Jeremiah 29
1 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders in exile, to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2 It was after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had left Jerusalem.
3 The letter was carried by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said:
4 “This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5 ‘Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.
6 Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, so that they may have sons and daughters. Multiply there and do not dwindle.
7 Seek the welfare of the city to which I deported you, and pray to the LORD for it, because its welfare will be your welfare.
8 For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Do not let the prophets among you or your diviners deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you yourselves dream.
9 For they are prophesying lies to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD.
10 For this is what the LORD says: When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and fulfill my good promise to you, bringing you back to this place.
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope.’”
12 “‘You will call to me, come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
13 You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.
14 I will let you find me, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes. I will gather you from all the nations and all the places where I drove you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I deported you.
15 You say, “The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.”
16 For this is what the LORD says about the king sitting on David’s throne and all the people living in this city, your brothers who did not go with you into exile:
17 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: Look, I am sending against them the sword, famine, and plague. I will make them like rotten figs, so bad they cannot be eaten.
18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine, and plague. I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, a horror, a whistling, and a disgrace among all the nations where I drove them.
19 This is because they did not listen to my words, declares the LORD, which I sent to them through my servants the prophets again and again. And you did not listen, declares the LORD.
20 And you, listen to the word of the LORD, all you exiles whom I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy lies to you in my name: Look, I am handing them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them before your eyes.’”
22 “‘Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: “May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire.”
23 This is because they did a disgraceful thing in Israel: they committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and spoke lying words in my name, though I had not commanded them. I know, and I am a witness, declares the LORD.’”
24 And to Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall say:
25 “This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests. You said to them:
26 “The LORD has made you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, so there may be overseers in the house of the LORD. You must put in the stocks and the collar every madman who acts like a prophet.
27 So why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who acts like a prophet to you?
28 For he sent word to us in Babylon, saying, ‘The exile will be long. Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.’”
29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter aloud in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah.
30 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah:
31 “Send word to all the exiles: ‘This is what the LORD says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and he made you trust in a lie.
32 Therefore, this is what the LORD says: Look, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one living among this people, and he will not see the good I will do for my people, declares the LORD, because he spoke rebellion against the LORD.’”
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