Jeremiah 29
29
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives
1Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were #Jer. 27:20carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2(This happened after #2 Kin. 24:12–16; 2 Chr. 36:9, 10; Jer. 22:24–28Jeconiah the king, the #2 Kin. 24:12, 15; Jer. 13:18queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) 3The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of #2 Chr. 34:8Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,
4Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 7And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, #Ezra 6:10; Neh. 1:4–11; Dan. 9:16; 1 Tim. 2:2and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. 8For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst #Jer. 14:14; 23:21; 27:14, 15; Eph. 5:6deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9For they prophesy #Jer. 28:15; 37:19falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.
10For thus says the Lord: After #2 Chr. 36:21–23; Ezra 1:1–4; Jer. 25:12; 27:22; Dan. 9:2; Zech. 7:5seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to #(Jer. 24:6, 7); Zeph. 2:7return to this place. 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will #Ps. 50:15; Jer. 33:3; Dan. 9:3call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will #Ps. 145:19listen to you. 13And #Lev. 26:39–42; Deut. 30:1–3you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me #1 Chr. 22:19; 2 Chr. 22:9; Jer. 24:7with all your heart. 14#(Deut. 4:7); Ps. 32:6; 46:1; (Is. 55:6, 7); Jer. 24:7I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; #Is. 43:5, 6; Jer. 23:8; 32:37I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
15Because you have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon”— 16#Jer. 38:2, 3, 17–23therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity— 17thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like #Jer. 24:3, 8–10rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I #Deut. 28:25; 2 Chr. 29:8; Jer. 15:4; 24:9; 34:17; Ezek. 12:15will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be #Jer. 26:6; 42:18a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which #Jer. 25:4; 26:5; 35:15I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the Lord. 20Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a #Jer. 14:14, 15; Lam. 2:14; 2 Pet. 2:1lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. 22#Gen. 48:20; Is. 65:15And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, #Dan. 3:6, 21whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”; 23because #Jer. 23:14they have done disgraceful things in Israel, have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them. Indeed I #(Prov. 5:21; Jer. 16:17); Mal. 3:5; (Heb. 4:13)know, and am a witness, says the Lord.
24You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, #2 Kin. 25:18; Jer. 21:1to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26“The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be #Jer. 20:1officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is #2 Kin. 9:11; Hos. 9:7; Mark 3:21; John 10:20; Acts 26:24; (2 Cor. 5:13)demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should #Jer. 20:1, 2; Acts 16:24put him in prison and in the stocks. 27Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? 28For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ”
29Now Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 31Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, #Jer. 28:15and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a #Ezek. 13:8–16, 22, 23lie— 32therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his family: he shall not have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he see the good that I will do for My people, says the Lord, #Jer. 28:16because he has taught rebellion against the Lord.
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Jeremiah 29: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 29
29
1These are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the elders#29.1 Gk: Heb the rest of the elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2This was after King Jeconiah, and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem. 3The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream,#29.8 Cn: Heb your dreams which you cause to dream 9for it is a lie which they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord.
10“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfil to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, 14I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
15“Because you have said, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ — 16Thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go out with you into exile: 17‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, I am sending on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs which are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18I will pursue them with sword, famine, and pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19because they did not heed my words, says the Lord, which I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, says the Lord.’ — 20Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon: 21‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah the son of Ma-aseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. 22Because of them this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23because they have committed folly in Israel, they have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and they have spoken in my name lying words which I did not command them. I am the one who knows, and I am witness, says the Lord.’ ”
24To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: 25“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Ma-aseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have charge in the house of the Lord over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and collar. 27Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? 28For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.” ’ ”
29Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31“Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants; he shall not have any one living among this people to see#29.32 Gk: Heb and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, says the Lord, for he has talked rebellion against the Lord.’ ”
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America