1   That same year, ^note in the fifth month of the first ^note year of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, Hananiah son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, 2   ‘These are the words of the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3   Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord's house which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon took from here and carried off to Babylon. 4   I will also bring back to this place, says the Lord, Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ 5   The prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people standing in the Lord's house: ‘May it be so! 6   May the Lord indeed do this: may he fulfil all that you have prophesied, by bringing back the vessels of the Lord's house and all the exiles from Babylon to this place! 7   Only hear what I have to say to you and to all the people: 8   the prophets who preceded you and me from earliest times have foretold war, famine, ^note and pestilence for many lands and for great kingdoms. 9   If a prophet foretells prosperity, when his words come true it will be known that the Lord has sent him.’

10   Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11   saying before all the people, ‘These are the words of the Lord: Thus will I break the yoke of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; I will break it off the necks of all nations within two years’; ^note and the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 12   After Hananiah had broken the yoke which had been on Jeremiah's neck, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13   Go and say to Hananiah, These are the words of the Lord: You have broken bars of wood; in their place you shall ^note get bars of iron. 14   For these are the words of the Lord of Hosts the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron on the necks of all these nations, making them serve Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. They shall serve him, and I have given him even the beasts of the field. 15   Then Jeremiah said to Hananiah, ‘Listen, Hananiah. The Lord has not sent you, and you have led this nation to trust in false prophecies. 16   Therefore these are the words of the Lord: Beware, I will remove you from the face of the earth; you shall die within the year, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’ 17   The prophet Hananiah died that same year, in the seventh month.

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