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Tuesday, December 23rd, 2025
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Contemporary English Version

Jeremiah 27:12

After I had spoken to the officials from the nearby kingdoms, I went to King Zedekiah and told him the same thing. Then I said: Zedekiah, if you and the people of Judah want to stay alive, you must obey Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Minister, Christian;   Zedekiah;   Thompson Chain Reference - Nebuchadnezzar;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Babylon;   Jeremiah;   Zedekiah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Herodians;   Jehoiachin;   Jeremiah;   Tin;   Zedekiah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Jeremiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Zedekiah ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Neck;   Zedekiah (2);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live!
Hebrew Names Version
I spoke to Tzidkiyahu king of Yehudah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Bavel, and serve him and his people, and live.
King James Version
I 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.
English Standard Version
To Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live.
New American Standard Bible
I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live!
New Century Version
I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, "Put yourself under the control of the king of Babylon and serve him, and you will live.
Amplified Bible
I spoke to Zedekiah king of Judah in the same way, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live!
World English Bible
I spoke 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.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I spake also to Zedekiah king of Iudah according to all these wordes, saying, Put your neckes vnder the yoke of the King of Babel, and serue him and his people, that ye may liue.
Legacy Standard Bible
I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live!
Berean Standard Bible
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!
Complete Jewish Bible
Then I spoke to Tzidkiyahu king of Y'hudah in just the same way: "Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Bavel, serve him and his people, and you will live.
Darby Translation
And I spoke 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.
Easy-to-Read Version
I gave the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. I said, "Zedekiah, you must place your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and obey him. If you serve the king of Babylon and his people, you will live.
George Lamsa Translation
I spoke 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;
Good News Translation
I said the same thing to King Zedekiah of Judah, "Submit to the king of Babylonia. Serve him and his people, and you will live.
Lexham English Bible
And I spoke words like these to Zedekiah, the king of Judah, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
Literal Translation
I also spoke to Zedekiah, king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks into the king of Babylon's yoke, and serve him and his people, and live.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
All these thinges tolde I Sedechias the kinge of Iuda, and sayde: Put youre neckes vnder the yock of the kinge of Babilon, and serue him & his people, that ye maye lyue.
American Standard Version
And I spake 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.
Bible in Basic English
And I said all this to Zedekiah, king of Judah, saying, Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and become his servants and his people, so that you may keep your lives.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And I spoke 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.
King James Version (1611)
I spake also to Zedekiah king of Iudah according to all these wordes, saying, Bring your neckes vnder the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serue him and his people, and liue.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
All these thynges tolde I Zedekiah the kyng of Iuda, and sayde: Put your neckes vnder the yoke of the kyng of Babylon, and serue him and his people, that ye may liue.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Your mother is greatly ashamed; your mother that bore you for prosperity is confounded: she is the last of the nations, desolate,
English Revised Version
And I spake 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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y spak bi alle these wordis to Sedechie, kyng of Juda, and Y seide, Make ye suget youre neckis vndur the yok of the kyng of Babiloyne, and serue ye hym, and his puple, and ye schulen lyue.
Update Bible Version
And I spoke 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.
Webster's Bible Translation
I spoke 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.
New English Translation
I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, "Submit to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live.
New King James Version
I also spoke 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!
New Living Translation
Then I repeated this same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. "If you want to live, submit to the yoke of the king of Babylon and his people.
New Life Bible
I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in the same way, saying, "Bring your necks under the cross-bar of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people, and live!
New Revised Standard
I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah in the same way: Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Also unto Zedekiah king of Judah, spake I, according to all these words saying,-Bring your necks into the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I spoke to Sedecias the king of Juda according to all these words, saying: Bend down your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, and his people, and you shall live.
Revised Standard Version
To Zedeki'ah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
Young's Literal Translation
And unto Zedekiah king of Judah I have spoken according to all these words, saying, `Cause your necks to enter into the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
THE MESSAGE
Then I gave this same message to Zedekiah king of Judah: "Harness yourself up to the yoke of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people. Live a long life! Why choose to get killed or starve to death or get sick and die, which is what God has threatened to any nation that won't throw its lot in with Babylon? Don't listen to the prophets who are telling you not to submit to the king of Babylon. They're telling you lies, preaching lies. God 's Word on this is, ‘I didn't send those prophets, but they keep preaching lies, claiming I sent them. If you listen to them, I'll end up driving you out of here and that will be the end of you, both you and the lying prophets.'"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live!

Contextual Overview

12 After I had spoken to the officials from the nearby kingdoms, I went to King Zedekiah and told him the same thing. Then I said: Zedekiah, if you and the people of Judah want to stay alive, you must obey Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. 13 But if you refuse, then you and your people will die from war, hunger, and disease, just as the Lord has warned. 14 Your prophets have told you that you don't need to obey Nebuchadnezzar, but don't listen to their lies. 15 Those prophets claim to be speaking for the Lord , but he didn't send them. They are lying! If you do what they say, he will have both you and them dragged off to another country and killed. The Lord has spoken. 16 When I finished talking to the king, I went to the priests and told them that the Lord had said: Don't listen to the prophets when they say that very soon the Babylonians will return the things they took from my temple. Those prophets are lying! 17 If you choose to obey the king of Babylonia, you will live. But if you listen to those prophets, this whole city will be nothing but a pile of rubble. 18 If I really had spoken to those prophets, they would know what I am going to do. Then they would be begging me not to let everything else be taken from the temple and the king's palace and the rest of Jerusalem. 19After all, when Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin to Babylonia as a prisoner, he didn't take everything of value from Jerusalem. He left the bronze pillars, the huge bronze bowl called the Sea, and the movable bronze stands in the temple, and he left a lot of other valuable things in the palace and in the rest of Jerusalem. But now I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, say that all these things 22 will be taken to Babylonia, where they will remain until I decide to bring them back to Jerusalem. I, the Lord , have spoken.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Zedekiah: Jeremiah 27:3, Jeremiah 28:1, Jeremiah 38:17, 2 Chronicles 36:11-13, Proverbs 1:33, Ezekiel 17:11-21

Bring: Jeremiah 27:2, Jeremiah 27:8

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 28:48 - a yoke 2 Kings 24:20 - Zedekiah 2 Chronicles 36:12 - before Jeremiah 2 Chronicles 36:21 - To fulfil Nehemiah 3:5 - put not Jeremiah 17:4 - and I Jeremiah 27:1 - the beginning Jeremiah 27:11 - General Jeremiah 27:17 - serve Jeremiah 37:13 - Thou Jeremiah 38:23 - shalt cause Jeremiah 42:11 - afraid Lamentations 1:14 - yoke Lamentations 5:5 - Our necks are under persecution Ezekiel 17:14 - but that by keeping of his covenant it might stand Micah 2:3 - necks

Cross-References

Genesis 9:25
he said, "I now put a curse on Canaan! He will be the lowest slave of his brothers.
Genesis 25:27
As Jacob and Esau grew older, Esau liked the outdoors and became a good hunter, while Jacob settled down and became a shepherd.
Genesis 27:21
"My son," Isaac said, "come closer, where I can touch you and find out if you really are Esau."
Genesis 27:22
Jacob went closer. His father touched him and said, "You sound like Jacob, but your hands feel hairy like Esau's."
Genesis 27:36
Esau replied, "My brother deserves the name Jacob, because he has already cheated me twice. The first time he cheated me out of my rights as the first-born son, and now he has cheated me out of my blessing." Then Esau asked his father, "Don't you still have any blessing left for me?"
Job 12:16
just as he rules over liars and those they lie to.
Jeremiah 48:10
I want you to kill the Moabites, and if you let them escape, I will put a curse on you."
Malachi 1:14
Instead of offering the acceptable animals you have promised, you bring me those that are unhealthy. I will punish you for this, because I am the great King, the Lord All-Powerful, and I am worshiped by nations everywhere.
2 Corinthians 6:8
Whether we were honored or dishonored or praised or cursed, we always told the truth about ourselves. But some people said we did not.
1 Thessalonians 5:22
and don't have anything to do with evil.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah,.... At the same time that he delivered the above message from the Lord to the ambassadors of several nations, who were then residents in Zedekiah's court, or however in Jerusalem:

according to all these words; the same things, and much in the same language, he said to the king of Judah, as to the messengers of the nations:

saying; as follows:

bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; you, O king, your nobles, and your people. Zedekiah was set upon the throne by the king of Babylon, was a tributary to him, and had took an oath to be faithful to him; and yet was now meditating rebellion against him; and was consulting and entering into a confederacy with the neighbouring nations to throw off the yoke, and be independent on him: wherefore the sense of this advice must be to bring themselves, he and his people, to a cheerful submission to it, and a patient bearing it, and not attempt to shake it off:

and serve him and his people, and live: the king of Babylon, and the Chaldeans, by faithfully paying the tribute, and acknowledging subjection to him; and so "live" in their own land, enjoying all other civil and religious privileges.


 
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