Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles

1And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had removed from Jerusalem to Babylon 2(after the going forth of Jeconiah† the king, and the queen mother, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, from Jerusalem). 3By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Babylon, saying:

4Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all the captive ones, whom I caused to be removed from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5“Build houses and dwell, and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6Take wives and beget sons and daughters, and take for your⁺ sons wives, and your⁺ daughters give to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters and multiply there, so that you⁺ shall not decrease. 7And seek the peace of the city to which I have caused you⁺ to be removed, and pray on its behalf to YHWH for in its peace, there shall be unto you⁺ peace.”

8For thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel: “Do not let your⁺ prophets and your⁺ diviners that are in your⁺ midst deceive you⁺, and do not listen to your⁺ dreams that you⁺ cause to be dreamed. 9For falsely they prophesy to you⁺ in My name; I have not sent them, a declaration of YHWH.”†

10For thus says YHWH: “Surely after seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you⁺ and perform My good word over you⁺, to make you⁺ return to this place. 11For I know the plans that I think toward you⁺, a declaration of YHWH, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give to you⁺ a future and a hope. 12And you⁺ will call Me and will go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you⁺. 13And you⁺ will seek Me and you⁺ will find, when you⁺ search for Me with all your⁺ heart. 14And I will be found by you⁺, a declaration of YHWH, and I will turn back your⁺ captivity,† and I will gather you⁺ from all the nations and from all the places to which I have driven you⁺ there, a declaration of YHWH, and I will bring you⁺ to the place from which I caused you⁺ to be carried away captive from there.

15Because you⁺ have said, “YHWH has raised up for us prophets in Babylon, surely thus says YHWH concerning the king sitting on the throne of David, and concerning all the people dwelling in this city and your⁺ brothers who have not gone out with you⁺ into captivity— thus says YHWH of Hosts:

“Behold, I am sending upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten for badness. And I will pursue after them with the sword, with famine, and with the pestilence, and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and as a horror, and as a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations to which I have driven them there. Because that they did not listen to My words, a declaration of YHWH, Which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending, and you would not listen! A declaration of YHWH.”

And you⁺, hear the word of YHWH, all of the captivity whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, those prophesying to you⁺ a lie in My name: “Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will strike them before your⁺ eyes! 22And because of them shall be taken up a curse for all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying: ‘May YHWH make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire! 23Because that they have done folly in Israel and have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and have spoken false words in My name, which I have not commanded them. And I am the One knowing, and a witness, a declaration of YHWH.”

The Message to Shemaiah

24And to Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying: 25Thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel, saying: “Because that you have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,†

26‘YHWH has made you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, that you should be officers in the house of YHWH over every man who is mad and makes himself a prophet, that you should put him in prison and in the stocks. 27And now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite, who is making himself a prophet to you⁺? 28For upon thus he has sent to us in Babylon, saying it is long, build houses and dwell, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’”

29And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

30And the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah, saying: 31“Send to all those of the captivity, saying, thus says YHWH concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you⁺, and I have not send him, and he has made you⁺ trust in a lie, 32therefore thus says YHWH: ‘Behold, I will attend to Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his family. There shall not be unto him a man dwelling among this people, and he shall not see the good that I am going to do for My people, a declaration of YHWH, because he has spoken rebellion against YHWH.