Hananiah’s False Prophecy
1 That same year, at the beginning of Zedekiah, king of Judah’s reign, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was of Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 “The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years I will bring back into this place all the vessels of the house of the Lord, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took from here, and carried to Babylon. 4 I will bring back Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, who went to Babylon,’ says the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’ ”
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord, 6 the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do this. May the Lord fulfill the words which you have prophesied, to bring back the articles of house of the Lord and all those who are captives, from Babylon to this place. 7 Nevertheless listen now to this word that I am speaking to you and to all the people. 8 The prophets of old, who have been before me and before you, prophesied against many countries and against great kingdoms, of war, of disaster, and of pestilence. 9 The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet happens, then the prophet will be known, that the Lord has truly sent him.”
10 Then Hananiah the prophet took the bar from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. 11 Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “The Lord says, ‘So I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from off the neck of all the nations within two full years.’ ”
Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.
12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, after Hananiah the prophet had broken the bar from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 “Go, and tell Hananiah, saying, ‘The Lord says: You have broken the bars of wood, but you have made in their place, bars of iron. 14 For The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel says: I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I have also given him the animals of the field.’ ”
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, but you make this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore the Lord says, ‘I will cast you off the face of the earth. This year you will die because you have spoken rebellion against the Lord.’ ”
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.