28
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
1 In that same year, early in the rule of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fifth month of his fourth year as king, the prophet Hananiah, son of Azzur, from Gibeon, spoke to me in the Lord’s temple. He said to me in front of the priests and all the people, 2 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will break the yoke* of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back all the utensils of the Lord’s temple that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from this place and carried off to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiakin, son of King Jehoiakim of Judah, and all the captives of Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord. So I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”
5 The prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people standing in the Lord’s temple. 6 He said, “Amen! May the Lord do this! May the Lord make your prophecy come true and bring back the utensils of the Lord’s temple and all the captives from Babylon to this place. 7 But now listen to this message that I am speaking to you and to all the people: 8 Long ago, the prophets who preceded you and me prophesied wars, disasters, and plagues against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 But the prophet who prophesied peace was recognized as a prophet that the Lord sent only if the message of the prophet came true.”
10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it. 11 Hananiah said in front of all the people, “This is what the Lord says: In the same way, I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years.” Then the prophet Jeremiah went on his way.
12 After the prophet Hananiah broke the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, 13 “Tell Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You have broken the wooden yoke, but I† will replace it with an iron yoke. 14 This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations so that they will serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They will serve him! I will even make wild animals serve him.’ ”
15 Then Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah, “Now listen, Hananiah, the Lord hasn’t sent you. You have made these people believe a lie. 16 This is what the Lord says: I’m going to remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have encouraged rebellion against the Lord.”
17 So the prophet Hananiah died in the seventh month of that year.
* 28:2 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts. † 28:13 Greek; Masoretic Text “you.”