Jeremiah 27:9-19

9 So 1do not listen to your 2prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your 3fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon.'
10 4For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish.
11 5But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the LORD."'"
12 To 6Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: 7"Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and 8serve him and his people and live.
13 9Why will you and your people die 10by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, 11as the LORD has spoken concerning any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
14 12Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon,'13for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you.
15 I have not sent them, declares the LORD, but 14they are prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you."
16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 15Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, 16'Behold, the vessels of the LORD's house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon,'17for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you.
17 18Do not listen to them; 19serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city 20become a desolation?
18 If they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, then 21let them intercede with the LORD of hosts, 22that the vessels that are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.
19 23For thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are left in this city,

Jeremiah 27:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 27

This chapter contains a prophecy of the subjection of the king of Judah, with five neighbouring kings, to the king of Babylon; signified by bonds and yokes on the prophet's neck, which they are exhorted patiently to bear, as being most for their good; and not to give heed to false prophets, who would persuade them to the contrary. The date of the prophecy is in Jer 27:1; the order to make the yokes, and send them to the several neighbouring princes by their messengers at Jerusalem, Jer 27:2,3; what they should say to their masters from the God of Israel, who is described from his power in the creation of the earth, and the disposal of it, Jer 27:4,5; as that he had given all their lands into the hand of the king of Babylon, whom they should serve, or it would be worse for them, Jer 27:6-8; and therefore should not hearken to their prophets, who prophesied lies; if they did, it would be to their hurt; whereas, if they quietly submitted, they would dwell in their own land, Jer 27:9-11; particularly Zedekiah king of Judah is exhorted to submit; and both he, and the priests and the people, are advised not to hearken to the false prophets, Jer 27:12-15; particularly as to what they said concerning the speedy return of the vessels of the temple, which were carried away to Babylon; but might assure themselves they should remain there; and the rest also should be taken, and not returned until the end of the seventy years, Jer 27:16-22.

Cross References 23

  • 1. [Jeremiah 14:14]
  • 2. [Jeremiah 29:8]
  • 3. [Deuteronomy 18:10; Isaiah 2:6]
  • 4. See Jeremiah 5:31
  • 5. [ver. 2, 8]
  • 6. Jeremiah 28:1; [ver. 1]
  • 7. [See ver. 11 above]
  • 8. ver. 17; [Jeremiah 38:17]
  • 9. Ezekiel 18:31
  • 10. See Jeremiah 14:12
  • 11. ver. 8
  • 12. [Jeremiah 14:14]
  • 13. [See ver. 10 above]
  • 14. [See ver. 10 above]
  • 15. [See ver. 14 above]
  • 16. Jeremiah 28:3; 2 Kings 24:13; 2 Chr. 36:7, 10, 18
  • 17. [See ver. 10 above]
  • 18. [See ver. 14 above]
  • 19. [See ver. 11 above]
  • 20. See Jeremiah 7:34
  • 21. [Isaiah 59:16]
  • 22. Daniel 1:2
  • 23. [2 Kings 25:13]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.