1 When Zedekiah had been the King of Judah for more than three years, late in the ◄summer/hot season►, Azzur’s son Hananiah, a prophet from Gibeon city, spoke to me in the courtyard of the temple, while all the priests and other people were listening. He said, 2 “This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom we Israelis worship, says: ‘I will cause the king of Babylon to stop ruling/controlling [MET] all of you. 3 ◄Within two years/Before two years have ended►, I will cause to be brought bring back to this temple all the valuable things that King Nebuchadnezzar’s soldiers took from this temple and took to Babylon. 4 And I will also cause King Jehoiachin to be brought back here, and all the other people who were captured and taken to Babylon. The king of Babylon has forced you to do what he wants, like someone puts a yoke on the neck of an ox to force it to do what he wants [MET] it to do. But I will cause that to end. That will happen because I, Yahweh, have said it.’ ”

5 I replied to Hananiah in front of all the priests and other people who were standing outside the temple. 6 I said, “◄Amen/May that happen►! I desire/hope that what you have predicted will happen. I hope/desire that Yahweh will do everything that you have said! I hope/desire that he will cause men from Babylon to bring back from Babylon all the valuable things that were in this temple, and all the people who were taken to Babylon. 7 But now listen to what I say to you while all these people are listening. 8 Many years ago, those who were prophets before you and I became prophets spoke messages about many nations and great kingdoms. They predicted/prophesied that wars and disasters and plagues/diseases would occur in those nations. 9 So now you or any other prophet who predicts that things will go well for us must show that your message is correct. Only if what you predict actually happens will we know that you were truly appointed by Yahweh.”

10 Then Hananiah took the yoke off my neck and broke it. 11 Then he said this to all the people who were there: “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Just like Hananiah has broken this yoke, within two years I will cause King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to stop forcing the people to do what he wants, which has been like a heavy yoke on all their necks [MET].’ ” After Hananiah said that, I left the temple area.

12 Soon after Hananiah had broken the yoke that was around my neck, Yahweh gave this message to me: 13 “Go and say this to Hananiah: ‘Yahweh says that you have broken a wooden yoke, but that he will replace it with an iron yoke. 14 I have forced the people of all these nations to become slaves of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. That is like [MET] an iron yoke around their necks. I have put everything, even wild animals, under his control.’ ”

15 Then I went to Hananiah and said to him, “Hananiah, listen to this: Yahweh has not appointed you; instead, you have told lies to the people, and they have believed your lies. 16 Therefore, this is what Yahweh says: ‘You will soon die. Before the end of this year, you will die, because you have rebelled against Yahweh.’ ”

17 Hananiah died two months later.