Jeremiah 27:9
New International Version
So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

New Living Translation
“‘Do not listen to your false prophets, fortune-tellers, interpreters of dreams, mediums, and sorcerers who say, “The king of Babylon will not conquer you.”

English Standard Version
So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’

Berean Standard Bible
But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

King James Bible
Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

New King James Version
Therefore do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon.”

New American Standard Bible
And as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers who talk to you, saying, “You will not serve the king of Babylon.”

NASB 1995
“But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

NASB 1977
“But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’

Legacy Standard Bible
But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

Amplified Bible
And as for you, do not listen to your [counterfeit] prophets, your diviners, your dreams and dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers, who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’

Christian Standard Bible
So you should not listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, or sorcerers who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon! ’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, diviners, dreamers, fortune-tellers, or sorcerers who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’

American Standard Version
But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

Contemporary English Version
You might have people in your kingdom who claim they can tell the future by magic or by talking with the dead or by dreams or messages from a god. But don't pay attention if any of them tell you not to obey Nebuchadnezzar.

English Revised Version
But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Don't listen to prophets, mediums, interpreters of dreams, fortunetellers, or sorcerers who tell you that you'll never serve the king of Babylon.

Good News Translation
Do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim they can predict the future, either by dreams or by calling up the spirits of the dead or by magic. They all tell you not to submit to the king of Babylonia.

International Standard Version
You aren't to listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, and your sorcerers who say to you, 'Don't serve the king of Babylon.'

Majority Standard Bible
But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ?You will not serve the king of Babylon.?

NET Bible
So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, 'You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.'

New Heart English Bible
But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, 'You shall not serve the king of Babylon':

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:

World English Bible
But as for you, don’t listen to your prophets, to your diviners, to your dreams, to your soothsayers, or to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon;”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And you, you do not listen to your prophets, and to your diviners, and to your dreamers, and to your observers of clouds, and to your sorcerers who are speaking to you, saying, You do not serve the king of Babylon—

Young's Literal Translation
'And ye, ye do not hearken unto your prophets, and unto your diviners, and unto your dreamers, and unto your observers of clouds, and unto your sorcerers who are speaking unto you, saying, Ye do not serve the king of Babylon, --

Smith's Literal Translation
And ye shall not hear to your prophets and to your divinations, and to your dreamers, and to those of you practicing magic, and to your sorcerers, which they are saying to you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babel:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore hearken not to your prophets, and diviners, and dreamers, and soothsayers, and sorcerers, that say to you: You shall not serve the king Babylon.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, you should not choose to listen to your own prophets, and diviners, and dreamers, and soothsayers, and sorcerers, who say to you: ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’

New American Bible
You, however, must not listen to your prophets, to your diviners and dreamers, to your soothsayers and sorcerers, who say to you, “Do not serve the king of Babylon.”

New Revised Standard Version
You, therefore, must not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Therefore do not listen to your false prophets nor to your diviners nor to your dreamers nor to your enchanters nor to your magicians, who say to you, You shall not serve the king of Babylon;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you shall not hear your lying Prophets and your Soothsayers and your Dreamers and your Enchanters and your Sorcerers, for they say to you: “You shall not serve the King of Babel!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But as for you, hearken ye not to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreams, nor to your soothsayers, nor to your sorcerers, that speak unto you, saying: Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And hearken ye not to your false prophets, nor to them that divine to you, nor to them that foretell events by dreams to you, nor to your auguries, nor your sorcerers, that say, Ye shall by no means work for the king of Babylon:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Yoke of Nebuchadnezzar
8As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation by sword and famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand. 9But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10For they prophesy to you a lie that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you and you will perish.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 18:20-22
But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.” / You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?” / When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

Ezekiel 13:3-9
This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit yet have seen nothing. / Your prophets, O Israel, are like foxes among the ruins. / You did not go up to the gaps or restore the wall around the house of Israel so that it would stand in the battle on the Day of the LORD. ...

Matthew 24:24
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 Peter 2:1
Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

1 Kings 22:22-23
And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ / So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, / and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. / For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, ...

Isaiah 44:25
who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who confounds the wise and turns their knowledge into nonsense,

Acts 13:6-10
They traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, / an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, a man of intelligence, summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. / But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. ...

Zechariah 10:2
For idols speak deceit and diviners see illusions; they tell false dreams and offer empty comfort. Therefore the people wander like sheep, oppressed for lack of a shepherd.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. / And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. / It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

Micah 3:5-7
This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead My people astray, who proclaim peace while they chew with their teeth, but declare war against one who puts nothing in their mouths: / Therefore night will come over you without visions, and darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. / Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

Revelation 19:20
But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Jeremiah 14:14-15
“The prophets are prophesying lies in My name,” replied the LORD. “I did not send them or appoint them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, a worthless divination, the futility and delusion of their own minds. / Therefore this is what the LORD says about the prophets who prophesy in My name: I did not send them, yet they say, ‘No sword or famine will touch this land.’ By sword and famine these very prophets will meet their end!

1 Timothy 4:1-2
Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, / influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.


Treasury of Scripture

Therefore listen not you to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak to you, saying, You shall not serve the king of Babylon:

hearken.

Jeremiah 27:14-16
Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you…

Jeremiah 14:14
Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.

Jeremiah 23:16,25,32
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD…

Dreamers.

Isaiah 47:12-14
Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail…

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Arts Attention Babylon Clouds Diviners Dreamers Dreams Enchanters Future Hearken Interpreters Mediums Observers Prophets Readers Secret Servants Serve Signs Soothsayers Sorcerers Speak Speaking Use
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Arts Attention Babylon Clouds Diviners Dreamers Dreams Enchanters Future Hearken Interpreters Mediums Observers Prophets Readers Secret Servants Serve Signs Soothsayers Sorcerers Speak Speaking Use
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,














So do not listen
This phrase is a direct command from God through the prophet Jeremiah. The Hebrew root for "listen" is "שָׁמַע" (shama), which means to hear intelligently, often with the implication of attention and obedience. In the context of ancient Israel, listening was not merely about auditory reception but involved a commitment to heed and act upon what was heard. God is warning His people against giving heed to false assurances that contradict His revealed will.

to your prophets
The term "prophets" here refers to those who claim to speak on behalf of God but are not truly His messengers. In the Hebrew context, a prophet (נָבִיא, nabi) was expected to convey God's messages accurately. However, these prophets were misleading the people, offering false hope and security. Historically, false prophets were a recurring issue in Israel, often leading the people astray by telling them what they wanted to hear rather than the truth.

your diviners
Diviners (קֹסְמִים, qosemim) were individuals who practiced divination, attempting to predict the future or gain insight through supernatural means. This practice was explicitly forbidden in the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 18:10-12) as it relied on sources other than God for guidance. The presence of diviners among the people indicates a reliance on pagan practices and a departure from trusting in God's sovereignty.

your dreamers
Dreamers (חֹלְמִים, cholemim) refers to those who claimed to receive divine messages through dreams. While God did use dreams to communicate at times (e.g., Joseph, Daniel), not all dreams were from Him. The warning here is against those who used dreams to falsely assure the people of peace and safety, contrary to God's true message of impending judgment.

your soothsayers
Soothsayers (מְנַחֲשִׁים, menachashim) were those who practiced enchantment or sought omens. This practice was common in surrounding pagan cultures and was another form of seeking guidance apart from God. The inclusion of soothsayers in this list underscores the extent to which the people had turned to alternative spiritual sources, abandoning their covenant relationship with God.

or your sorcerers
Sorcerers (מְכַשְּׁפִים, mekashfim) engaged in witchcraft or magic, often invoking evil spirits or using spells. This was strictly prohibited in Israel (Exodus 22:18) as it represented a direct rebellion against God's authority and a reliance on dark powers. The presence of sorcerers among the people highlights the spiritual decay and the extent of their rebellion against God.

who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
This phrase captures the false message being propagated by these various groups. The assurance that they would not serve the king of Babylon was a direct contradiction to God's declared plan, as He had ordained Babylon's dominance as a means of judgment. Historically, this period was marked by political turmoil and the rise of Babylon as a dominant power. The false prophets' message was appealing but ultimately deceptive, as it encouraged resistance against God's ordained discipline.

(9) Therefore hearken ye not to your prophets.--The almost exhaustive list of the names given to the men who claimed the power of prevision, may have had its ground in the fact that each of the five names was characteristic of this or that among the five nations to whom the message was sent. Of the names themselves, the prominent idea in "prophet" is that of full-flowing utterance; in "diviners," that of casting lots, as in Ezekiel 21:21; in "dreamers," what the English word indicates; in enchanters, that of practising "veiled" or "secret" arts (Leviticus 19:26; Deuteronomy 18:10); in "sorcerers," that of muttered and whispered spells (Isaiah 8:19; Isaiah 47:9-13; 2Kings 9:22). It is clear that the five nations of the confederacy were sustained in their rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar by a unanimity of prediction from men of all these classes like that which lured Ahab to his destruction (1Kings 22:22). Every oracle was tuned, as it were, in favour of the policy of resistance. . . . Verse 9. - Your dreamers; rather, your dreams. So in Jeremiah 29:8 the "dreams" of the people are expressly distinguished from the utterances of the prophets and soothsayers. In our passage the "dreamers" are appropriately mentioned between the "diviners" and the "enchanters," because the skill of the soothsayers partly lay in the interpretation of dreams (comp. Genesis 41:8; Daniel 2:2).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But as for you,
וְ֠אַתֶּם (wə·’at·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

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

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

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

your prophets,
נְבִיאֵיכֶ֜ם (nə·ḇî·’ê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

your diviners,
קֹֽסְמֵיכֶ֗ם (qō·sə·mê·ḵem)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 7080: To distribute, determine by lot, magical scroll, to divine

your interpreters of dreams,
חֲלֹמֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם (ḥă·lō·mō·ṯê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 2472: A dream

your mediums,
עֹֽנְנֵיכֶ֖ם (‘ō·nə·nê·ḵem)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 6049: To act covertly, practise magic

or your sorcerers
כַּשָּׁפֵיכֶ֑ם (kaš·šā·p̄ê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3786: A magician

who
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

tell
אֹמְרִ֤ים (’ō·mə·rîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

you,
וְאֶל־ (wə·’el-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

‘You shall not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

serve
תַעַבְד֖וּ (ṯa·‘aḇ·ḏū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5647: To work, to serve, till, enslave

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

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


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OT Prophets: Jeremiah 27:9 But as for you don't you listen (Jer.)
Jeremiah 27:8
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