3
Before two years are out I'll have all the furnishings of God's Temple back here, all the things that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon plundered and hauled off to Babylon.
4
I'll also bring back Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the exiles who were taken off to Babylon.' God's Decree. 'Yes, I will break the king of Babylon's yoke. You'll no longer be in harness to him.'"
5
Prophet Jeremiah stood up to Prophet Hananiah in front of the priests and all the people who were in God's Temple that day.
6
Prophet Jeremiah said, "Wonderful! Would that it were true - that God would validate your preaching by bringing the Temple furnishings and all the exiles back from Babylon.
7
But listen to me, listen closely. Listen to what I tell both you and all the people here today:
8
The old prophets, the ones before our time, preached judgment against many countries and kingdoms, warning of war and disaster and plague.
9
So any prophet who preaches that everything is just fine and there's nothing to worry about stands out like a sore thumb. We'll wait and see. If it happens, it happens - and then we'll know that God sent him."
10
At that, Hananiah grabbed the yoke from Jeremiah's shoulders and smashed it.
11
And then he addressed the people: "This is God's Message: In just this way I will smash the yoke of the king of Babylon and get him off the neck of all the nations - and within two years." Jeremiah walked out.
12
Later, sometime after Hananiah had smashed the yoke from off his shoulders, Jeremiah received this Message from God: