1 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem toiEzek. 8:1 the surviving elders of the exiles, and toj[ch. 23:33] the priests,j[ch. 23:33] the prophets, andj[ch. 23:33] all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was afterkch. 24:1; 2 Kgs. 24:12, 14 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 ofl2 Chr. 34:8 Shaphan and Gemariah the son ofm1 Chr. 6:13 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 nver. 28 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, ando[Ezra 6:10; 1 Tim. 2:1, 2] 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:p[ch. 5:31; 6:14] Do not let your prophets andqch. 27:9, 15 your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 forrSee ch. 5:31 it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name;sver. 31 I did not send them, declares the Lord.
10 For thus says the Lord :tSee ch. 25:12 When seventy years are completed for Babylon,uch. 27:22 I will visit you,vch. 33:14; [ch. 24:6] and I will fulfill to you my promisevch. 33:14; [ch. 24:6] and bring you back to this place. 11 w[Isa. 55:8, 9] For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil,xch. 31:17 to give you a future and a hope. 12 ych. 33:3; Dan. 9:3 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me,ych. 33:3; Dan. 9:3 and I will hear you. 13 z2 Chr. 15:2; Ps. 32:6; 78:34; Prov. 8:17; Isa. 55:6; Hos. 3:5; See Lev. 26:39-42; Deut. 30:1-3 You will seek me and find me. When you seek meach. 24:7; Deut. 4:29 with all your heart, 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord,bch. 30:3 and I will restore your fortunes andcSee ch. 23:3 gather you from all the nations and all the placesdSee ch. 8:3 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 concerningeSee ch. 22:2 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 themfSee ch. 24:10 sword, famine, and pestilence, and I will make them likegch. 24:8 vile figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten. 18 I will pursue them withf[See ver. 17 above] sword, famine, and pestilence,hSee ch. 15:4 and will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth,ich. 18:16; 42:18; See ch. 24:9 to be a curse, a terror, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nationsd[See ver. 14 above] where I have driven them, 19 because they did not pay attention to my words, declares the Lord,jSee ch. 25:4 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 exileskch. 24:5 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,lver. 9; See ch. 14:14 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 mSee Isa. 65:15 Because of themnSee ch. 24:9 this curse shall be used by all the exiles from Judah in Babylon: “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab,o[Dan. 3:6] whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire, ” 23 because they have done an outrageous thing in Israel,pch. 23:14 they have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, andpch. 23:14 they have spoken in my name lying words that I did not command them.qMal. 3:5 I am the one who knows,qMal. 3:5 and I am witness, declares the Lord. ’ ”
24 Torver. 31, 32 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 tosch. 21:1; 2 Kgs. 25:18 Zephaniah the son oftch. 35:4 Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to haveu[ch. 20:1] charge in the house of the Lordv[2 Kgs. 9:11; Acts 26:24] over every madman who prophesies, to put him inwch. 20:2 the stocks and neck irons. 27 Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiahxch. 1:1; 32:7 of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long;yver. 5 build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce. ” ’ ”
29 s[See ver. 25 above] Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 zver. 1, 20 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerningaver. 24 Shemaiah of Nehelam: Becauseaver. 24 Shemaiah had prophesied to youbver. 9; See ch. 5:31 when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32 therefore thus says the Lord : Behold, I will punisha[See ver. 31 above] Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people,cSee ch. 17:6 and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord,dch. 28:16 for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord. ’ ”