Lorde, Beholde, I will cast thee from of the earth: this yeere thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken rebelliously against the Lord.

¹⁷ So Hananiah the prophetSeeing this thing was evident in the eyes of the people and yet they returned not to the Lord, it is manifest that miracles cannot move us, neither the word itself, unless God touch the heart.died the same year in the seventh month.