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'And now I have handed all these lands over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have also given him the animals of the field to serve him.

'And it will be that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with plague,' declares the LORD, 'until I have eliminated it by his hand.

'And as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers who talk to you, saying, "You will not serve the king of Babylon."

'But the nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land,' declares the LORD, 'and they will cultivate it and live in it.'"'"

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!

"Why should you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine, and plague, as the LORD has spoken to the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

"So do not listen to the words of the prophets who talk to you, saying, 'You will not serve the king of Babylon,' for they are prophesying a lie to you;

Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying: "This is what the LORD says: 'Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, "Behold, the vessels of the LORD'S house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon"; for they are prophesying a lie to you.

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

'But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, have them now plead with the LORD of armies that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD and the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem do not go to Babylon.

which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he led into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem—

"They will be brought to Babylon and will be there until the day I visit them," declares the LORD. "Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place."'"

"This is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: 'I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

'Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from this place and brought to Babylon.

'I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,' declares the LORD, 'for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.'"

and Jeremiah the prophet said, "Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD fulfill your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the LORD'S house and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place.

Hananiah spoke in the sight of all the people, saying, "This is what the LORD says: 'Even so within two full years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.'" Then Jeremiah the prophet went his way.

'For this is what the LORD of armies, the God of Israel says: "I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him. And I have also given him the animals of the field."'"

Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,