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.”
Currently Selected:
Jeremiah 29: TLV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Jeremiah 29
29
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles
1These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to #Ezek. 8:1 the surviving elders of the exiles, and to #[ch. 23:33]the priests, #[ch. 23:33]the prophets, and #[ch. 23:33]all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2This was after #ch. 24:1; 2 Kgs. 24:12, 14King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of #2 Chr. 34:8 Shaphan and Gemariah the son of #1 Chr. 6:13Hilkiah, 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: 5#ver. 28Build 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 #[Ezra 6:10; 1 Tim. 2:1, 2]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: #[ch. 5:31; 6:14] Do not let your prophets and #ch. 27:9, 15your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,#29:8 Hebrew your dreams, which you cause to dream 9for #See ch. 5:31 it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; #ver. 31I did not send them, declares the Lord.
10“For thus says the Lord: #See ch. 25:12 When seventy years are completed for Babylon, #ch. 27:22 I will visit you, #ch. 33:14; [ch. 24:6]and I will fulfill to you my promise #ch. 33:14; [ch. 24:6]and bring you back to this place. 11#[Isa. 55:8, 9] For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare#29:11 Or peace and not for evil, #ch. 31:17to give you a future and a hope. 12#ch. 33:3; Dan. 9:3Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, #ch. 33:3; Dan. 9:3and I will hear you. 13#2 Chr. 15:2; Ps. 32:6; 78:34; Prov. 8:17; Isa. 55:6; Hos. 3:5; See Lev. 26:39-42; Deut. 30:1-3 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me #ch. 24:7; Deut. 4:29with all your heart. 14I will be found by you, declares the Lord, #ch. 30:3 and I will restore your fortunes and #See ch. 23:3 gather you from all the nations and all the places #See ch. 8:3where I have driven you, declares 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 #See ch. 22:2the 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 #See ch. 24:10 sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like #ch. 24:8vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. 18I will pursue them with #[See ver. 17 above] sword, famine, and pestilence, #See ch. 15:4 and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, #ch. 18:16; 42:18; See ch. 24:9 to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations #[See ver. 14 above]where I have driven them, 19because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, #See ch. 25:4that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.’ 20Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles #ch. 24:5whom 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 Maaseiah, #ver. 9; See ch. 14:14who are prophesying a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall strike them down before your eyes. 22#See Isa. 65:15 Because of them #See ch. 24:9 this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, #[Dan. 3:6]whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, #ch. 23:14 they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and #ch. 23:14 they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. #Mal. 3:5I am the one who knows, #Mal. 3:5and I am witness, declares the Lord.’”
Shemaiah’s False Prophecy
24To #ver. 31, 32Shemaiah 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 #ch. 21:1; 2 Kgs. 25:18 Zephaniah the son of #ch. 35:4Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have #[ch. 20:1] charge in the house of the Lord #[2 Kgs. 9:11; Acts 26:24] over every madman who prophesies, to put him in #ch. 20:2the stocks and neck irons. 27Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah #ch. 1:1; 32:7of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? 28For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; #ver. 5build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”
29 # [See ver. 25 above] Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30#ver. 1, 20Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31“Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning #ver. 24 Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because #ver. 24 Shemaiah had prophesied to you #ver. 9; See ch. 5:31when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish #[See ver. 31 above] Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, #See ch. 17:6 and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, #ch. 28:16for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV: