Jeremiah 29
29
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles in Babylon
1And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the exiles,#Hebrew “exile” and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2after the going out of Jeconiah the king, and the queen mother, and the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the artisans,#Hebrew “artisan” and the smiths#Hebrew “smith” from Jerusalem, 3by the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah, the king of Judah, sent to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to Babylon, saying,#Literally “to say” 4“Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles#Hebrew “exile” whom I have deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5‘Build houses and live in them,#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take for your sons wives, and give your daughters to men that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there, and you must not be few. 7And seek the prosperity of the city where I have deported you, and pray on behalf of it to Yahweh, for in its prosperity you will have prosperity.’
8For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst, and your diviners, deceive you, and you must not listen to your dreams that you are causing them to dream. 9For they are prophesying falsely#Literally “in a lie” to you in my name; I have not sent them,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh. 10For thus says Yahweh, ‘As soon as the time has passed,#Literally “When to the mouth of being full” seventy years#Hebrew “year” for Babylon, I will attend to you, and I will fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans that I am planning concerning you,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, ‘plans for prosperity and not for harm, to give to you a future and a hope. 12Then when you call me, and you come and pray to me, then I will listen to you. 13When you search for me, then you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. 14And I will let myself be found by you,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, ‘and I will restore your fortunes,#Hebrew “fortune” and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have driven you,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from which I deported you.’
15Because you have said, ‘Yahweh has raised up prophets for us in Babylon’— 16for thus says Yahweh concerning the king who sits on the throne of David and concerning all the people who live in this city, your fellow kinsmen who did not go with you into the exile— 17thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Look, I am going to send among them the sword, the famine, and the plague, and I will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten because of their bad quality. 18And I will pursue them with the sword, with the famine, and with the plague, and I will make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse, and a horror, and an object of hissing, and a disgrace among all the nations to which I have driven them, 19because they did not listen to my words,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, ‘when I sent to them my servants the prophets, sending over and over again,#Literally “doing early and sending” and they would not listen,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.
20And you, hear the word of Yahweh, all you exiles#Hebrew “exile” whom I sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in my name a lie, ‘Look, I am going to give them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will strike them before your eyes. 22And a curse will be taken up because of them by all the exiles#Hebrew “exile” of Judah who are in Babylon, saying,#Literally “to say” “May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23because they have done a disgraceful thing in Israel, and they have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and they have spoken words#Hebrew “word” in my name, lies#Hebrew “lie” that I have not commanded them, and I am he who knows, and I am a witness,’ declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh.”
Shemaiah’s Letter to Zephaniah the Priest
24And to Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall say, saying,#Literally “to say” 25“Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘Because you yourself sent a letter#Hebrew “letters” in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,#Literally “to say” 26“Yahweh made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there are overseers in the house of Yahweh over any mad man who exhibits the behavior of a prophet, and you must put him into the stocks and into the neck iron, 27and so then why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite who exhibits the behavior of a prophet for you? 28Because#Literally “Seeing that unto thus” he has sent to us in Babylon, saying,#Literally “to say” ‘It will be a long time, build houses and live in them,#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ” ’ ” 29And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing#Literally “ears” of Jeremiah the prophet.
Jeremiah’s Response to Shemaiah’s Letter
30And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,#Literally “to say” 31“Send to all the exiles,#Hebrew “exile” saying,#Literally “to say” ‘Thus says Yahweh concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah prophesied to you, though I have not sent him, and he has made you trust in a lie,” 32therefore#Literally “to thus” thus says Yahweh, “Look, I am going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. There will not be for him a man who lives in the midst of this people, and he will not see the good that I am going to do to my people,” declares#Literally “a declaration of” Yahweh, “For he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.” ’ ”
Currently Selected:
Jeremiah 29: LEB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
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.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
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.