1 GLT In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh. BSB BSB: At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.
2 GLT This is what Yahweh said to me,“Make fetters and a yoke for yourself. Place them on your neck. BSB BSB: This is what the LORD said to me: “Make for yourself a yoke out of leather straps and put it on your neck.
3 GLT Then send them out to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the people of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon. Send them by the hand of those kings’ ambassadors who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. BSB BSB: Send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
4 GLT Give commands to them for their masters and say,‘Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: This is what you must say to your masters, BSB BSB: Give them a message from the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to relay to their masters:
5 GLT “I myself made the earth by my great strength and my raised arm. I also made the people and animals on the earth, and I give it to anyone who is right in my eyes. BSB BSB: By My great power and outstretched arm, I made the earth and the men and beasts on the face of it, and I give it to whom I please.
6 GLT So now, I myself am giving all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, my servant. Also, I am giving the living things in the fields to him to serve him. BSB BSB: So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.
7 GLT For all the nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his land comes. Then many nations and great kings will subdue him. BSB BSB: All nations will serve him and his son and grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will enslave him.
8 GLT So the nation and the kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and that does not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon— I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with the plague— this is Yahweh’ s declaration— until I have destroyed it by his hand. BSB BSB: As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation by sword and famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand.
9 GLT So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your seers, your soothsayers, and sorcerers, who have been speaking to you and saying,‘Do not serve the king of Babylon.’ BSB BSB: But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
10 GLT For they are prophesying deceit to you in order to send you far away from your lands, for I will drive you away, and you will die. BSB BSB: For they prophesy to you a lie that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you and you will perish.
11 GLT But the nation that places its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will allow it to rest in its land— this is Yahweh’ s declaration— and they will cultivate it and make their homes in it.”’” BSB BSB: But the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave in its own land, to cultivate it and reside in it, declares the LORD.”
12 GLT So I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah and gave him this message,“Place your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and you will live. BSB BSB: And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!
13 GLT Why will you die— you and your people— by the sword, famine, and plague, just as I have declared about the nation that refuses to serve the king of Babylon? BSB BSB: Why should you and your people die by sword and famine and plague, as the LORD has decreed against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon?
14 GLT Do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you and say,‘Do not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies to you. BSB BSB: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying to you a lie.
15 GLT ‘For I have not sent them out— this is Yahweh’ s declaration— for they are prophesying deceit in my name so that I will drive you out and you will perish, both you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’” BSB BSB: For I have not sent them, declares the LORD, and yet they are prophesying falsely in My name; therefore I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
16 GLT I proclaimed this to the priests and all the people and said,“Yahweh says this: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you and say,‘Look! The objects belonging to Yahweh’ s house are being returned from Babylon now!’ They are prophesying lies to you. BSB BSB: Then I said to the priests and to all this people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Look, very soon now the articles from the house of the LORD will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie.
17 GLT Do not listen to them. You should serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a ruin? BSB BSB: Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?
18 GLT If they are prophets, and if the word of Yahweh has truly come to them, let them beg Yahweh of hosts not to send to Babylon the objects that remain in his house, the house of the king of Judah, and Jerusalem. BSB BSB: If they are indeed prophets and the word of the LORD is with them, let them now plead with the LORD of Hosts that the articles remaining in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, not be taken to Babylon.
19 GLT Yahweh of hosts says this about the pillars, the large basin known as“The Sea” and its base, and the rest of the objects that remain in this city— BSB BSB: For this is what the LORD of Hosts says about the pillars, the sea, the bases, and the rest of the articles that remain in this city,
20 GLT the objects that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. BSB BSB: which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.
21 GLT Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this about the objects that remain in the house of Yahweh, the house of the king of Judah, and Jerusalem, BSB BSB: Yes, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem:
22 GLT ‘They will be brought to Babylon, and they will remain there until the day I have set to come for them— this is Yahweh’ s declaration— then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’” BSB BSB: ‘They will be carried to Babylon and will remain there until the day I attend to them again,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.