Read the Bible

Hananiah's False Prophecy

¹ In the same year, ^(C1)in the beginning of the reign of ^(C2)Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year and the fifth month, the false prophet ^(C3)Hananiah the son of Azzur, who was from ^(C4)Gibeon one of the priests' cities, spoke without godly authority to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying:² "^(C1)Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.³ 'Within two years I am going to bring back to this place ^(C1)all the articles of the LORD'S house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon.⁴ 'And I will ^(C1)also bring back to this place ^(C2)Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, along with all the ^(C3)exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,' says the LORD, 'for I will break the ^(C4)yoke of the king of Babylon.'" ^(VR1)

⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who stood in the ^(C1)house of the LORD,⁶ and the prophet Jeremiah said, "^(C1)Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD confirm and fulfill your words which you have prophesied to bring back the articles of the LORD'S house and all the captives, from Babylon to this place.⁷ "Nevertheless, ^(C1)listen now to this word which I am about to speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people!⁸ "The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times ^(C1)prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms, of war and of disaster and of virulent disease.⁹ "But as for the prophet who on the contrary prophesies of peace, ^(C1)when that prophet's word comes to pass, only then will it be known that the LORD has truly sent him."

¹⁰ Then Hananiah the false prophet took the ^(C1)yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and smashed it.¹¹ Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, "^(C1)Thus says the LORD, 'Even so within two full years I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.'" Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

¹² The ^(C1)word of the LORD came to Jeremiah some time after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,¹³ "Go and tell Hananiah, 'The LORD says this, "You have broken yokes of wood, but you have made in their place ^(C1)bars of iron."¹⁴ 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, "I have put the iron ^(C1)yoke of servitude on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will ^(C2)serve him. And ^(C3)I have even given him the beasts of the field."'" ^(VR1)15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, "Listen now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and ^(C1)you have made this people trust in a lie.¹⁶ "Therefore thus says the LORD, '^(C1)Behold, I am about to send you away from the face of the earth. This year you will ^(C2)die, because you have ^(C3)spoken and counseled rebellion against the LORD.'"

¹⁷ So Hananiah the false prophet died two months later, the same year, in the seventh month.