The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 29 Jeremiah's letter to the captives in Babylon

 

 The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah's letter to the captives in Babylon

 

1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent to Jerusalem, to the rest of the elders of the captivity, as well as to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.

2 (After King Jehoiachin, the queen, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters and smiths of Jerusalem had left),

3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah (whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), saying:

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I sent captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.

6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may have sons and daughters; and multiply there, and do not decrease.

7 Seek the peace of the city to which I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its peace you will have peace.

8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets who are among you deceive you, nor your diviners, nor listen to your dreams which you dream:

9 For they are prophesying falsely to you in my name: I have not sent them, says the Lord.

10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

14 “I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

15 For you say, 'The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.'

16 For thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers, who did not go out with you into captivity;

17 Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send among them the sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like rotten figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so bad.

18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; I will give them up to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, and to be a curse, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations whither I have driven them;

19 Therefore they did not listen to my words, declares the Lord, even though I sent my servants the prophets to them, rising early and sending them; but you did not listen, declares the Lord.

20 Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name: I will hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your very eyes.

22 And all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will curse them, saying, “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;

23 Because they have committed folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken falsely in my name, things which I did not command them to speak ; and I know it and am a witness to it, declares the Lord.

24 And you shall speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying:

25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and also to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying:

26 The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, to be in charge of the house of the Lord over every male demon-possessed man who prophesies, to put him in prison and in the stocks.

27 Now then, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite, who prophesies to you?

28 For this reason he sent us word to Babylon: “The captivity will be long; build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.”

29 Then Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:

31 Send to all the exiles, saying, “This is what the Lord says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and he has made you trust in lies.

32 Therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants; he shall have no one to dwell among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, says the Lord, because he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.