27 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;
4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;
5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.
6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
12 I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
13 Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
14 Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
15 For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.
16 Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD’s house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
17 Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?
18 But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
19 For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city.
20 Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;
21 Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;
22 They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.
Must-Read Christian Books
The Pursuit of God
A heartfelt call to pursue God Himself above all else, with a strong emphasis on holiness and devotion.
View on Amazon
Desiring God
Piper unpacks "Christian Hedonism": that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, grounded in Scripture.
View on Amazon
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Practical, biblical guidance on disciplines like prayer, Bible intake, worship, and fasting to grow in godliness.
View on Amazon
Pilgrim Theology
An accessible summary of Reformed theology that connects doctrine to the Christian life.
View on Amazon
A Call to Spiritual Reformation
Walks through Paul's prayers to teach believers how to pray biblically and God-centeredly.
View on Amazon
Basic Christianity
A timeless introduction to who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him according to Scripture.
View on Amazon
Finally Alive
A biblical exploration of the new birth and why regeneration is at the heart of the Christian life.
View on Amazon
The Gospel for Real Life
Shows how the finished work of Christ applies to everyday struggles and assurance.
View on Amazon
Overcoming Sin and Temptation
A classic Puritan work on mortifying sin and living in the power of the Spirit.
View on Amazon
Future Grace
Argues that faith in God's future grace frees believers from the enslaving power of sin.
View on Amazon
Don't Waste Your Life
A passionate plea to live for Christ's glory rather than trivial pursuits.
View on Amazon
Let the Nations Be Glad!
Missions-focused theology showing that worship is the goal of evangelism to the nations.
View on Amazon
The Bondage of the Will
Luther's classic defense of the Bible's teaching on human sin and God's sovereign grace.
View on Amazon
Preaching and Preachers
Classic lectures on the nature and power of biblical preaching.
View on Amazon
Christ of the Covenants
Explains the biblical covenants and how they reveal Christ and God's plan of redemption.
View on Amazon
Gentle and Lowly
Meditates on Christ's heart for sinners and sufferers from key biblical texts.
View on Amazon
Idols of the Heart
Helps believers identify and repent of heart-idols through the lens of Scripture.
View on Amazon
Shepherding a Child's Heart
Biblical parenting that aims at a child's heart, not just outward behavior.
View on Amazon