The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Go and tell Hananiah that this is what the Lord says: ‘You have broken a wooden yoke, but I will make a yoke of iron in the place of the wooden yoke.
Your prophets saw visions for you, but their visions were only worthless lies. They didn’t speak against your sins. They didn’t try to make things better. They spoke messages for you, but they were false messages that fooled you.
‘I didn’t send them,’ says the Lord. ‘They are telling lies and saying that the message is from me. So I will send you people of Judah away. You will die, and the prophets who spoke to you will die also.’”
So you will serve the enemies the Lord will send against you. You will be hungry, thirsty, naked, and poor. He will put a load on you that cannot be removed. You will carry that load until he destroys you.
“My sins were tied up like a yoke. My sins were tied up in the Lord’s hands. His yoke is on my neck. He has made me weak. He has given me to those who I cannot stand up against.
It will be a dark day in Tahpanhes when I break Egypt’s control. Her proud power will be finished! A cloud will cover Egypt, and her daughters will be taken away as prisoners.
My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work much harder! My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with whips that have sharp metal tips.’”