ULT JER Chapter 29

◄ JER 29 ► ║ ═ ©

29 And these are the words of the scroll that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders of the exile, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2 after the going out of Jeconiah the king, and the queen mother, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and the smiths, from Jerusalem. 3 He sent it by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah the king of Judah sent to Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, to Babylon, saying,

4 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exile whom I have exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘Build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to men, that they may bear sons and daughters. And multiply there and you not become few. 7 And seek the peace of the city where I have exiled you there, and pray on behalf of it to Yahweh, for in its peace there shall be peace for you.’

8 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners not deceive you, and do not listen to your dreams that you are causing yourselves to dream. 9 For in falsehood they are prophesying to you in my name. I did not send them”— the declaration of Yahweh.

10 “For thus says Yahweh: ‘When is completed seventy years for Babylon, I will visit you and I will establish my good word concerning you, to bring you back to this place. 11 For I myself know the plans that I am planning concerning you”— the declaration of Yahweh— “plans of peace and not for evil, to give to you a future and a hope. 12 And you will call to me and will go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek me and will find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found by you”— the declaration of Yahweh— “and I will restore your captivity and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you there”— the declaration of Yahweh— “and I will bring you back to the place from where I exiled you.’

15 Because you have said, ‘Yahweh has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,’ 16 for thus says Yahweh concerning the king who is sitting on the throne of David and concerning all the people who are dwelling in this city, your brothers who did not go out with you into the exile p —17 thus says Yahweh of hosts: ‘Behold, I am sending against them the sword, the famine, and the plague, and I will make them like the horrible figs that cannot be eaten from badness. 18 And I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the plague, and I will make them to be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and a desolation and a hissing and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they did not listen to my words“— the declaration of Yahweh— “that I sent to them by my servants the prophets, rising early and sending, but you did not listen“— the declaration of Yahweh.

20 “But you, hear the word of Yahweh, all the exile whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon. 21 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in my name falsehood: ‘Behold, I am giving them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and he will strike them before your eyes. 22 And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the exile of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May Yahweh make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire,” 23 because they have done a shameful thing in Israel and they have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and they spoke a word in my name falsely that I did not command them. And I am the one knowing and am a witness’— the declaration of Yahweh.”

24 And to Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying, 25 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘Because you sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “Yahweh has made you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, to be overseers in the house of Yahweh over every man who is raving and making himself a prophet, and you shall put him in the stocks and in the neck iron. 27 And now, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah the Anathothite, the one making himself a prophet to you? 28 For on account of this he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘It will be long. Build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ” ’ ” 29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying, 31 “Send to all the exile, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I did not send him, and he made you trust upon falsehood, 32 therefore thus says Yahweh: Behold, I am visiting punishment upon Shemaiah the Nehelamite and upon his seed. There will not be for him a man dwelling in the midst of this people, and he will not see the good that I am doing for my people’— the declaration of Yahweh— ‘for he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.’ ”