Jeremiah 27:17
New International Version
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin?

New Living Translation
Do not listen to them. Surrender to the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this whole city be destroyed?

English Standard Version
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?

Berean Standard Bible
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

King James Bible
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?

New King James Version
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city be laid waste?

New American Standard Bible
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a place of ruins?

NASB 1995
“Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

NASB 1977
“Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a waste place?

Amplified Bible
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

Christian Standard Bible
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

American Standard Version
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a desolation?

Contemporary English Version
If you choose to obey the king of Babylonia, you will live. But if you listen to those prophets, this whole city will be nothing but a pile of rubble.

English Revised Version
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city become a desolation?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Don't listen to them. Instead, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city be turned into rubble?

Good News Translation
Don't listen to them! Submit to the king of Babylonia and you will live! Why should this city become a pile of ruins?

International Standard Version
Don't listen to them! Serve the king of Babylon and you'll live. Why should this city become a ruin?

Majority Standard Bible
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?

NET Bible
Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?'"

New Heart English Bible
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: why should this city become a desolation?'

Webster's Bible Translation
Hearken not to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: why should this city be laid waste?

World English Bible
Don’t listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why should this city become a desolation?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live! Why is this city a ruin?

Young's Literal Translation
Ye do not hearken unto them, serve the king of Babylon, and live. Why is this city a waste?

Smith's Literal Translation
Ye shall not hear to them; serve ye the king of Babel, and live: wherefore shall this city be laid waste?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore hearken not to them, but serve the king of Babylon, that you may live. Why should this city be given up to desolation?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, do not choose to listen to them, but instead, serve the king of Babylon, so that you may live. Why should this city be given over into desolation?

New American Bible
Do not listen to them! Serve the king of Babylon that you may live. Why should this city become rubble?

New Revised Standard Version
Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Do not listen to them, says the LORD, but serve the king of Babylon and live, that this city might not become a desolation.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Do not listen to them, says LORD JEHOVAH. Serve the King of Babel and live, and this city will not be desolate
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live; wherefore should this city become desolate?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I sent them not.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar
16Then I said to the priests and to all this people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Look, very soon now the articles from the house of the LORD will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie. 17Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin? 18If they are indeed prophets and the word of the LORD is with them, let them now plead with the LORD of Hosts that the articles remaining in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, not be taken to Babylon.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 21:9
Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who besiege you will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war.

Jeremiah 38:2
“This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by sword and famine and plague, but whoever surrenders to the Chaldeans will live; he will retain his life like a spoil of war, and he will live.

2 Kings 24:12
Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive.

2 Kings 25:11
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population.

2 Chronicles 36:17-20
So He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who put their young men to the sword in the sanctuary, sparing neither young men nor young women, neither elderly nor infirm. God gave them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, / who carried off everything to Babylon—all the articles of the house of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king and his officials. / Then the Chaldeans set fire to the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem. They burned down all the palaces and destroyed every article of value. ...

Ezekiel 17:12-21
“Now say to this rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, carried off its king and officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon. / He took a member of the royal family and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath. Then he carried away the leading men of the land, / so that the kingdom would be brought low, unable to lift itself up, surviving only by keeping his covenant. ...

Ezekiel 21:25-27
And you, O profane and wicked prince of Israel, the day has come for your final punishment.’ / This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Remove the turban, and take off the crown. Things will not remain as they are: Exalt the lowly and bring low the exalted. / A ruin, a ruin, I will make it a ruin! And it will not be restored until the arrival of Him to whom it belongs, to whom I have assigned the right of judgment.’

Lamentations 1:5
Her foes have become her masters; her enemies are at ease. For the LORD has brought her grief because of her many transgressions. Her children have gone away as captives before the enemy.

Lamentations 2:2
Without pity the Lord has swallowed up all the dwellings of Jacob. In His wrath He has demolished the fortified cities of the Daughter of Judah. He brought to the ground and defiled her kingdom and its princes.

Daniel 1:1-2
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. / And the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah, along with some of the articles from the house of God. He carried these off to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, where he put them in the treasury of his god.

Daniel 9:7
To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You.

Matthew 24:15-16
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), / then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Luke 21:20-22
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. / Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. / For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

John 11:48-50
If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” / But one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all! / You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

Acts 2:40
With many other words he testified, and he urged them, “Be saved from this corrupt generation.”


Treasury of Scripture

Listen not to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: why should this city be laid waste?

serve.

Jeremiah 27:11,12
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…

wherefore.

Jeremiah 27:13
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?

Jeremiah 38:17,23
Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: …

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Jeremiah 27
1. By the type of bonds and yokes he prophesies the subduing of the neighbor kings
8. He exhorts them to yield, and not to believe the false prophets.
12. The like he does to Zedekiah.
19. He foretells the remnant of the vessels shall be carried to Babylon,














Do not listen to them
This phrase is a direct command from God through the prophet Jeremiah. In the Hebrew text, the word for "listen" is "שָׁמַע" (shama), which means to hear intelligently, often with the implication of attention and obedience. In the context of Jeremiah 27, God is warning the people of Judah not to heed the false prophets who were promising peace and safety. Historically, this was a time of great turmoil, as Babylon was rising in power and threatening Jerusalem. The false prophets were giving the people a false sense of security, contrary to God's true message delivered by Jeremiah. This serves as a timeless reminder for believers to discern the voices they listen to, ensuring they align with God's truth.

serve the king of Babylon
The phrase "serve the king of Babylon" was a shocking directive to the people of Judah. The Hebrew word for "serve" is "עָבַד" (avad), which means to work or to be in bondage. This was a call to submit to a foreign power, which was counterintuitive to the nationalistic and religious sentiments of the Israelites. Historically, this was during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, a powerful and often ruthless king. God's instruction to serve him was not an endorsement of Babylonian practices but a strategic move for the preservation of His people. It highlights God's sovereignty and His ability to use even pagan nations to fulfill His purposes.

for I have warned you
Here, the phrase underscores God's proactive communication with His people. The Hebrew root for "warned" is "הִזְהִיר" (hizhir), which implies shining or enlightening. God, in His mercy, provides guidance and warnings to His people to steer them away from danger. This reflects His character as a loving Father who desires the well-being of His children. In the broader scriptural context, God's warnings are always coupled with His promises of restoration and hope, emphasizing His redemptive plan.

Why should this city become a ruin?
This rhetorical question serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of disobedience. The Hebrew word for "ruin" is "חָרְבָה" (charevah), which denotes desolation or destruction. Jerusalem, the city in question, was not just a political center but the spiritual heart of the nation, housing the Temple of God. The potential ruin of Jerusalem symbolized the spiritual decay that results from turning away from God. This question challenges the people to consider the cost of their choices and serves as a call to repentance. It is a sobering reminder for believers today to prioritize spiritual integrity and obedience to God to avoid spiritual desolation.

(17) Hearken not unto them.--The prophecy of the restoration of the vessels of the Temple was clearly not a mere prediction. It had been used as an incentive to rebellion. "Make one last effort," the prophets virtually said, "and the spoiler shall be compelled to disgorge his booty." The prophet saw that such an effort would but hasten the utter destruction of the Temple and the city.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

listen
תִּשְׁמְע֣וּ (tiš·mə·‘ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

to them.
אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם (’ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Serve
עִבְד֥וּ (‘iḇ·ḏū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 5647: To work, to serve, till, enslave

the king
מֶֽלֶךְ־ (me·leḵ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Babylon
בָּבֶ֖ל (bā·ḇel)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 894: Babylon -- an eastern Mediterranean empire and its capital city

and live!
וִֽחְי֑וּ (wiḥ·yū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

Why
לָ֧מָּה (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

should this
הַזֹּ֖את (haz·zōṯ)
Article | Pronoun - feminine singular
Strong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that,

city
הָעִ֥יר (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

become
תִֽהְיֶ֛ה (ṯih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

a ruin?
חָרְבָּֽה׃ (ḥā·rə·bāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2723: Waste, desolation, ruin


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 27:17 Don't listen to them (Jer.)
Jeremiah 27:16
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