In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king
of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son
of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the
LORD, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying,
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the
yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to
this place all the vessels of the LORD's house, which
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and
carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah
the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah
who went to Babylon, declares the LORD, for I will break the yoke
of the king of Babylon.”
Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the
presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the
house of the LORD, and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the
LORD do so; may the LORD make the words that you have prophesied
come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of
the house of the LORD, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word
that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people.
The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied
war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great
kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of
that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the LORD has
truly sent the prophet.”
Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of
Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. And Hananiah spoke in the
presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the LORD: Even so
will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the
neck of all the nations within two years.” But Jeremiah the prophet
went his way.
Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from
off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the LORD came to
Jeremiah: “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the LORD: You have broken
wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. For
thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the
neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even
the beasts of the field.’” And Jeremiah the prophet said to the
prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and
you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the
LORD: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This
year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the
LORD.’”
In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah
died.
