Study Desk

Then the religious leaders and men of God said to the leaders and to all the people, "This man must die! For he has spoken against this city, as you have heard with your own ears."

So now change your ways and your works, and obey the voice of the Lord your God. Then the Lord will change His mind about the trouble He has said would come to you.

Then the leaders and all the people said to the religious leaders and men of God, "No, this man should not be put to death! For he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God."

Tell them to go to their leaders, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, and this is what you should say to your leaders:

But if they are true men of God, and if the Word of the Lord is with them, let them now pray to the Lord of All. Let them ask that the objects which are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, may not go to Babylon.

So this is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says about the objects that are left in the house of the Lord, and in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem. He says,

"This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the crossbar across the shoulders of the king of Babylon.

Then Jeremiah, the man of God, spoke to Hananiah, the man who told what would happen, in front of the religious leaders and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord.

And Jeremiah, the man who spoke for God, said, "Let it be so! May the Lord do so. May the Lord make the words you have spoken come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the objects of the Lord's house and all the people of Judah.

The men who spoke for God before us from long ago spoke of war and trouble and disease coming to many lands and great nations.

Then Hananiah, the man who told what would happen, took the cross-bar from the neck of Jeremiah the man of God and broke it.

And Hananiah said in front of all the people, "The Lord says, ‘In this way I will break the cross-bar of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years.'" Then Jeremiah the man of God went his way.

For the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, "I have put the cross-bar of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And they will serve him. I have given him the animals of the field also."'"

Then Jeremiah who spoke for God said to Hananiah who told what would happen, "Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you. And you have made these people trust in a lie.

These are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the man of God sent from Jerusalem to the leaders, the religious leaders, the men of God, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

"This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says to all of His people who have been sent from Jerusalem to Babylon:

For the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, ‘Do not let the people among you who tell what is going to happen in the future and those who use their secret ways fool you. Do not listen to their dreams.

"This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says about Ahab the son of Kolaiah and about Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are speaking false words to you in My name: ‘See, I will give them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And he will kill them in front of your eyes.

"This is what the Lord of All, the God of Israel, says: ‘You have sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the religious leader, and to all the religious leaders. You said to Zephaniah,

Zephaniah the religious leader read this letter to Jeremiah the man of God.