Jeremiah 27:2-12

2 The Lord saith these things to me, Make thou to thee bonds and chains, and thou shalt put them in thy neck (and thou shalt put them on, or around, thy neck);

3 and thou shalt send those to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the sons of Ammon (and to the king of the Ammonites), and to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of [the] messengers that came to Jerusalem, and to Zedekiah, king of Judah.

4 And thou shalt command to them, that they speak to their lords, (and say,) The Lord of hosts, God of Israel saith these things, Ye shall say these things to your lords,

5 I made earth, and man, and beasts that be on the face of all earth, in my great strength, and in mine arm holden forth; and I gave it to him that pleased (me) before mine eyes. (I made the earth, and the people, and all the beasts that be upon the face of the earth, by my great strength, and by my arm stretched forth; and I gave it to those who pleased my eyes.)

6 And now therefore I gave all these lands in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, my servant, the king of Babylon; furthermore and I gave to him the beasts of the field, that they serve him. (And so now I have given all of these lands into the hands, or into the power, of my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon; and I have even given him the beasts of the field, so that they would serve him.)

7 And all folks shall serve him, and his son, and the son of his son, till the time of his land and of him come; and many folks and great kings shall serve him. (And all the nations shall serve him, and his son, and the son of his son, until the time of the end for his own land come; yea, many nations and great kings shall serve him.)

8 Forsooth the folk and realm that serveth not Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and whoever boweth not his neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I shall visit on that folk in sword, and hunger, and pestilence, saith the Lord, till I waste them in his hand. (But the nation, or the kingdom, that serveth not Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and whoever boweth not his neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I shall punish that nation with the sword, and hunger, and pestilence, saith the Lord, until I destroy them by his hand, or by his power.)

9 Therefore do not ye hear your prophets, and false diviners, and dreamers, and diviners by (the) chittering and flying of birds, and witches, that say to you, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon;

10 for they prophesy a leasing to you, that they make you far from your land, and cast out you, and ye perish. (for they prophesy a lie to you, so that they make you far from your land, and cast you out, and ye perish.)

11 Certainly the folk that maketh subject their noll under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serveth him, I shall leave, either deliver, it in his (own) land, saith the Lord; and it shall till that land, and shall dwell therein. (Truly the nation that maketh subject their necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serveth him, I shall leave them in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till that land, and shall live there.)

12 And I spake by all these words to Zedekiah, king of Judah, and I said, Make ye subject your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve ye him, and his people, and ye shall live.

Jeremiah 27:2-12 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.