The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah

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- Chapter 29 -

These are the words in the scroll that Jeremiah the prophet sent out from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the captives and to the priests, prophets, and all the people that Nebuchadnezzar exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon.

This was after Jehoiachin the king, the queen mother, and the high officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen had been sent away from Jerusalem.

He sent this scroll by the hand of Elasah son of Shapan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah whom Zedekiah, king of Judah, had sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

The scroll said, “Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this to all the captives whom I caused to be exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon,

’Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.

Take wives and give birth to sons and daughters. Then take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands. Let them give birth to sons and daughters and increase there so you do not become too few.

Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be exiled, and intercede with me on its behalf since there will be peace for you if it is at peace.’

For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, ’Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that you yourselves are having.

For they are prophesying deceitfully to you in my name. I did not send them out-this is Yahweh’s declaration.’

For Yahweh says this, ’When Babylon has ruled you for seventy years, I will help you and carry out my good word for you to bring you back to this place.

For I myself know the plans that I have for you-this is Yahweh’s declaration-plans for peace and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope.

Then you will call to me, and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

For you will seek me and find me, since you will seek me with all your heart.

Then I will be found by you-this is Yahweh’s declaration-and I will bring back your fortunes; I will gather you from all the nations and places where I scattered you-this is Yahweh’s declaration-for I will bring you back to the place from where I caused you to be exiled.’

Since you said that Yahweh has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,

Yahweh says this to the king who sits on the throne of David and to all the people who are staying in that city, your brothers who have not gone out with you into captivity-

Yahweh of hosts says this, ’See, I am about to send sword, famine, and disease on them. For I will make them like rotten figs that are too bad to be eaten.

Then I will pursue them with sword, famine, and plague and make them a horrible sight to all the kingdoms on earth-a horror, an object about curses and hissed words, and a shameful thing among all the nations where I scattered her.

This is because they did not listen to my word-this is Yahweh’s declaration-that I sent out to them through my servants the prophets. I repeatedly sent them, but you would not listen-this is Yahweh’s declaration.’

So you yourselves listen to the word of Yahweh, all you exiles whom he has sent out from Jerusalem to Babylon,

’I, Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, say this about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in my name: See, I am about to put them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He will kill them before your eyes.

Then a curse will be spoken about these persons by all the captives of Judah in Babylon. The curse will say: May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in fire.

This will happen because of the shameful things they did in Israel when they committed adultery with their neighbor’s wives and declared false words in my name, things that I never commanded them to say. For I am the one who knows; I am the witness-this is Yahweh’s declaration.’”

The Message to Shemaiah

“About Shemaiah the Nehelamite, say this:

’Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Because you sent out letters in your own name to all the people in Jerusalem, to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, and said,

“Yahweh has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, for you to be in charge of Yahweh’s house. You are in control of all the people who rave and make themselves into prophets. You should put them in stocks and chains.

So now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself into a prophet against you?

For he has sent out to us in Babylon and said, ’It will be a long time. Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.””’

Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

So the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah and said,

“Send word to all the exiles and say, ’Yahweh says this about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you when I myself did not send him; because he has led you to believe lies,

therefore Yahweh says this: Look, I am about to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. There will not be a man for him to stay among this people. He will not see the good that I will do for my people-this is Yahweh’s declaration-for he has proclaimed faithlessness against me, Yahweh.’”

Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon,

(after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem),

by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon). It said:

The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:

“Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.

Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be diminished.

Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”

For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says the LORD.

For the LORD says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.

I will be found by you,” says the LORD, “and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD. I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.”

Because you have said, “The LORD has raised us up prophets in Babylon,”

the LORD says concerning the king who sits on David’s throne, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven’t gone with you into captivity,

the LORD of Armies says: “Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that can’t be eaten, they are so bad.

I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them,

because they have not listened to my words,” says the LORD, “with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear,” says the LORD.

Hear therefore the LORD’s word, all you captives whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name: “Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he will kill them before your eyes.

A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘The LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;’

because they have done foolish things in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn’t command them. I am he who knows, and am witness,” says the LORD.

The Message to Shemaiah

Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying,

“The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

“The LORD has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the LORD’s house, for every man who is crazy and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in the stocks and in shackles.

Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes himself a prophet to you,

because he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, The captivity is long. Build houses, and dwell in them. Plant gardens, and eat their fruit?”’”

Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

Then the LORD’s word came to Jeremiah, saying,

“Send to all of the captives, saying, ‘The LORD says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I didn’t send him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie,”

therefore the LORD says, “Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. He will not have a man to dwell among this people. He won’t see the good that I will do to my people,” says the LORD, “because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD.”’”