Jeremiah 29
29
After Seventy Years, a Future Hope
1Now these are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the elders remaining in exile, as well as to the kohanim, the prophets and to all the people Nebuchadnezzar had carried off captive from Jerusalem to Babylon
2(after Jeconiah the king, the queen-mother, the officers, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and the smiths, had to leave Jerusalem). The letter was sent
3by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,
4thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel, to all those in captivity, whom I removed as captives into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5“Build houses and live in them; also plant gardens and eat their fruit;
6take wives and have sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and do not decrease.
7Also seek the shalom of the city where I took you as captives in exile, and pray to Adonai for it—for in its shalom will you have shalom.”
8For thus says Adonai, the God of Israel: “Do not let your prophets who are among you or your diviners beguile you, and pay no attention to the dreams which you make them keep dreaming.
9For they prophesy falsely to you in My Name; I have not sent them.” It is a declaration of Adonai.
10For thus says Adonai: “After 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will visit you, and fulfill My good word toward you—to bring you back to this place.
11For I know the plans that I have in mind for you,” declares Adonai, “plans for shalom and not calamity—to give you a future and a hope.
12“Then you will call on Me, and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13You will seek Me and find Me, when you will search for Me with all your heart.
14Then I will be found by you,” says Adonai, “and I will return you from exile, and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,” says Adonai, “and I will bring you back to the place from which I removed you as captives into exile.”
15For you have said: “Adonai has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.”
16For thus says Adonai about the king who sits on the throne of David and about all the people who dwell in this city, your kinsmen who did not go with you into captivity,
17thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot: “I am about to send on them the sword, famine and pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so bad.
18I will pursue them with the sword, famine and pestilence, and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth—a curse and an astonishment, a hissing and a disgrace—among all the nations where I have driven them,
19because they have not listened to My words,” declares Adonai, “which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, sending them early and often, but you would not hear.” It is a declaration of Adonai.
20“But you, hear the word of Adonai, all you of the exile whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon,”
21thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel, “concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in My name: I will soon deliver them into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon—and he will slay them before your eyes.
22So a curse will be taken up by everyone in exile from Judah who are in Babylon, saying: ‘May Adonai make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire’—
23because they have been disgraceful in Israel, committing adultery with their neighbors’ wives and speaking words in My Name falsely, which I did not command them. But I am the One who knows and I am witness.” It is a declaration of Adonai.
24Now concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you will surely say,
25thus declares Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel, saying: “Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the kohen, and to all the kohanim, saying:
26‘Adonai has made you kohen instead of Jehoiada the kohen, so that there should be officers in the House of Adonai for every madman prophesying and so that you will put him in the stocks and iron collar.
27So now, why haven’t you rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself out to be a prophet to you?
28For he has sent word to us in Babylon, saying: “The exile will be long—build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.’”
29So Zephaniah the kohen read this letter in the ears of the prophet Jeremiah.
30Then the word of Adonai came to Jeremiah, saying:
31Send word to all of the captivity, saying, thus says Adonai concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie,”
32therefore thus says Adonai, “I will indeed punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There will be none living among this people, and he will not see the good that I will do to My people,” declares Adonai, “because he has spoken rebellion against Adonai.”
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Jeremias (Jeremiah) 29
29
1Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremias the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the ancients that were carried into captivity and to the priests and to the prophets and to all the people whom Nabuchodonosor had carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
2After that Jechonias the king and the queen and the eunuchs and the princes of Juda and of Jerusalem and the craftsman and the engravers were departed out of Jerusalem:
3By the hand of Elasa the son of Saphan and Gamarias the son of Helcias, whom Sedecias king of Juda sent to Babylon to Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, saying:
4Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5Build ye houses and dwell in them: and plant orchards and eat the fruit of them.
6Take ye wives and beget sons and daughters: and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, and let them bear sons and daughters: and be ye multiplied there, and be not few in number.
7And seek the peace of the city to which I have caused you to be carried away captives and pray to the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall be your peace.
8For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that are in the midst of you and your diviners deceive you, and give no heed to your dreams which you dream:
9For they prophesy falsely to you in my name: and I have not sent them, saith the Lord.
10For thus saith the Lord: When the seventy years shall begin to be accomplished in Babylon, I will visit you: and I will perform my good word in your favour, to bring you again to this place.
11For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of affliction, to give you an end and patience.
12And you shall call upon me, and you shall go: and you shall pray to me, and I will hear you.
13You shall seek me: and shall find me, when you shall seek me with all your heart.
14And I will be found by you, saith the Lord: and I will bring back your captivity, and I will gather you out of all nations and from all the places to which I have driven you out, saith the Lord: and I will bring you back from the place to which I caused you to be carried away captive:
15Because you have said: The Lord hath raised us up prophets in Babylon.
16For thus saith the Lord to the king that sitteth upon the throne of David and to all the people that dwell in this city, to your brethren that are not gone forth with you into captivity.
17Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send upon them the sword, and the famine, and the pestilence: and I will make them like bad figs that cannot be eaten, because they are very bad.
18And I will persecute them with the sword and with famine and with the pestilence: and I will give them up unto affliction to all the kingdoms of the earth: to be a curse and an astonishment and a hissing and a reproach to all the nations to which I have driven them out:
19Because they have not hearkened to my words, saith the Lord, which I sent to them by my servants the prophets, rising by night and sending: and you have not heard, saith the Lord.
20Hear ye therefore the word of the Lord, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent out from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to Achab the son of Colias and to Sedecias the son of Maasias, who prophesy unto you in my name falsely: Behold, I will deliver them up into the hands of Nabuchodonosor the king of Babylon. And he shall kill them before your eyes.
22And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Juda that are in Babylon, saying: The Lord make thee like Sedecias and like Achab whom the king of Babylon fried in the fire:
23Because they have acted folly in Israel and have committed adultery with the wives of their friends and have spoken lying words in my name, which I commanded them not. I am the judge and the witness, saith the Lord.
24And to Semeias the Nehelamite thou shalt say:
25Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because thou hast sent letters in thy name to all the people that are in Jerusalem and to Sophonias the son of Maasias the priest and to all the priests, saying:
26The Lord hath made thee priest instead of Joiada the priest, that thou shouldst be ruler in the house of the Lord over every man that raveth and prophesieth, to put him in the stocks and into prison.
27And now why hast thou not rebuked Jeremias the Anathothite who prophesieth to you?
28For he hath also sent to us in Babylon, saying: It is a long time: build ye houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat the fruits of them.
29So Sophonias the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremias the prophet.
30And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying:
31Send to all them of the captivity, saying: Thus saith the Lord to Semeias the Nehelamite: Behold, Semeias hath prophesied to you and I sent him not, and hath caused you to trust in a lie:
32Therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold I will visit upon Semeias the Nehelamite and upon his seed. He shall not have a man to sit in the midst of this people and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, saith the Lord: because he hath spoken treason against the Lord.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.