Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles

29 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to ^(A)the surviving elders of the exiles, and to ^(B)the priests, ^(C)the prophets, and ^(D)all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ² This was after ^(E)King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. ³ The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of ^(F)Shaphan and Gemariah the son of ^(G)Hilkiah, 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 (H)Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ⁶ Take 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. ⁷ But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and ^(I)pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. ⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(J)Do not let your prophets and ^(K)your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,^{[a] 9} for ^(L)it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; ^(M)I did not send them, declares the Lord.

¹⁰ “For thus says the Lord: ^(N)When seventy years are completed for Babylon, ^(O)I will visit you, ^(P)and I will fulfill to you my promise ^(Q)and bring you back to this place. ^11 (R)For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare^[b] and not for evil, ^(S)to give you a future and a hope. ^12 (T)Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, ^(U)and I will hear you. ^13 (V)You will seek me and find me, when you seek me ^(W)with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, declares the Lord, ^(X)and I will restore your fortunes and ^(Y)gather you from all the nations and all the places ^(Z)where 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,’ ¹⁶ thus says the Lord concerning ^(AA)the 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 ^(AB)sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them like ^(AC)vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. ¹⁸ I will pursue them with ^(AD)sword, famine, and pestilence, ^(AE)and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, ^(AF)to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations ^(AG)where I have driven them, ¹⁹ because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord, ^(AH)that I persistently sent to you by my servants the prophets, but you would not listen, declares the Lord.’ ²⁰ Hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles ^(AI)whom 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, ^(AJ)who 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 (AK)Because of them ^(AL)this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, ^(AM)whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” ²³ because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel, ^(AN)they have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and ^(AO)they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them. ^(AP)I am the one who knows, ^(AQ)and I am witness, declares the Lord.’”

Shemaiah's False Prophecy

²⁴ To ^(AR)Shemaiah 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 ^(AS)Zephaniah the son of ^(AT)Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, ²⁶ ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have ^(AU)charge in the house of the Lord ^(AV)over every madman who prophesies, to put him in ^(AW)the stocks and neck irons. ²⁷ Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah ^(AX)of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? ²⁸ For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; ^(AY)build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’”

^29 (AZ)Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. ^30 (BA)Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹ “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning ^(BB)Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because ^(BC)Shemaiah had prophesied to you ^(BD)when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, ³² therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish ^(BE)Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, ^(BF)and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, ^(BG)for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’”