Page:JPS-1917-Universal.djvu/624

28.1 that Hananiah the son of Azzur the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke unto me in the house of the, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying: 'Thus speaketh the of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring back into this place all the vessels of the house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon; and I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went to Babylon, saith the ; for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.' Then the prophet Jeremiah said unto the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests, and in the presence of all the people that stood in the house of the, even the prophet Jeremiah said: 'Amen! the do so! the perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the  house, and all them that are carried away captive, from Babylon unto this place! Nevertheless hear thou now this word that I speak in thine ears, and in the ears of all the people: The prophets that have been before me and before thee of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence. The prophet that prophesieth of peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prophet be known, that the hath truly sent him.'

Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and broke it. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying: 'Thus saith the : Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.' And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. Then the word of the came unto Jeremiah, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying: 'Go, and tell Hananiah, saying: Thus saith the : Thou hast broken the bars of wood; but thou shalt make in their stead bars of iron. For thus saith the of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him; and I have given him the beasts of the field also.' Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet: 'Hear now, Hananiah; the  hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 'Therefore thus saith the : Behold, I will send thee away from off the face of the earth; this year thou shalt die, because thou hast spoken perversion against the .' So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, after that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the officers, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem; by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent