Jeremiah 29:1–32

¹And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the older men of the exiled people and to the priests and to the prophets and to all the people, whom Neb‧u‧chad‧nez′zar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,²after Jec‧o‧ni′ah the king and the lady and the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and the builders of bulwarks had gone forth from Jerusalem.³It was by the hand of El‧a′sah the son of Sha′phan and Gem‧a‧ri′ah the son of Hil‧ki′ah, whom Zed‧e‧ki′ah the king of Judah sent to Babylon to Neb‧u‧chad‧nez′zar the king of Babylon, saying:

⁴“This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said to all the exiled people, whom I have caused to go into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,⁵‘Build houses and inhabit [them], and plant gardens and eat their fruitage.⁶Take wives and become father to sons and to daughters; and take wives for ​YOUR​ own sons and give ​YOUR​ own daughters to husbands, that they may give birth to sons and to daughters; and become many there, and do not become few.⁷Also, seek the peace of the city to which I have caused ​YOU​ to go into exile, and pray in its behalf to Jehovah, for in its peace there will prove to be peace for ​YOU​ yourselves.⁸For this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said: “Let not ​YOUR​ prophets who are in among ​YOU​ and ​YOUR​ practicers of divination deceive ​YOU, and do not ​YOU​ listen to their dreams that they are dreaming.⁹For ‘it is in falsehood that they are prophesying to ​YOU​ in my name. I have not sent them,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.”’”

¹⁰“For this is what Jehovah has said, ‘In accord with the fulfilling of seventy years at Babylon I shall turn my attention to ​YOU​ people, and I will establish toward ​YOU​ my good word in bringing ​YOU​ back to this place.’

¹¹“‘For I myself well know the thoughts that I am thinking toward ​YOU,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of calamity, to give ​YOU​ a future and a hope.¹²And ​YOU​ will certainly call me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to ​YOU.’

¹³“‘And ​YOU​ will actually seek me and find [me], for ​YOU​ will search for me with all ​YOUR​ heart.¹⁴And I will let myself be found by ​YOU,’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘And I will gather ​YOUR​ body of captives and collect ​YOU​ together out of all the nations and out of all the places to which I have dispersed ​YOU,’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘And I will bring ​YOU​ back to the place from which I caused ​YOU​ to go into exile.’

¹⁵“But ​YOU​ have said, ‘Jehovah has raised up for us prophets in Babylon.’

¹⁶“For this is what Jehovah has said to the king sitting on the throne of David and to all the people dwelling in this city, ​YOUR​ brothers that have not gone forth with ​YOU​ into exile,¹⁷‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said: “Here I am sending against them the sword, the famine and the pestilence, and I will make them like the burst‐open figs that cannot be eaten for badness.”’

¹⁸“‘And I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine and with the pestilence, and I will give them for a quaking to all the kingdoms of the earth, for a curse and for an object of astonishment and for a whistling at and for a reproach among all the nations to which I shall certainly disperse them,¹⁹due to the fact that they have not listened to my words,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘that I have sent to them with my servants the prophets, getting up early and sending [them].’

“‘But ​YOU​ have not listened,’ is the utterance of Jehovah.

²⁰“And as for ​YOU, hear the word of Jehovah, all you exiled people, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.²¹This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said concerning A′hab the son of Ko‧lai′ah and to Zed‧e‧ki′ah the son of Ma‧a‧sei′ah, who are prophesying to ​YOU​ falsehood in my own name, ‘Here I am giving them into the hand of Neb‧u‧chad‧rez′zar the king of Babylon, and he must strike them down before ​YOUR​ eyes.²²And from them a malediction will certainly be taken on the part of the entire body of exiles of Judah that is in Babylon, saying: “May Jehovah make you like Zed‧e‧ki′ah and like A′hab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire!”²³for the reason that they have carried on senselessness in Israel, and they keep committing adultery with the wives of their companions and keep speaking falsely in my own name the word that I did not command them.

“‘“And I am the One knowing and am a witness,” is the utterance of Jehovah.’”

²⁴“And to She‧mai′ah of Ne‧hel′am you will say,²⁵‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said: “For the reason that you yourself have sent in your name letters to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zeph‧a‧ni′ah the son of Ma‧a‧sei′ah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,²⁶‘Jehovah himself has made you priest instead of Je‧hoi′a‧da the priest, in order to become the grand overseer of the house of Jehovah toward any man maddened and behaving like a prophet, and you must put him into the stocks and into the pillory;²⁷now, then, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of An′a‧thoth, who is behaving as a prophet to ​YOU​ people?²⁸For that is why he has sent to us at Babylon, saying: “It is long drawn out! Build houses and inhabit [them], and plant gardens and eat their fruitage,—”’”’”

²⁹And Zeph‧a‧ni′ah the priest proceeded to read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

³⁰Then the word of Jehovah occurred to Jeremiah, saying:³¹“Send to all the exiled people, saying, ‘This is what Jehovah has said concerning She‧mai′ah of Ne‧hel′am: “For the reason that She‧mai′ah has prophesied to ​YOU​ people, but I myself did not send him, and he tried to make ​YOU​ trust in falsehood,³²therefore this is what Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am turning my attention upon She‧mai′ah of Ne‧hel′am and upon his offspring.’

“‘“‘He will not come to have a man dwelling in the midst of this people; and he will not look upon the good that I am doing for my people,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘for he has spoken outright revolt against Jehovah.’”’”