Jeremiah 27:17

Easy-to-Read Version

Don't listen to those prophets. Serve the king of Babylon. Accept your punishment, and you will live. There is no reason for you to cause this city of Jerusalem to be destroyed.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

Hebrew Names Version
Don't listen to them; serve the king of Bavel, and live: why should this city become a desolation?

King James Version
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?

English Standard Version
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?

New American Standard Bible
'Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a place of ruins?

New Century Version
Don't listen to those prophets. But serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. There is no reason for you to cause Jerusalem to become a ruin.

Amplified Bible
"Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

World English Bible
Don't listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: why should this city become a desolation?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Heare them not, but serue the King of Babel, that ye may liue: wherefore shoulde this citie be desolate?

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a waste place?

Berean Standard Bible
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

Contemporary English Version
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.

Complete Jewish Bible
Don't listen to them. Serve the king of Bavel, and stay alive; why should this city become a ruin?'

Darby Translation
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a waste?

George Lamsa Translation
Do not listen to them, says the LORD, but serve the king of Babylon and live, that this city might not become a desolation.

Good News Translation
Don't listen to them! Submit to the king of Babylonia and you will live! Why should this city become a pile of ruins?

Lexham English Bible
And you must not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a site of ruins?

Literal Translation
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city be a waste?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Heare them not, but serue the kinge of Babilon, yt ye maye lyue. Wherfore will ye make this cite to be destroyed?

American Standard Version
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a desolation?

Bible in Basic English
Give no attention to them; become servants of the king of Babylon and keep yourselves from death: why let this town become a waste?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live; wherefore should this city become desolate?

King James Version (1611)
Hearken not vnto them: serue the king of Babylon, and liue: wherefore should this citie be laid waste?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Heare them not, but serue the kyng of Babylon, that ye may lyue: Wherfore wyll ye make this citie to be destroyed?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Israel is a wandering sheep; the lions have driven him out: the king of Assyria firsts devoured him, and afterward this king of Babylon has gnawed his bones.

English Revised Version
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a desolation?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor nyle ye here hem, but serue ye to the kyng of Babiloyne, that ye lyue; whi is this citee youun in to wildirnesse?

Update Bible Version
Don't listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: why should this city become a desolation?

Webster's Bible Translation
Hearken not to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: why should this city be laid waste?

New English Translation
Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?'"

New King James Version
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city be laid waste?

New Living Translation
Do not listen to them. Surrender to the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this whole city be destroyed?

New Life Bible
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city be destroyed?

New Revised Standard
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Do not hearken unto them, serve the king of Babylon land live! wherefore, should this city become a desolation?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore hearken not to them, but serve the king of Babylon, that you may live. Why should this city be given up to desolation?

Revised Standard Version
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?

Young's Literal Translation
Ye do not hearken unto them, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why is this city a waste?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

Contextual Overview

¹² 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. ¹³ If you don't agree to serve the king of Babylon, you and your people will die from war, hunger, and disease. This is what the Lord said would happen. ¹⁴ But the false prophets are saying, ‘You will never be slaves to the king of Babylon.' "Don't listen to those prophets, because they are telling you lies. ¹⁵ ‘I didn't send them,' says the Lord . ‘They are telling lies and saying that the message is from me. So I will send you people of Judah away. You will die, and the prophets who spoke to you will die also.'" ¹⁶ Then I told the priests and all the people that this is what the Lord says: "Those false prophets are saying, ‘The Babylonians took many things from the Lord 's Temple. These things will be brought back soon.' Don't listen to them because they are telling you lies. ¹⁷ Don't listen to those prophets. Serve the king of Babylon. Accept your punishment, and you will live. There is no reason for you to cause this city of Jerusalem to be destroyed. ¹⁸ If they are prophets and their message is from the Lord , let them pray. Let them pray to the Lord about the things that are still in the Lord 's Temple, in the king's palace, and in Jerusalem. Let them pray that all those things will not be taken away to Babylon. ¹⁹ "This is what the Lord All-Powerful says about the things that are still left in Jerusalem. In the Temple, there are the pillars, the bronze sea, the moveable stands, and other things. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left those things in Jerusalem. ²⁰ He didn't take them away when he took Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah away as a prisoner. Nebuchadnezzar also took other important people away from Judah and Jerusalem. ²¹ This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the people of Israel, says about the things still left in the Lord 's Temple and in the king's palace and in Jerusalem:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

serve: Jeremiah 27:11, Jeremiah 27:12

wherefore: Jeremiah 27:13, Jeremiah 38:17, Jeremiah 38:23

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 10:5 - We are thy servants Jeremiah 42:11 - afraid Titus 3:1 - to be subject

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Hearken not unto them,.... The false prophets:

serve the king of Babylon, and live; pay homage and tribute to him; which is the way to live in your own land, and enjoy the benefits of that, and of the temple worship; which, if not, you will be utterly deprived of:

wherefore should this city be laid waste? as it certainly will, should you rebel against the king of Babylon; and as it was in a few years after, when they did.