Jeremiah 29
29
Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles in Babylon
1These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among 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 court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem. 3The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said: 4Thus 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 what they 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 the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,#29.8 Cn: Heb your dreams that you cause to dream 9for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord.
10For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon's seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14I will let you find me, 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.
15Because 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 live in this city, your kinsfolk who did not go out with you into exile: 17Thus says the Lord of hosts, I am going to let loose on them sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like rotten figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. 18I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of cursing, and horror, and hissing, and a derision among all the nations where I have driven them, 19because they did not heed my words, says the Lord, when I persistently sent to you my servants the prophets, but they#29.19 Syr: Heb you would not listen, says the Lord. 20But now, all you exiles whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon, hear the word of the Lord: 21Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: I am going to deliver them into the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall kill them before your eyes. 22And on account 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 perpetrated outrage in Israel and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them; I am the one who knows and bears witness, says the Lord.
The Letter of Shemaiah
24To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: 25Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: In your own name you sent a letter to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying, 26The Lord himself has made you priest instead of the priest Jehoiada, so that there may be officers in the house of the Lord to control any madman who plays the prophet, to put him in the stocks and the collar. 27So now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who plays the prophet for you? 28For he has actually sent to us in Babylon, saying, “It will be a long time; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat what they produce.”
29The priest Zephaniah read this letter in the hearing of the prophet Jeremiah. 30Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31Send to all the exiles, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and has led you to trust in a lie, 32therefore thus says the Lord: I am going to punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants; he shall not have anyone living among this people to see#29.32 Gk: Heb and he shall not see the good that I am going to do to my people, says the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.
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Jeremiah 29: NRSV
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Yirmeyah 29
29
1Now these are the Devarim of the sefer that Yirmeyah HaNavi sent from Yerushalayim unto the surviving Zekenim of the Golus and to the Kohanim, and to the Nevi'im, and to kol HaAm whom Nevukhadnetzar had carried away captive from Yerushalayim to Bavel —
2This was after Yechanyah HaMelech, and the Gevirah (Queen Mother), and the sarisim, the sarim of Yehudah and Yerushalayim, and the carpenters, and the artisans had departed from Yerushalayim;
3The sefer was sent by the yad of El'asah Ben Shaphan, and Gemaryah Ben Chilkiyah, whom Tzidkiyah Melech Yehudah sent unto Bavel to Nevukhadnetzar Melech Bavel — and it said,
4Thus saith Hashem Tzva'os Elohei Yisroel, unto all that are carried away into the Golus, whom I have caused to be carried away from Yerushalayim unto Bavel;
5Build ye batim (houses), and dwell in them; and plant gannot (gardens), and eat the p'ri (fruit) of them;
6Take ye nashim, and father banim and banot; and take nashim for your banim, and give your banot to anashim, that they may bear banim and banot; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
7And seek the shalom of the city where I have caused you to be carried away into the Golus, and daven unto Hashem for it; for in the shalom thereof shall ye have shalom.
8For thus saith Hashem Tzva'os Elohei Yisroel: Let not your nevi'im and your kesamim that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither pay heed to your chalomot which ye cause to be dreamed.
9For they prophesy b'sheker (falsely) unto you in My Name; I have not sent them, saith Hashem.
10For thus saith Hashem, That after shiv'im shanah (seventy years) are accomplished at Bavel I will visit you, and perform My Davar Hatov toward you, in causing you to return to this makom.
11For I know the machshavot (thoughts, plans) that I think toward you, saith Hashem, machshavot shalom, and not of ra'ah, to give you an acharit (future) and a tikvah (hope).
12Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and v'hitpalaltem (and you [plural] will pray) unto Me, and I will pay heed unto you.#29:12 plural
13And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me b'chol lvavchem (with all your heart).
14And I will be found by you, saith Hashem; and I will bring you back from captivity, and I will gather you from all the Goyim, and from all the mekomot (places) where I have driven you, saith Hashem; and I will bring you back into the makom (place) from which I caused you to be carried away into the Golus.
15Because ye have said, Hashem hath raised up nevi'im for us in Bavel;
16Know that thus saith Hashem of HaMelech that sitteth upon the Kisse Dovid, and of kol HaAm that dwelleth in this city, and of your achim that are not gone forth with you into the Golus;
17Thus saith Hashem Tzva'os; Hineni, I will send upon them the cherev, the ra'av, and the dever, and will make them like rotten figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.
18And I will pursue them with the cherev, with the ra'av, and with the dever, and will make them a horror to all the mamlechot ha'aretz, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a cherpah, among all the Goyim where I have driven them;
19Because they have not paid heed to My devarim, saith Hashem, which I sent unto them by My Avadim the nevi'im, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith Hashem.
20Hear ye therefore the Devar Hashem, all ye of the Golus, whom I have sent from Yerushalayim to Bavel;
21Thus saith Hashem Tzva'os Elohei Yisroel, about Ach'av Ben Kolayah, and of Tzidkiyah Ben Ma'aseiyah, which prophesy sheker unto you in My Name; Hineni, I will deliver them into the yad Nevukhadretzar Melech Bavel; and he shall slay them before your eynayim;
22And of them shall be taken up a kelalah (curse) by all the Golus of Yehudah which are in Bavel, saying, Hashem make thee like Tzidkiyah and like Ach'av, whom Melech Bavel roasted in the eish;
23Because they have done nevalah (a foul deed, outrage) in Yisroel, and have committed ni'uf with their neighborsʼ nashim, and have spoken davar sheker in My Name, which I have not commanded them; I know, and am Ed (Witness), saith Hashem.
24Thus shalt thou also speak to Shema'yahu the Nechelami, saying,
25Thus speaketh Hashem Tzva'os Elohei Yisroel, saying, Because thou hast sent sefarim in thy shem unto kol HaAm that are in Yerushalayim, and to Tzephanyah Ben Ma'aseiyah the kohen, and to all the kohanim, saying,
26 Hashem hath made thee kohen in the place of Yehoyada the kohen, that there should be pekidim (officers) in the Beis Hashem, over every ish that is meshuggah (mad, insane), and maketh himself a navi, that thou shouldest put him in the stocks, and in the neck iron.
27Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Yirmeyah of Anatot, which maketh himself a navi to you?
28For therefore he sent unto us in Bavel, saying, This captivity is long; build ye batim (houses), and dwell in them; and plant gannot (gardens), and eat the fruit of them.
29And Tzephanyah the kohen read this sefer in the oznayim of Yirmeyah HaNavi.
30Then came the Devar Hashem unto Yirmeyah, saying,
31Send to all them of the Golus, saying, Thus saith Hashem concerning Shema'yah the Nechelami; Because that Shemaiyah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in sheker;
32Therefore thus saith Hashem: Hinei, I will punish Shema'yah the Nechelami, and his zera; he shall not have an ish to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the tov that I will do for My people, saith Hashem; because he hath spoken sarah (rebellion) against Hashem.
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
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