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.” ’ ”
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Jeremiah 29: LEB
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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.