Jeremiah 29

New International Version

A Letter to the Exiles

29 This is the text of the letter^(A) that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.^(B) ²(This was after King Jehoiachin^[a]^(C) and the queen mother,^(D) the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) ³He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

⁴This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried^(E) into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵“Build^(F) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.^(G) ⁷Also, seek^(H) the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray^(I) to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets^(J) and diviners among you deceive^(K) you. Do not listen to the dreams^(L) you encourage them to have.^(M) ⁹They are prophesying lies^(N) to you in my name. I have not sent^(O) them,” declares the Lord.

¹⁰This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years^(P) are completed for Babylon, I will come to you^(Q) and fulfill my good promise^(R) to bring you back^(S) to this place. ¹¹For I know the plans^(T) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper^(U) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.^(V) ¹²Then you will call^(W) on me and come and pray^(X) to me, and I will listen^(Y) to you. ¹³You will seek^(Z) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.^(AA) ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back^(AB) from captivity.^[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”^(AC)

¹⁵You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” ¹⁶but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile— ¹⁷yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague^(AD) against them and I will make them like figs^(AE) that are so bad they cannot be eaten. ¹⁸I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent^(AF) to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse^[c]^(AG) and an object of horror,^(AH) of scorn^(AI) and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. ¹⁹For they have not listened to my words,”^(AJ) declares the Lord, “words that I sent to them again and again^(AK) by my servants the prophets.^(AL) And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the Lord.

²⁰Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, all you exiles whom I have sent^(AM) away from Jerusalem to Babylon. ²¹This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies^(AN) to you in my name: “I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your very eyes. ²²Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned^(AO) in the fire.’ ²³For they have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery^(AP) with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize. I know^(AQ) it and am a witness^(AR) to it,” declares the Lord.

Message to Shemaiah

²⁴Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite, ²⁵“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah^(AS) son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. You said to Zephaniah, ²⁶‘The Lord has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the Lord; you should put any maniac^(AT) who acts like a prophet into the stocks^(AU) and neck-irons. ²⁷So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? ²⁸He has sent this message^(AV) to us in Babylon: It will be a long time.^(AW) Therefore build^(AX) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.’”

²⁹Zephaniah^(AY) the priest, however, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ³¹“Send this message to all the exiles: ‘This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah^(AZ) the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send^(BA) him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies, ³²this is what the Lord says: I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants.^(BB) He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good^(BC) things I will do for my people, declares the Lord, because he has preached rebellion^(BD) against me.’”

Footnotes

Jeremiah 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes
Jeremiah 29:18 That is, their names will be used in cursing (see verse 22); or, others will see that they are cursed.

Psalm 22

New International Version

Psalm 22^[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

¹My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?^(A)
    Why are you so far^(B) from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?^(C)
²My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,^(D)
    by night,^(E) but I find no rest.^[b]

³Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;^(F)
    you are the one Israel praises.^[c]^(G)
⁴In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.^(H)
⁵To you they cried out^(I) and were saved;
    in you they trusted^(J) and were not put to shame.^(K)

⁶But I am a worm^(L) and not a man,
    scorned by everyone,^(M) despised^(N) by the people.
⁷All who see me mock me;^(O)
    they hurl insults,^(P) shaking their heads.^(Q)
⁸“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
    “let the Lord rescue him.^(R)
Let him deliver him,^(S)
    since he delights^(T) in him.”

⁹Yet you brought me out of the womb;^(U)
you made me trust^(V) in you, even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰From birth^(W) I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

¹¹Do not be far from me,^(X)
for trouble is near^(Y)
and there is no one to help.^(Z)

¹²Many bulls^(AA) surround me;^(AB)
    strong bulls of Bashan^(AC) encircle me.
¹³Roaring lions^(AD) that tear their prey^(AE)
    open their mouths wide^(AF) against me.
¹⁴I am poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.^(AG)
My heart has turned to wax;^(AH)
    it has melted^(AI) within me.
¹⁵My mouth^[d] is dried up like a potsherd,^(AJ)
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;^(AK)
    you lay me in the dust^(AL) of death.

¹⁶Dogs^(AM) surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce^[e]^(AN) my hands and my feet.
¹⁷All my bones are on display;
    people stare^(AO) and gloat over me.^(AP)
¹⁸They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots^(AQ) for my garment.^(AR)

¹⁹But you, Lord, do not be far from me.^(AS)
    You are my strength;^(AT) come quickly^(AU) to help me.^(AV)
²⁰Deliver me from the sword,^(AW)
    my precious life^(AX) from the power of the dogs.^(AY)
²¹Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;^(AZ)
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.^(BA)

²²I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly^(BB) I will praise you.^(BC)
²³You who fear the Lord, praise him!^(BD)
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!^(BE)
    Revere him,^(BF) all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴For he has not despised^(BG) or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;^(BH)
he has not hidden his face^(BI) from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.^(BJ)

²⁵From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;^(BK)
    before those who fear you^[f] I will fulfill my vows.^(BL)
²⁶The poor will eat^(BM) and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—^(BN)
    may your hearts live forever!

²⁷All the ends of the earth^(BO)
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,^(BP)
²⁸for dominion belongs to the Lord^(BQ)
    and he rules over the nations.

²⁹All the rich^(BR) of the earth will feast and worship;^(BS)
    all who go down to the dust^(BT) will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.^(BU)
³⁰Posterity^(BV) will serve him;
    future generations^(BW) will be told about the Lord.
³¹They will proclaim his righteousness,^(BX)
    declaring to a people yet unborn:^(BY)
    He has done it!^(BZ)

Footnotes

Psalm 22:1 In Hebrew texts 22:1-31 is numbered 22:2-32.
Psalm 22:2 Or night, and am not silent
Psalm 22:3 Or Yet you are holy, / enthroned on the praises of Israel
Psalm 22:15 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text strength
Psalm 22:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text me, / like a lion
Psalm 22:25 Hebrew him